Vaccine Passport Policies and Technology Conferences: United States, Europe, Asia and More

by Joe Panettieri • Mar 12, 2022

Welcome to page three of our vaccine passport updates from various countries, states and organizations. Updates sorted alphabetically.

New Hampshire (United States): The state is not developing or requiring vaccine passports, but a proposed legislative measure would prohibit state government from requiring people to receive the vaccine or possess the passport. Source: Associated Press, April 27, 2021.

New York (United States): Multiple updates…

• The Excelsior Pass allows New Yorkers to upload their official coronavirus results—from a number of different vaccination sites and labs—into the system to verify that the person holding the pass meets the standards to enter a venue for mass gatherings. Source: Conde Nast Traveller, April 2, 2021.
• Vaccine passports will no longer be required in New York City starting on March 7. Source: New York Post, February 27, 2022.

New Jersey (United States): Senator Michael Testa introduced legislation that would bar a Vaccine Passport from being mandated in New Jersey. Source: Insider New Jersey, April 19, 2021.

North Carolina (United States): Sixty-five North Carolina House Republicans sent a letter to Governor Roy Cooper opposing a vaccine passport or any other form of government-required identification to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Source: WCNC, April 21, 2021.

Oregon (United States): Oregon is thinking about adopting a digital passport that can allow citizens to show proof of vaccination easily. However, the state doesn’t know what kind of technology would be employed. Source: Government Technology, September 7, 2021.

Pennsylvania (United States): Multiple updates…

• State Senator Doug Mastriano says vaccine passports “do not belong in the birthplace of freedom,” according to an editorial. Source: The Times Herald, April 6, 2021.
• Public health officials in Pennsylvania say they will not follow in New York’s footsteps and adopt vaccine passports. Rather, acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting that the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Task Force sees easing hesitancy as its most urgent priority. Source: WFMZ-TV 69 News, April 26, 2021.
• The Pennsylvania Senate has passed a bill to ban vaccine passports. Source: KDKA, June 10, 2021.

Salesforce Dreamforce 2021 (United States Conferences): Salesforce Dreamforce 2021 attendees will need to be fully vaccinated to enter U.S. conferences in San Francisco and New York, the cloud CRM software provider says.

Software: TrustGrid announced a new use case for its platform to provide citizens with a secure digital vaccine passport that can be stored on their smartphone. TrustGrid has been used for the last five years by the Australian state government to secure a digital driver’s license ecosystem. Designed using distributed ledger technology, TrustGrid is an opt-in system where citizens can authenticate their identity and vaccination status and receive a QR code to show as proof of vaccination. Any personal information is encrypted and stored in such a way that it is inaccessible without permission. Source: TrustGrid, April 26, 2021.

South Carolina (United States): Multiple updates…

• • In a tweet, Governor Henry McMaster said “Vaccine passports will have no place in South Carolina. The very idea un-American to its core.” Source: ABC News, April 5, 2021.
  • Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) and members of the South Carolina congressional delegation penned a letter strongly opposing the use of vaccine passports in the state. Source: Congresswoman Nancy Mace, April 5, 2021.
  • Governor Henry McMaster issued a coronavirus mandate that bans the use of vaccine passports in the state. Source: NPR, May 12, 2021.

South Dakota (United States): Governor Kristi Noem issued an executive preemptively banning federal government-mandated vaccine passports in South Dakota. Source: Star Herald, April 22, 2021.

Taiwan: Taiwan is in talks with international bodies about COVID-19 vaccine passports, the head of its Centres for Disease Control said, which could help ease long-standing travel restrictions. Source: Reuters, June 24, 2021.

Tennessee (United States): Governor Bill Lee on April 6, 2021 took to social media to oppose any kind of legislation calling for a vaccine passport mandate. Source: WHJL, April 6, 2021.

Texas (United States): Multiple updates…

• Texas government agencies and political subdivisions will not be allowed to create a so-called “vaccine passport” requirement, according to a an Executive Order filed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Source: KHOU 11, April 6, 2021.
• Governor Abbott plans to sign into law a bill that would ban businesses in Texas from requiring proof of vaccination from its customers — the same day Carnival Cruise Line said its ships would require its Galveston passengers to prove vaccination. Source: Houston Public Media, June 7, 2021.

