Office supply giant Staples is laminating customers' Covid-19 vaccination record cards for free until May 1.
Why would you want that? Because having proof of vaccination will soon be imperative for many types of travel—cruise lines and whole countries have already announced or suggested that they will only accept vaccinated visitors in the future.
Preserving the paper innoculation card, which is too large to fit in most wallets, will help the document weather use at borders and ticket counters.
The U.S. government asks citizens not to laminate Social Security cards, but Covid-19 vaccination forms have no security measures that would be hampered by encasing them in plastic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not warn against laminating vaccination cards, but the agency does recommend making backup copies or taking photos.
Many vaccination providers link patients' records to online networks, and those can be accessed separately by emerging digital passport technology. But the paper vaccination record card will remain a primary form of proof that every vaccinated traveler should hang onto.
Staples has confirmed to Frommer's that no purchase is necessary to qualify for lamination at a Staples store. No appointment is necessary.
Make sure you have completed all doses and boosters and that everything has been recorded on the card before you get it laminated because the record cannot be altered afterward.
