Digital credentials in the health sector are secure electronic documents such as vaccination certificates or laboratory test results that can be easily verified online. Unlike paper-based health documents, which can be lost or falsified, digital credentials use modern cryptographic technology to ensure authenticity. This is especially important as people travel or seek care across borders, where authorities in one country need confidence that a health certificate issued in another country is genuine. By enabling quick, reliable verification of health information, digital credentials improve convenience for individuals and help maintain public health safeguards internationally.
To support this shift toward trusted digital health records, UNDP has developed Regi-TRUST, a global digital trust infrastructure for health credentials. Regi-TRUST allows any country to issue and verify digital health documents in a secure, transparent manner worldwide. It leverages proven internet standards including DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) to verify the chain of authenticity, and it follows international guidelines (such as European ETSI standards for trust lists) to ensure compatibility between different systems. The platform is open, interoperable, and designed with no central control such that each participating country retains sovereignty over its own data and services while still being part of a decentralized network of trust. In essence, Regi-TRUST serves as shared digital public infrastructure that connects national health credential systems so they can “talk” to each other reliably across borders.
Regi-TRUST is helping countries, particularly low and middle-income countries, to implement and use digital credentials securely, efficiently, and in line with global standards. By providing a common framework and tools, it reduces the need for each country to build complex new systems, thereby lowering costs through shared infrastructure. Governments and health authorities can issue credentials that meet World Health Organization guidelines (such as the WHO’s Global Digital Health Certification Network) without compromising their own policies. For example, a vaccine certificate issued in one country can be immediately recognized and validated in another, thanks to Regi-TRUST’s trust network supporting the WHO’s GDHCN initiative.
To complement this system, digital wallets are emerging as a key tool that lets individuals securely store and manage their own health credentials. These wallets offer user-friendly access to sensitive health data while protecting privacy and enabling selective sharing only when needed. UNDP is working to ensure that these wallets meet the highest standards of security and interoperability, putting individuals in control of their digital health information.
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