Digital Passport: Finland has become the first country in the world to issue digital passports to its citizens. Let us understand about this passport.
Digital Passport: Finland has become the world’s first country to launch a digital passport with the aim of making travel faster, easier and more secure. The country began testing on August 28 in partnership with Finnair, Finnish police and airport operator Finavia. The Finnish Border Guard is conducting this test, which will be carried out at the border control of Helsinki Airport and will continue until February 2024. The test makes Finland the first country worldwide to test digital travel documents. Please note that for now it is only valid for Finns flying to London, Manchester and Edinburgh on Finnair.
What is digital passport?
Digital Travel Credential (DTC) is a digital version of a physical passport, which can be stored on a smartphone. It follows the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which is working on a global framework for digital travel documents. For the first time in the world, DTC is being tested in Finland. Currently only Finnish citizens traveling between Finland and the UK on Finnair flights will be eligible for testing.
Interested candidates must download the Finn DTC Pilot Digital Travel Document app, register with the police and submit their data to Finnish border guards four to 36 hours before their flight to the UK. According to English website Firstpost, once registered they will be able to use their digital document when traveling through Finland.
This is the rule for now
With the digital passport they can verify their identity by taking their photo at Helsinki Airport and matching it with the passport stored in their DTC. However, as this is an ongoing trial, citizens will need to carry their physical passport and get it scanned at border controls in Finland and the UK. If the pilot project proves successful, travelers will not need to carry physical passports in future.
