We live in an age where almost all activities can be done digitally. But traveling to foreign countries is still analogous to the need to carry a passport book. The initiative to digitize identity cards and passports has already started in Malaysia through the National Digital Identity but Finland is the first country to make it a reality.
Through an initial test that will be carried out this year, Finnish citizens who want to travel to Croatia will be asked to send their travel documents in a digital version to the border entry point before arriving at their destination. Validity will be verified by Croatian immigration officials before cross-border permission is granted in a special application.
At the border, Finnish citizens only need to verify their identity through the app and face scan. With no documents needing to be checked, verified, and stamped in advance, the use of digital passports is expected to solve the problem of congestion at the border.
Finland will be the first country in the European Union (EU) to introduce a digital passport and if it proves successful it will most likely be used throughout the EU.