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The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has specified VDS‑NC as its standard for cross-border digital health certificates, including COVID-19 vaccination and testing certificates.
VDS-NC stands for Visible Digital Seal for Non-Constrained Environments. VDS-NC certificates:
- leverage the ePassport public key infrastructure (PKI) that ICAO member states around the world have been using since 2004
- are like a passport chip in QR format, with the same high level of security against forgery
- can be authenticated offline, using keys available from the ICAO Public Key Directory and other published Master Lists
- are a new application of ICAO Visible Digital Seal specifications that have been proved in EU Schengen visa labels
- were developed in conformity with World Health Organization guidance on digital secure vaccination certificates
- are compatible with digital wallets and with COVID-19 travel apps such as the IATA TravelPass.
Authorities can authenticate a VDS-NC using the PKI in normal passport readers. But not all countries issue ePassports, have such readers, or have had the opportunity to modify their readers to consume health data as well as ePassports. Moreover, a need to authenticate VDS-NC certificates will not be limited to borders – health departments and other entities will also wish to process them.
To fill any possible gaps in authorities’ capacity to use VDS-NC, the Australian Passport Office has developed this app. It uses ICAO PKI to determine whether a 2D barcode under inspection:
- is a VDS-NC
- was written by the purported issuing authority
- has not since been altered.
If the QR code is authentic, the app displays the most important information from the certificate, including the holder’s biodata and COVID-19 immunisations. There is an option to view the complete dataset on the certificate.
The app displays information to indicate if the QR code is not a VDS-NC, or if it is not authentic.
This release authenticates VDS-NC vaccination certificates issued by Australia, Japan, Nauru, Tuvalu and Samoa. Future updates will authenticate VDS-NCs issued by other countries.