San Marino adopts NFT vaccine passports

The tiny principality of San Marino has turned to blockchain technology to pioneer digitised Covid-19 vaccine passports.

Each passport takes the form of a non-Fungible Token (NFT). This digital asset then incorporates the use of two QR codes to verify the asset-owner’s vaccination record in VeChain’s blockchain ledger; allowing an immutable, secure, and seamless proof of vaccination status.

The San Marino General Council passed the legislation on July 1. The certificates will be issued upon personal request, in a paper or digital format, by facilities authorised by the San Marino health authorities.

Renato Grottola, Director at DNV (partnered firm) said the technology was creating confidence in returning to normal life.

“[The] Covid Certificate is an extremely portable certificate,” he said.

“Anyone can verify a certificate without the need to download a specific app. The use of VeChain’s blockchain technology and, in particular non-fungible tokens (NFTs), makes it possible to increase confidence in the authenticity of the information, reducing the risk of counterfeiting.”

The certificate has a validity starting two weeks after the first vaccination dose – or nine months after completing the full vaccination schedule – with the smart solution enabling verification of so-called green passes for Sammarinese travelling outside the European Union.

San Marino Partners with VeChain

This innovative blockchain solution comes as San Marino attempts to position itself as a global blockchain technology and DeFi industry hub. The Covid-19 certificate has been developed with the support of VeChain, one of the world’s leading public blockchain platforms and enterprise technology providers.

CEO of VeChain, Sunny Lu, said: “The Digital Covid Certificate presents a perfect case in this sector, which is also a new solution to help the government gain ground in the fight against Covid-19. Based on PoA consensus, VeChainThor public blockchain provides a well-balanced infrastructure for the government, public and private sectors to work together to create a single, standardised verification system framework.”

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