As countries across the globe ramp up vaccination, governments and international organizations are increasingly embracing COVID-19 vaccination certificates. Such certificates already play a critical role in lifting travel restrictions while maintaining the safety of international travel.
Whenever you travel abroad, you will have to show proof of vaccination or test results. Vaccine certificates have become a popular way of ascertaining that you received your COVID-19 vaccination.
Countries like India have developed a system for linking vaccine certificates with passports to make it easier to travel. Such systems aim to help travelers prove their vaccination status with ease. These certificates include travelers’ name, passport number, and the vaccine which they received.
Reasons why you should link your vaccine certificate to your passport
Here are some of the top reasons you should link your vaccine certificate to your passport:
– Airports will scan you for COVID-19 before you leave. When you are vaccinated, authorities may exempt you from some COVID-19 mandates. These include quarantine at your destination or a COVID-19 test before you travel.
– Linking your vaccine certificate to your passport provides reliable proof of your vaccination. Since they are directly linked to your passport, digitally-linked certificates are more reliable than easily falsifiable physical certificates. Even with a vaccine passport linked to your passport but presented in physical format, authorities can authenticate it by scanning a QR code.
– Linking your passport and vaccination certificate makes for a smooth travel experience as far as regulatory concerns. When you can provide reliable proof of your vaccination, foreign countries are less likely to interrupt your travel due to regulatory hiccups.
How to link your vaccine certificate
There are different ways of doing this, depending on where you live. If you are in India, for example, the CoWIN Portal makes it easy to link your COVID-19 vaccine certificate with your passport details. This can make it easier for you to travel to the UAE, the UK, Australia, the US, Europe, and other foreign countries.
Conclusion
COVID-19 passports have become a valid method of verifying vaccination status against the coronavirus. Countries like India have taken vaccination an additional step further by allowing their citizens to link their passport and their vaccine certificates through portals like CoWIN.
