Addressing Covid-19 Vaccination Status in Electronic Passports and Machine Readable Travel Documents

Following the global Covid-19 pandemic, travelers to many countries are now required to produce negative virus tests. A requirement to prove positive vaccination status would also be advantageous in order to ensure that passenger numbers return to their pre-2019 levels. A separate “Vaccination Passport” document is at this time suggested. However, there exists space within the existing digital passport (ePassports) and Machine Readable Travel Document (MRTD) format wherein a passport holder's Covid-19 vaccination status could be presented. This article offers a practical solution to reduce the amount of new documentation required by air and land travelers. It is anticipated that this measure will introduce a “wait time” benefit for passengers as the global transportation system is restarted.