IDEMIA has been selected as the technology provider for the European Union DTC-1 Pilot for Digital Travel Credentials (DTC).
The program was launched by the European Commission (EC) to test the DTC on KLM flights between Canada and the Netherlands for three months.
DTC is a virtual credential derived from a state-issued passport and stored on the holder’s smartphone. It is an exact representation of the electronic machine-readable travel document which includes the holder’s biographical data and facial image.
From a security perspective, passport checks at different checkpoints of the journey are considered to be crucial. Applying digital technologies is designed to improve this essential process, making it more convenient for travelers while safeguarding their privacy and security.
Participating travelers can create their DTC on a dedicated mobile app that is able to read the chip of a physical travel document. Travelers can then take a selfie, which will be compared to the photo stored in the chip of their travel document.
Once created, they will be able to share in advance the data and entry questionnaire relevant to their journey with the airline for biometric boarding and to border control authorities for biometric border crossing purposes. Only a biometric match and a tap of the passport is necessary upon arrival.
Belgian, Canadian, and Dutch passengers traveling from Montreal to Amsterdam via KLM and willing to participate in the pilot will still have to bring a physical passport.
The pilot is co-funded by the EC in order to be tested and approved in real-life boarding and border conditions for three months, before most likely being deployed at a broader European level.
