Singapore taps Affindi unit to vet visitors’ vax creds

Authorities in Singapore are working with Affinidi Travel on an ongoing pilot program to digitally verify the validity of overseas vaccination certificates, ensure they comply with the rules set by healthcare authorities, as well as to detect fraudulent health credentials, under the country’s Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs).

Under the VTLs, travelers will be allowed to enter Singapore without the need to serve Stay-Home Notice (SHN) if they are fully vaccinated. 

Short-term Visitors and long-term pass holders arriving from the countries utilizing the VTL will need to apply for a Vaccinated Travel Pass (VTP) and get their vaccination status checked prior to entry into Singapore.

Affinidi Travel’s verification solution, Unifier, has been integrated into the government-designated website through a pilot program to ensure that vaccination certificates issued by the VTL countries and presented for entry to Singapore by VTL travelers are authentic, and that only travelers who meet the VTL criteria are allowed into Singapore. 

The Unifier leverages privacy-preserving and interoperable technology to digitally verify various requirements and standards to determine the validity of overseas vaccination certificates. 

With Unifier in place, authorities can verify health credentials efficiently, while guarding against fraudulent certificates. Unifier is well-positioned to verify certificates from other countries in future, as and when the VTL is expanded.

“As Singapore reopens its borders to more travelers, strong safeguards are needed to ensure that public health is not compromised, especially while the COVID-19 situation remains volatile due to changing restrictions, and stakeholders are dealing with high volumes of travelers’ data on a daily basis,” said Gina Chiang, Affinidi VP and general manager for health and travel.