Faster and easier border crossing, the ability to announce arrival at the destination and maximum security and reliability are just some of the benefits of using a Digital Travel Credential (DTC), a project whose creation, use and storage is currently being tested in Croatia and Finland.

The aim of the pilot project is to facilitate travelling and improve passenger safety through the latest technological solutions. In addition to the Finnish-Croatian project partnership, another international pilot project is being carried out between the Netherlands and Canada.

On the Croatian side, the pilot project is being implemented by the Agency for Commercial Activities (AKD), which has set up a system for the creation and use of DTC, and by the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), which has set up a system and installed the necessary equipment for carrying out DTC checks at Zagreb Franjo Tudjman International Airport and for outgoing flights to and from countries outside the Schengen area (third countries).

Croatian citizens were thus among the first in the world to test a digital travel document developed on the basis of the specifications of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). As it is based on a ‘hybrid’ concept that combines a travel document in digital form with an associated physical component, the digital passport guarantees the highest level of security.

What possibilities does a digital passport offer?

DTC is a digital version of a physical passport on a smartphone that allows citizens to announce their arrival at a specific destination in advance, significantly reducing the waiting time at border controls and enabling faster and easier border crossing.

The MUP and AKD invite citizens to download the Certilia mobile application, download their mobile identity, add a valid passport or electronic identity card (eOI) to the Croatian wallet and become part of this interesting project. If needed, help is available at all major police departments. By 15 March 2024, more than 14,000 travel documents have been added to the Certilia mobile wallet, and testers and participants have sent over 600 travel announcements to third countries from Certilia to Croatian border control.

AKD and MUP are participating in the implementation of the DTC project together with the Finnish Border Guard, Finnair, the Finnish Immigration Service, the Finnish Police and Finnavia. The project is worth 2.3 million euros and is funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs.

The total budget for the implementation of the DTC pilot project in Croatia amounts to 1.1 million euros, of which 95 per cent (1.04 million euros) is financed from EU funds and the rest from own resources. This pilot project is thus another in a series of successful Croatian solutions in the field of a unique digital market, internet security, digital science and innovation and a global interoperable solution for travel documents based on ICAO standards.