TURKU – In a major development, Finland has launched the digital passport, becoming the first country in the world to achieve such a feat.
The country is testing its digital passport program from August 28th to February next year and at present, only Finnish people are eligible for the service. Moreover, currently, it is only viable for people traveling to and from the United Kingdom.
The Finnish Border Guard confirmed that the country is the first across the globe to test digital travel documents and the initiative is being executed in partnership with Finnair, the Finnish police and airport company Finavia.
During the current trial phase, it is only valid for Finnish people flying on Finnair to or from London, Manchester, and Edinburgh but soon it is expected to be extended to other destinations.
Those interested in signing up for the process 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.
It has also been announced that a participant will only need to register with the police once and after registration, the person could travel to the UK and return without any hassles.
The digital passport is branded as Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) and is equally reliable as a routine paper-based passport.
As of now, all participants will have to carry their physical passport and confirm their identity by scanning it on a reader when entering or exiting Finland as well as at UK border controls, the Finnish Border Guard clarified.
“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.
Some media reports also confirm that 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 UK and South Korea are also working on similar projects in their respective countries.
Currently battling violence, it was Ukraine in 2021 that became the first country to give the same legal status to digital passports as physical ones.
