From the Green Pass to the European digital passport, EU ready for the travel revolution

Brussels – Remember the Green Pass? For many, the single EU document required to move from one member state to another during the COVID-19 pandemic period is a thing of the past; for the European Commission, however, it is an example to try to change the pace and introduce a single, all-European, digital document to move around. The von der Leyen team wants the passport revolution by 2030, the deadline given in the proposed regulation to establish an EU digital travel document: a passport that would be additional and parallel to ID cards and those issued by member states to improve travel conditions.

The European Commission believes that freedom of movement, once an achievement, has turned into a problem — of queues. In 2023 alone, illegal crossings in the European Economic Area were nearly 600 million. Hence, there is a need to speed up border controls and ensure smoother travel without sacrificing adequate levels of security: electronic travel documents can achieve this goal, according to Brussels. Results from pilot projects have shown that doing so can increase the speed of border checks from the current approximately 30 seconds per person to 8 seconds. 

The EU Commission and the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice (EU-LISA) will develop the infrastructure for digital identities containing all personal information that is already inside the chips of physical documents, along with the device for storing, preserving, and sharing information between authorities of member states.

The new document will not be mandatory but voluntary. People will continue to be able to use their usual documents if they wish and prefer. However, with electronic travel documents, they will have their European passport in standard format with them at all times, directly on their cell phones, with the possibility of showing it even before they leave and arrive at their destination: a practical solution to wait less and have more security. “Digital passports will allow border guards to quickly approve genuine travelers and focus better on stopping suspects of crime and terrorism,” said Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson.

The proposal for a digital passport is part of the changes introduced to recognize other documents, such as driver’s licenses or health cards. The European Union has already approved the digital identity for EU citizens from 2026 and the von der Leyen Commission is only making an addition to the process.