The Russian Government proposes other countries to use the EDB’s COVID-19 Free Travel app
Moscow, 23 April 2021. Heads of diplomatic missions in Moscow were invited to consider the use by their countries of the COVID-19 Free Travel app developed by the Eurasian Development Bank’s (EDB) Fund for Digital Initiatives.
The heads of the diplomatic missions of Cyprus, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and the European Union Delegation met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk.
COVID-19 Free Travel is the first project by the EDB Fund for Digital Initiatives. The app is aimed to ensure free and safe movement of citizens between countries in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The digital solution reduces the risk of spreading the disease and offers a reliable control system at the intercountry level. The app’s architecture is unique in that no personal data is used in the cross-border information exchange. All user-related data are stored only at the national level where the testing took place. This makes it possible to protect personal data in accordance with national laws.
When a person gets tested in the country of departure, the laboratory submits the results to the national system and they appear as a QR code in the app installed on that person’s mobile device. The user presenting the QR code to third parties, including regulatory authorities in EAEU countries, makes it possible for them to verify the code in real time. Hotels, restaurants, and airlines, among others, may also access test results if the user lets them scan the QR code.
People arriving from Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan to Russia’s airports can already use the app. The app is available on iOS and Android mobile devices. Since December 2020, it has been installed about 150,000 times and its users have downloaded 130,000 PCR test results to their phones.
Additional Information:
The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is an international financial institution promoting integration and development in its member countries – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, and Tajikistan. The EDB's charter capital totals US $7 billion. The Bank was established in January 2006 by Russia and Kazakhstan and is headquartered in Almaty. Transport infrastructure, energy, chemical, mining, and mechanical engineering projects with a high integration effect account for the main part of the EDB’s portfolio.
The Eurasian Development Bank’s Fund for Digital Initiatives was established by the Bank’s Council on 30 June 2020. The Fund’s objective is to assist EDB member states in creating digital transformation tools and practices by integrating information resources and participating in the development and financing of projects, including those implemented under the EAEU Digital Agenda.
The EDB Media Centre:
Azima Sapargaliyeva +7 (777) 750 00 08 (Almaty)
Sergey Gorbachev +7 (916) 727 22 00 (Moscow)