Finland has become the first country in the world to issue the world’s first digital passport to make travel faster, smoother and safer.
The country launched a successful trial on August 28 in collaboration with Finnair, the Finnish police and Finavia airport staff. Finnish border guards are carrying out this experiment, which will take place at border control at Helsinki Airport and will continue until February 2024.
The trial made Finland the first country in the world to test a digital travel document. For now, it is only for Finns traveling with Finnair to or from London, Manchester and Edinburgh.
What A Digital Passport And Who Are Eligible?
The Digital Travel Credential (DTC) is a digital version of a physical passport, which can be stored in smartphone. It follows the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is working on a global system for digital travel documents. DTC was tested for the first time in the world in Finland.
Currently, only Finnish citizens traveling between Finland and the UK on Finnair flights will be eligible for the case. Applicants will need to download the FIN DTC Pilot digital travel document application, register with the police and submit their data to the Finnish Border Guard four to 36 hours before the flight to the UK. Once registered, they will be able to use their digital documents when traveling in Finland, according to Firstpost.
With a digital passport, they can verify their identity at Helsinki Airport by taking their photo and comparing it with the one stored in their DTC. However, as this is an ongoing trial, participants must carry a physical passport and have it checked at border controls in Finland and the UK. If the pilot is successful, passengers will not be required to carry physical travel documents in the future.
