The World Health Organization has issued guidance requiring shipping lines and port authorities to maintain dual documentation for ship health records, as the amended International Health Regulations create new obligations for digital and paper formats to coexist during a transitional period . The recommendation, issued on 28 October 2026, follows the 2024 amendments to the IHR (2005), which entered into force for most States Parties on 19 September 2025 . Article 35 of the amended regulations stipulates that health documents may be issued in either non-digital or digital format, provided their authenticity can be ascertained .
The practical problem the guidance addresses is uneven digital capacity across countries. While electronic documentation can simplify information exchange between ships and port authorities, many States Parties currently lack the capacity, systems, or interoperability arrangements needed to issue and verify the validity and authenticity of ship-related digital health documents . If ships carried only digital records, they could face delays or refusal at ports in countries that cannot process them. The WHO's solution is a parallel approach: competent authorities and shipmasters should ensure that Ship Sanitation Certificates and Ship Declarations of Health remain accessible in non-digital format to authorities in any port of call, alongside any digital version .
The specific documents affected are the Ship Sanitation Certificate, which confirms that a ship has been inspected and is free from public health risks, and the Ship Declaration of Health, which shipmasters complete and submit to port health authorities. These documents are routine requirements for international voyages, and their format determines how quickly a vessel can clear port health formalities. A ship arriving without the correct documentation in an acceptable format can be delayed, inspected more intensively, or in extreme cases refused entry, with consequences for schedules and cargo delivery.
The guidance intersects with another digitalisation initiative in maritime administration. Since 1 January 2024, the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic has required public authorities to establish, maintain, and use Maritime Single Window systems for the electronic submission of information required on the arrival, stay, and departure of ships in ports . The Single Window systems are designed to streamline reporting, but they depend on digital infrastructure and interoperability that many ports are still building. The WHO's dual documentation recommendation acknowledges that the Single Window transition cannot be completed uniformly across all States Parties, and that paper records must remain available to prevent the digital transition from becoming a barrier to trade.
For shipping lines and ship agents operating in India, the guidance has direct operational implications. Indian ports have been investing in digital infrastructure, but not all destination ports that Indian-exporting vessels call at will be equally prepared. Shipmasters and agents should verify that both formats of the required health documents are on board and accessible, and that the documents can be presented to port health authorities in whichever format they require. The cost of non-compliance is not a fine but a delay, and delays in port health clearance cascade into berth scheduling, cargo operations, and onward voyage plans.
The WHO's framing emphasises continuity of maritime operations and mutual trust among States Parties. Maintaining both formats would enable a gradual transition to digital systems without creating unnecessary barriers to international traffic . The organisation encourages national border health authorities, port authorities, shipowners, and shipping agents to continue supporting the availability and accessibility of non-digital documents alongside digital ones. This is a pragmatic approach to a familiar problem in maritime regulation: international standards are adopted faster than the capacity to implement them, and the gap between adoption and implementation creates operational risk for the vessels that must comply.
Looking ahead, the dual documentation requirement will remain in force until digital infrastructure and interoperability are sufficiently widespread that paper records are no longer needed. The WHO has not set a deadline for that transition, and the pace will vary by region. For Indian shipping lines and exporters, the practical takeaway is to treat paper health documents as a continuing requirement rather than a legacy formality, and to ensure that shipmasters and agents are briefed on the need to carry both formats. The digitalisation of maritime health documentation is proceeding, but it is not yet at the point where digital-only compliance is safe.