Lawyer Vorobiev on the photo in the certificates: in the Russian Federation there are enough identification documents 
Forensic lawyer Vasily Vorobyov questioned the idea of supplementing the vaccination certificate with a photograph of the owner. In a conversation with “Lenta.ru” he said that this would equate a document with an identity card. The human rights activist called such a step excessive and time-consuming, which the government is unlikely to take. In the Russian Federation, there are a sufficient number of documents that identify a citizen, he noted, there is no need for new ones.
The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia is considering the possibility of expanding certificates of vaccination against coronavirus. In particular, the department wanted to supplement the document with a photograph of its owner. Employees of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health explained that the initiative will allow Russians to pass the QR code in public places without presenting a passport, which could shorten the queues.
Excessive efforts
According to Vorobyov, the innovation considered by the Ministry of Digital Science is likely to remain at the level of discussions. “It is unlikely that this will come to a logical conclusion. The procedure will be too dreary, and there is no need for such a document. We have a bunch of identifiers: passport, SNILS, TIN, so another such document is not required. It will be an overwhelming effort, “he said.
The lawyer noted that adding a photo to the coronavirus vaccination certificate would make this document close in legal force to an identity card. “If they plan to make the certificate a document that will be presented separately from the passport, then it looks very much like they want to make it an identity card. Because an identity card is a document proving that it is you who are presenting it. If we say the certificate in the form in which it exists now, then it is just a document confirming the passage of a medical procedure. There is a difference between these, “Vorobyov explained.
According to the lawyer, if the government obliges to attach a photograph to the certificate, it will take too long a process to legitimize this proposal. “It will be too difficult. It will be necessary to bring under this not only departmental laws, but also the regulatory framework, that is, it should not only be law enforcement acts in the government, here, most likely, federal laws will also have to be used. Until the bill is introduced, until it passes all the readings. It is clear that all this can be accelerated if desired, but the game, to be honest, is not worth the candle, “he said.
The lawyer added that neither people nor the state need this step. For citizens there is no particular problem in presenting a passport with the certificate, and for the state there is no need to start a long process of drafting legislation for temporary vaccination certificates, unless there is a need to further use this technology in other aspects of society.
On November 12, the State Duma introduced draft amendments on the use of QR codes, which confirm the fact of vaccination against coronavirus or a previous illness over the past six months. The government has proposed to oblige passengers of trains and planes throughout Russia to demonstrate the code.
In addition, the requirement was conceived to be introduced when visiting public places. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that the vaccination certificate should become as important a document for citizens as a passport. Russians who have had no symptoms of coronavirus will also receive QR codes.