Michael Gove has been tasked with leading a review into the possible use of vaccine passports as part of the road map for releasing England's coronavirus lockdown.
Boris Johnson announced the Cabinet Office minister would head up the review as the Prime Minister acknowledged the "deep and complex issues " surrounding the introduction of immunity certificates.
But announcing his road map on Monday, Mr Johnson confirmed that a study into the use of vaccine and testing certificates will be one of four reviews conducted as part of easing the current restrictions.
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According to the Express, Health Secretary Matt Hancock acknowledged that some countries will require certificates.
Mr Hancock told LBC: “There are some areas where we know it is going to be needed to have this certificate to show whether or not you’ve been vaccinated.
“For instance, international travel to some countries – if another country says you can’t come in unless you have the jab, then we want Brits to be able to demonstrate that.
“But then there’s wider ethical questions about the use of this certification.
“There are some things where that might be okay, but there are some areas where it definitely wouldn’t, so we’re going to have a review of that, consider all of the details, the ethics, which is very very important and challenging, and then come forward with a considered view.
“What we know is that we shouldn’t do this now, because only – I say only, I’m very proud of the fact a third of the country have had their first jab – but that is still only a third of all adults.”
A number of countries are already issuing vaccine passports or certificates to their vaccinated citizens.
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Several nations are also reportedly discussing vaccine passports as a requirement for travellers.
Some of the nations currently issuing vaccine certificates to citizens, or countries that will possibly require vaccine certificates for travel, include Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.
Other nations opening their borders to vaccinated travellers include the Seychelles, Georgia and Romania.
Bahrain has also introduced a feature on their BeAware app which allows citizens to prove their vaccine status.
