Finland is the first country in the world to issue digital passports, marking a significant advancement.
The country is testing its digital passport programme from August 28th to February 28th of next year, and only Finnish citizens are currently eligible for the service. Furthermore, it is currently only viable for people traveling to and from the United Kingdom.
The Finnish Border Guard confirmed that Finland is the first country in the world to test digital travel documents and that the initiative is being carried out in collaboration with Finnair, the Finnish police, and airport company Finavia.
It is currently only valid for Finnair passengers flying to or from London, Manchester, and Edinburgh, but it is expected to be extended to other destinations soon.
Those who want to participate can download the FIN DTC Pilot digital travel document app, register with the police, and send data to the Finnish Border Guard four to 36 hours before a flight to the UK.
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It has also been announced that a participant will only need to register with the police once and that once registered, the individual will be able to travel to the UK and return without any complications.
As Finland becomes the first to launch digital passports, the digital passport is known as Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) and is as trustworthy as a traditional paper-based passport.
All participants must now carry their physical passports and confirm their identity by scanning them on a reader when entering or exiting Finland, as well as at UK border controls, according to the Finnish Border Guard.
“In the long run, the goal is to no longer need to carry a physical passport when traveling. However, its realization takes time. The pilot project would only be the first step in this matter,” Mikko Väisänen, an inspector at the Finnish Border Guard said.
According to some media reports, the trial will be extended to Croatia in the autumn season at Zagreb International Airport.
Although Finland is already testing its new digital passport, Poland, the United Kingdom, and South Korea are also working on similar projects.
Ukraine, which is currently battling violence, became the first country in 2021 to grant digital passports the same legal status as physical ones.
