Visible Digital Seals

This Implementation Package (iPack) is a self-contained package aimed at assisting and guiding State authorities such as ministries of interior, foreign affairs, health and technology, and their agencies, in the implementation of the ICAO Visible Digital Seal for Non-Constrained Environments (VDS-NC) as a secure tool for encoding health information for use in travel.

It includes relevant documentation, tools and a virtual course to build capacities for the implementation of all technical, organizational and administrative arrangements necessary for the issuing of health proofs containing VDS-NC barcodes that will be read and trusted globally and for the proper validation of the health proofs issued by others. A dedicated expert will work remotely with the designated stakeholders, providing guidance in their implementation efforts to achieve the objectives of the iPack. The level of progress made in achieving each iPack objective depends on the availability of States’ resources to perform the work.

GOAL

The goal of this iPack is to assist and guide designated authorities in the timely (or “rapid”) implementation of VDS-NC specifications, both for issuance and inspection, with a view to ensuring global interoperability and mutual recognition of health proofs for travel, including vaccination certificates and certificates of medical test results.

OBJECTIVES

After having successfully deployed this iPack, the designated authority will be better equipped to meet the objectives of this iPack, which are to:

1. draft an action plan for applying an existing electronic Machine Readable Travel Document (eMRTD) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) framework for the issuance of health proofs or develop a public health-based PKI framework for similar issuance. The plan must align with the ICAO eMRTD PKI model and Doc 9303, in particular Parts 11 and 12, and provide guidance to travel document issuing authorities, public health authorities and other entities;
2. create an internal health proof stakeholder group, within the State, including all relevant entities to enhance coordination and internal communications;
3. prepare internal processes for uploading relevant VDS-NC signer certificates to the ICAO Health Master List to facilitate the worldwide verification of health proofs; and
    
4. design or improve existing processes for the verification of VDS-NC, in particular to facilitate identity binding at border control, aligned with ICAO provisions for the inspection of travel documents and health proofs, including the use of the ICAO Health Master List to verify health proofs.
    

TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience of this iPack comprises State authorities such as ministries of interior, foreign affairs, health and technology, and their agencies, that intend to implement the ICAO VDS-NC for the issuance of health proofs for travel and to ensure the trusted reading of VDS-NC health proofs at borders.

COMPONENTS

• Expertise:
  • A dedicated MRTD subject matter expert for an expected duration of 15 workdays over a period of three months, providing remote support to authorities in achieving the iPack Objectives.
• Training:
  • Visible Digital Seals for Travel Related Health Proofs: Virtual course – 12 participants for a duration of two days
     
• Tools:
  • Checklists
  • Decision aids
• Documents:
  • ICAO Annexes
  • Guidance material

Cost: $23,000 US

* Additional seats for training as well as expert workdays can be provided at an additional cost.

Note

The Expressions of Interest Online Form should be submitted on behalf of a State entity or industry Organization wishing to obtain more information on iPacks, their benefits and deployment process.