A month after temporarily suspending Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) border checks for departing and arriving Finnish passengers at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Finland has decided to reopen the DTC inspection lines for pilot use again.
Announcing the news, the Finnish Border Guard said last week that DTC border checks at Helsinki Airport would reopen on December 15, 2023, and the same stressed that the testing period for digital travel documents will go on until March 31, 2024.
DTC inspection lines have been reopened for pilot use. If you have completed the registration, you can send the DTC information as before and use the DTC inspection lines as before.
Finland became the first country to start testing digital travel documents in August of this year. Following the launch of the project, all Finns have been able to register and test digital travel documents.
Currently, Finland’s DTC is being tested by citizens of the country on Finnair flights to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and the other way around.
Even though the document is being tested only on these routes for now, the Finnish Border Guard has stressed that new destinations will be added to the system in the coming week.
DTC is the digital format of a physical passport, and all Finns holding the document are able to go through the border controls faster without having to wait for a long period of time in queues.
As observed in the testing period, it takes only around ten seconds for the digital travel document to be inspected. This ensures that all passengers have a smooth experience.
Even though there are still some Finns hesitating to test the digital travel document, the Border Guard ensured that the document is just as reliable as the physical passport.
Moreover, the same highlighted that the document enables smooth as well as fast border crossing without compromising passengers’ safety.
DTC is tested in a real border check for the first time in the world. DTC is a digital version of a physical passport and is equally reliable. It enables smooth and fast border crossing without compromising safety.
Finland’s DTC was recognised by Time as one of the groundbreaking inventions in the “Apps and Software” category. The document managed to secure a spot in the selection thanks to the expected facilitation in the travel process.
In addition to Finland, Croatia is also testing digital travel documents. The project was implemented by Croatian authorities earlier in October in a move to improve passenger experience.
