Everything You Need to Know About Vaccine Passports, Health Passes, and the Future of COVID-Era Travel 

Up until this month, “vaccine passports” and “health passes” were vague ways to describe a mostly theoretical concept: some kind of official immunization record that allowed you to navigate the pandemic world without restriction. But as the vaccine rollout continues apace—President Biden’s promised every American adult will be eligible by May 1st—vaccine passports and health passes have become very real, indeed.

Versions of them exist everywhere. There’s the Green Pass in Israel, which grants Israeli nationals access to spaces like gyms, restaurants, and public pools that were once banned during the pandemic. The European Union, meanwhile, proposed a “Digital Green Certificate” that would allow E.U. citizens to travel throughout the bloc unrestricted. In the United States, New York just rolled out their Excelsior Pass with IBM, and Madison Square Garden has already opted into using the technology.

But what actually are they, how do they work, and what forms do they take, especially now that the CDC has updated their travel guidelines? (People who have been vaccinated will no longer need to show a negative COVID test or self-quarantine.) Vogue talked to travel experts, government spokespeople, and even the creators of these passes themselves to find out.

Is there a difference between the terms “vaccine passport” and “health pass”?

A “vaccine passport” is a form of identification that can be used internationally, while a “health pass” is something that likely only works in your own country (or, in here in the U.S., your own state). Think of it this way: A vaccine passport works like your actual passport. A health pass is more akin to your driver’s license. What you should whip out depends on where you are, or where you’re going.

However, many experts prefer “health pass” over “vaccine passport”—even when it may have international capabilities. Why? The latter implies you need, well, a vaccine. This is not always true; often times, you can use a recent negative PCR test as proof of good health status.

Honestly? The terms are often used interchangeably.

What will they look like?

It’s still early, but so far, most have been QR codes. You display them via a smartphone app—think of something like a mobile boarding pass—or by going to a website, and then printing them out on a piece of paper. From there, businesses, venues, or border control agents are able to scan them.

In other cases, however, your C.D.C card—the slip of paper that you get after you’re vaccinated— works. For example, Iceland recently reopened its borders to vaccinated U.S. citizens. Upon arrival, you show your passport and that certificate at customs.

Having a hard time picturing it? Fear not: A mock-up shot of New York’s Excelsior Pass is below.

How do they work, exactly?

When you get vaccinated—whether it is at a government-run site or your local Walgreens—a record gets entered into some sort of digitized database. (We aren’t going to get into it, but it might be your healthcare provider’s, a local health department’s, or a state health department’s, depending on where you live. The CDC does not store any immunization records.)

Let’s use the Excelsior Pass as an example. First, you enter your basic information (name, birthday, zip code). The technology searches these registries for your record. Once they find you, they ask you a series of identification questions that only you would know, such as your vaccination date, location, and vaccine type. If you answer correctly, you’ll get your code.

Got it. Will my state’s pass work in another state?

Probably not. America doesn’t have a country-wide vaccine pass—and likely won’t. The Biden administration has repeatedly said they’ll leave the matter up to the states and the private sector. (They fear federal involvement may deter some privacy-skittish skeptics from getting the shot.) Some governors, like Florida’s Ron DeSantis, have also rejected the notion outright.

But there might be some intra-state collaboration. Throughout the pandemic, for example, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey have worked together to provide uniform COVID-19 regulations. It’s probable that they will team up again to make a vaccine pass that works throughout the tri-state area—or at least allows each state’s vaccine pass be accepted in the other.

I’m not vaccinated. What does this mean for me?

Like we said, many passports or passes also allow you to upload a recent negative PCR test.

When do I need to use the pass?

A New York State spokesperson was quick to stress that the Excelsior Pass is voluntary. (Making it a requirement raises certain ethical questions, as disadvantaged populations have lower rates of vaccination.) Instead, they say, it’s a free—and they think useful—tool offered by the state. Any business can use it if it wants to.

Right now, sports and concert venues are the primary users. Why? Public health-wise, you can’t have a massive arena packed with untested, unvaccinated, or half-vaccinated, people. We’re still in a pandemic. (Plus, using a QR code is just faster and more accurate than having a ticket checker at, say, Yankee Stadium intensely examining everyone’s C.D.C. card.)

People can use it for personal matters, too: Maybe you are having a wedding this summer, and to be safe, you want all your guests to be vaccinated, or recently tested. Instead of requiring everyone to send you a crappy iPhone picture of their C.D.C. card or negative CityMD results, you can just ask them to flash their health pass.

What about for international travel?

We asked an expert: Misty Belles, managing director of Virtuoso. “The reality is that government regulations and border openings will likely continue to fluctuate—so flexibility will be important. Health passes will likely be a requirement, especially given Europe is rolling out the Digital Green Pass to allow for movement and mobility throughout various countries,” she says. “Some countries may take longer to reopen than others, but Greece, Turkey, and Iceland are ready to welcome international visitors who have been vaccinated, while others are looking at vaccinations plus testing.”

This kind of sounds like a logistical nightmare. Will I need to have several different health pass apps and codes?

Yeah. A lot’s been written already about the massive technical challenges and the lack of a universal approach. But we can tell you that one is particularly relevant: The CommonPass.

What’s the CommonPass?

They don’t like to call themselves a health pass or vaccine passport, but rather a “smart health card,” according to co-founder and Chief Architect J.P. Pollak. “It has your name, your date of birth, and the vaccine information—just like what’s on your CDC card,” he explains. “Except that it's been digitally signed and verified by whoever gave you the vaccine.” There are some big names behind the initiative, including the World Economic Forum, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Common Project.

Already, CommonPass has global reach and international cooperation. (The project actually started this summer in East Africa, after truck drivers from landlocked countries struggled to cross borders to seaside ports.) JetBlue and Lufthansa are using it to verify passengers’ negative test results before they board flights. Earlier this year, CommonPass completed test trials with Cathay Pacific and United Airlines. In Mid-March, Walmart announced they’d allow people who got vaccinated at their stores to access their immunization record digitally through the program.

Pollak tells Vogue that, hopefully, CommonPass will be used by border control and governments across the world as an accepted, and standard, proof of vaccination. Like the Excelsior Pass, they offer the card via an app, but will also also allow those who don’t have smartphones to print out their QR code.

When can I download it?

Expect broad availability in the next month or so.

Anything else I need to know?

That’s it for now. But we will be updating this post regularly, so check back for updates.