Turkey: The country has  agreed to ease COVID-19 quarantine rules for travelers who have vaccine passports issued by Japan. Source: Kyodo News, July 20, 2021.

United Kingdom: Multiple updates…

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government will test out a contentious “vaccine passport” system — a way for people to offer proof they have protection from COVID-19 — as a tool to help travel and large events return safely. Source: The Associated Press, April 4, 2021.
• Vaccine passports, or “COVID Status Certificates” as they are officially known, are being trialed at major sporting events in the UK, with the hope that mass events can open as safely as possible, and could provide a model for the future. But some critics are pushing back against the plan. Source: ABC News, April 12, 2021.
• An open letter to Boris Johnson signed by more than 1,250 clergy from different Christian denominations across the UK says the “introduction of vaccine passports would constitute an unethical form of coercion and violation of the principle of informed consent.” Source: The Guardian, April 17, 2021.
• Britain plans to use a National Health Service phone app as its COVID-19 vaccine passport certificate that will allow its population to travel internationally this summer, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said. Source: Reuters, April 28, 2021.
• The United Kingdom’s existing National Health Service (NHS) app will double as a “vaccine passport” for fully vaccinated residents of England beginning May 17. Source: Forbes, May 11, 2021.
• England’s National Health Service on May 17 introduced a new digital credential for crossing borders. It’s only for people going out of the UK from England. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are not yet using the app, although the app could expand to those regions soon. Source: Technology Review, May 19, 2021.
• Thousands of protesters gathered in central London on July 24 to protest government COVID-19 mandates and associated vaccine passports. Source: Washington Examiner, July 25, 2021.
• Plans to introduce vaccine passports for access into nightclubs and large events in England will not go ahead, the health secretary has said. Source: BBC, September 13, 2021.
• The UK should introduce vaccine passports for domestic use or risk being forced into another lockdown, former Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned. Source: The Telegraph, September 18, 2021.

United States (Federal): Multiple updates…

• The Biden administration and private companies are working to develop a standard way of handling credentials — often referred to as “vaccine passports” — that would allow Americans to prove they have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as businesses try to reopen. Source: The Washington Post, March 28, 2021.
• GOP lawmakers and leading conservatives have decried potential vaccine passports as akin to intrusive surveillance tactics employed by the Chinese government, but health experts say this is overblown and that some form of digital health pass could be crucial in bringing a sense of normalcy back to the US.  Source: Business Insider, March 30, 2021.
• The federal government will not mandate the use of vaccine passports for travelers or businesses post-pandemic, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, told the Politico Dispatch podcast. Source: Axios, April 5, 2021.
• Over 60 U.S. stadiums and other venues are deploying an app from Clear to verify people’s COVID-19 status, placing the New York company known for its airport security fast lanes at the forefront of a national debate over vaccine passports. Source: Reuters, May 3, 2021.
• Three Republican Senators have introduced a bill that would prohibit the U.S. federal government from requiring vaccine passports. Source: AL.com, June 1, 2021.
• Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that the possibility of the federal government requiring vaccine passports for domestic air travel within the U.S. is “still on the table,” among other policies under consideration. Source: TravelPulse, September 19, 2021.

Utah (United States): In an interview with the Statesman, Governor Spencer Cox spoke about the challenges he’s faced during his first 100 days as governor and confirmed that vaccine passports will not be coming from the state. Source: CBS News affiliate 2KUTV, May 3, 2021.

World Health Organization: The World Health Organization will convene member states and leaders of Covid-19 immunization credential technology groups to recognize different vaccine certificates across nations and regions. Source: Polotico, February 24, 2022.

Wyoming (United States): Governor Mark Gordon issued a directive preventing state agencies, boards and commissions from requiring “vaccine passports” to access state spaces and state services. Source: K2 Radio, May 7, 2021

Stay tuned for more vaccine passport updates from sources worldwide.