No more endless waiting at passport controls in some airports! Promising tests are already underway.
Who has never cursed in the monstrous queues at the customs post, passport in hand, before boarding their plane or, on the contrary, leaving the airport after a desperately long return journey? This precious sesame, although essential for traveling, is also a source of a lot of hassle. Between the sometimes long and tedious procedures to obtain or renew it and the fear of losing it, the passport is enough to annoy more than one person.
But things are changing! For several years, governments and manufacturers have been working on more modern solutions to make life easier for globetrotters. Several airports around the world are currently experimenting with passport-free procedures.
The first example is even in Europe. The principle is simple: the passenger fills out a small digital file in a few clicks on a dedicated application before their flight. This then allows them to pass the various checks quickly, without presenting a paper document. Helsinki Airport is a pioneer in this area. Passengers on Finnair flights to the UK can already test this new process called DTC (Digital Travel Credential).
“This allows you to go through border control more quickly, without queuing. All you need to do is download the DTC application and register in advance” specify the Finnish border guards. Authorization to board then takes the form of a QR Code to be presented at checkpoints. If the experience is only just beginning, it could quickly spread.
Other airports such as those of Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Rome have already established biometric pathways allowing people to do without a passport. Passengers’ faces and irises are scanned to allow express passage. According to the local press, this futuristic technology has been installed since September 30, 2024 in the four terminals of Changi Airport, in Singapore. It allows residents of Singapore – permanent residents or pass holders – to benefit from faster passages. For them, the average inspection time has been reduced by 60%, to an average of just 10 seconds!
Foreign visitors can also enjoy it… but only in one direction. Travelers must therefore always present their passport on arrival, but can conversely use the system without a passport when they leave Singapore. To do this, their biometric data will need to have been recorded upon their arrival in the country. Singapore is not an isolated case; similar tests using biometric sensors are being carried out in Abu Dhabi, Tokyo and Hong Kong.