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Date Published: 09/10/2024

EU proposes digital passports and ID cards to streamline travel in Schengen Area

The new initiative aims to enhance security and speed up border crossings within the European Union and Schengen travel zone

The European Commission has introduced a proposal to digitalise passports and identity cards for travellers entering or exiting the Schengen area. This move comes after nearly 600 million border crossings were recorded in 2023, highlighting the need for more efficient and secure processes.

This move from the Commission comes after the already overdue Entry/Exit System (EES) – which aims to streamline and digitise travel in the EU – is to be pushed back even further from the slated November 10 start date, but as yet no new date for implementation has been announced.

Central to the Commission’s new proposal is the creation of a common framework for digital travel credentials and the development of an ‘EU Digital Travel’ app, as announced on Tuesday October 8.

This app will allow travellers to generate and store digital versions of their passports and identity cards on their mobile devices, facilitating faster border crossings by enabling advance checks.

Digital travel credentials will feature data extracted from the chip in physical passports, including facial images but excluding fingerprints. Participation in the scheme will, they say, be voluntary and free of charge.

The digital documents are designed to improve security by reducing the potential for document fraud, while also supposedly allowing authorities to focus on combating migrant smuggling and cross-border crime.

Part of the reason the EU wants to digitise its border controls is to be able to introduce the ETIAS “visa waiver” scheme for non-EU residents travelling in the Schengen Area, and thereby charge an additional fee to tourists and travellers.

In addition to boosting security, the European Commission say their proposal aims to reduce administrative burdens for EU citizens by allowing digital IDs to be used for various forms of registration and identification.

The app will be available to all travellers with biometric passports or EU identity cards, but user consent will be required before personal data is processed. Border officials will also undergo specialised training to ensure data protection protocols are followed.

The proposal now awaits approval from the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. Once adopted, work will begin on the development of the EU Digital Travel application and the necessary technical standards.

Image: European Commission

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