News in Brief

New International Air Travel System to Enter the US Requires Proof of Vaccination

Starting from 8 November, non-citizen, non-immigrant air travellers to the United States are required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane, with only limited exceptions.

In a recent White House briefing statement, the Biden administration released details around implementation of the new international air travel policy requiring foreign national travellers to the US to be fully vaccinated. The briefing also confirmed that fully vaccinated foreign nationals are also able to travel across the Northern and Southwest land borders of the US for nonessential reasons, such as tourism.

On the question of Proof of Vaccination, the briefing states that passengers will need to show their vaccination status, and the airlines will need to:

• Match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination.

• Determine that the record was issued by an official source (eg. public health agency or government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given.

• Review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) definition for fully vaccinated such as vaccine product, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration, site (eg. vaccination clinic or health care facility) of vaccination.

The briefing concludes that this is a critical public health measure both to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of new variants of COVID-19 as well as to add a critical prevention tool to address other public health threats.

€12.8 Billion Allocated by EU for Border Infrastructure and Visas

A recent press release ¹ from the European Commission announced that in the current Multiannual Financial Framework (20212027), €6.4 billion will be allocated for border management and visa policy and a further €6.4 billion for Frontex.

EU funding ensures European integrated border management at the external borders of the European Union. It is the financial backbone for strong coordination, with operational and technical input from Frontex, facilitating member states in managing the crossing of the external borders efficiently on behalf of the Union, it says.

For the current multiannual financial framework (2021-2027), the €6.4 billion allocated for border management and visa policy will include:

• Some €3.1 billion as initial allocations to the programmes to be implemented by the member states.

• A further €0.6 billion to be provided to member states after a mid-term review in 2024.

• The remaining €2.7 billion available for actions of EU wide interest and for urgent assistance to member states.

In addition, €6.4 billion has been earmarked for Frontex (2021-2027), which will reach a capacity of 10,000 border guards.

During the 2014-2020 funding period, around €400 million was spent on the development by member states of fully interoperable EU information systems (including the Entry/ Exit System, the Schengen Information System, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and the Visa Information System) and €336 million for large scale equipment (mainly boats) to be put by member states at the disposal of Frontex for joint operations.

Examples of the actions funded under the programme include:

• Construction, expansion and modernisation of border crossing posts.

• Technical equipment for preventing and detecting cross-border crime and smuggling activities.

• Setting-up and development of border surveillance systems; investment in technical equipment for surveillance, such as installation of optoelectronic systems, detection devices using infrared technology.

• Transportation terrestrial, aerial and maritime means of transport, such as special cars, aircrafts, unmanned airborne surveillance systems and vessels.

• Establishment of a secure IT based platform for the management of classified information.

Taliban To Extend Passport Services to Seven Afghanistan Provinces

The Taliban government has announced that it will extend passport and national ID card services to seven additional provinces, reported Khaama Press. Up until now, the services were limited to the national capital, Kabul.

The development will come as a relief for thousands of Afghan nationals willing to either flee the country or who need to travel to other countries. Citing Alam Gul Haqqani, chief of Passport Directorate, the Khaama Press said the Ministry of Interior Affairs decided to further facilitate the process for passport applicants in their hometowns in order to make the process easier and more convenient. Further, the minister said that the government would prioritise the passport for those who have already filled online forms for the permits.

‘The passports will be issued based on the eID or the previous IDs that are verified officially,’ Haqqani was quoted by The Khaama Press. ‘There are 900,000 passports in the directorate, 600,000 passports with the company responsible for their printing. One million passports are in the process of printing, and one and a half million more are going to be printed,’ Haqqani added.

According to Khaama Press, the government has issued 100,000 passports and made 500 million Afghanis (around US$5.3 million) from the issuing programme since it took over the country’s administration.

IDEMIA’s Biometric Payment Card Receives Full Certification

Mastercard has issued a Letter of Approval (LOA) to IDEMIA, confirming that it has fully certified IDEMIA Group’s F. CODETM biometric smart card platform, secured by IDEX Biometrics’ TrustedBio® fingerprint authentication solution.

The LOA issued by Mastercard gives assurance to the payment ecosystem that the biometrically authenticated F. CODE payment card will seamlessly be accepted across Mastercard’s global network, increasing security for millions of consumers, merchants, and issuers.

Vince Graziani, Chief Executive Officer of IDEX Biometrics, commented that ‘completion of the Mastercard certification process by our partner IDEMIA is another significant achievement for IDEX Biometrics. We now have certified biometric solutions with the top three global payment networks, allowing for deployment of biometric cards, together with our integration and issuer partners, at a rapid pace to over 15 billion consumers.’

1 - https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/fs_21_5943