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SINGAPORE – Clinics authorized to conduct Covid-19 (PDT) testing prior to departure for outbound travelers will have to issue digital test result certificates starting March 10, instead of current physical certificates.
The initiative was supposed to start on February 10, but was delayed a month to allow clinics and labs additional time to configure the ability to digitize PDT certificates.
The Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) said on Friday (February 26) that the new digital certification system is based on HealthCerts, an open source framework for issuing digital certificates of Covid-19 test results.
“Using HealthCerts for digital PDT certificates enables an interoperable, verifiable and tamper-proof solution that will smooth and streamline the registration process and customs clearance at local and foreign immigration checkpoints,” the office said.
Travelers must certify the Covid-19 digital proof certificate, which means having the document certified by the Ministry of Health, so that it can be recognized at the airport and abroad.
The certificate will need to be uploaded to the Government Notarise website, after which a notarized digital PDT certificate containing a QR code will be sent to travelers.
Airline and immigration officials can scan the QR code to verify the authenticity of the PDT certificate using a tool called Verify, developed by tech agency GovTech, or the Temasek-linked Affinidi firm’s verification tool that it is currently testing. Singapore Airlines.
The platform will be able to check if the digital certificate was manipulated and if the certificate has been notarized by the Ministry of Health.
The minister in charge of the Smart Nation Initiative in the Prime Minister’s Office, Vivian Balakrishnan, said in Parliament during the PMO budget debate on Friday that the results of the notarial pre-departure tests will be available on the app. SingPass Mobile. Notarized test results will also be sent by email.
The government will seek to extend this to vaccine certificates, he added.
SNDGO noted that the current recommendation from the World Health Organization is that Covid-19 vaccines should not be imposed as a condition of entry.
He added: “The Government of Singapore is closely following international developments on the use of digital vaccination certifications for travel and is in discussions with the International Civil Aviation Organization and several countries on the mutual recognition of such certifications.
“The discussions will take some time, as most countries have only just started vaccinating.”
There are currently nine HealthCerts compatible technology providers that clinics can purchase to begin issuing digital certificates.
SNDGO said that the person’s data remains private with the digital proof certificate.
“Only a hash, or fingerprint, of the PDT digital certificate is published on the blockchain at the time of issue,” he said. “Only this hash is needed to verify the authenticity and validity of the digital PDT certificate.”
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