The Civil Liberties Committee adopted a proposal on creating digital travel credentials with the aim of speeding up border controls and making them more efficient for both travellers and border authorities, allowing certain checks (for example, the validity of travel documents, and the right to enter) to be carried out beforehand.
Travellers would be able to create digital credentials based on their identity (ID) document (biometric passport from anywhere in the world, or EU identity card), and submit these ahead of time to border authorities to speed up crossings at EU external borders. Both EU and third-country citizens would be able to benefit from the system. In submitting their data electronically for pre-clearance, travellers would still be required to show their physical ID document at the border.
The proposal also establishes an EU digital travel application in which to store the credentials. Using digital travel credentials would be voluntary for citizens, who could also request a digital credential free of charge when applying for a new ID document. Border authorities would be required to accept the digital credentials once the system is in place.
Protection of personal data
MEPs propose changes to the Commission’s proposal to ensure a high level of protection for personal data, including that only those above the age of 16 would be eligible to use the system. MEPs also want border authorities to delete traveller data from national databases immediately after a successful border crossing (or 24 hours after the intended moment of border-crossing in case of refusal of entry)
According to the adopted text, travellers who choose not to use the digital travel application should not be discriminated against and can revoke their consent to data processing without suffering negative consequences. MEPs also want to ensure the application protects privacy by default.
Interoperable systems
The new travel credentials would work together with EU border information systems. Travellers required to submit data to the Entry-Exit System (EES) (that is, third-country nationals travelling to the Schengen area for a short visit) could speed up the process by submitting data for pre-clearance in advance. The same would apply to the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) containing data of visa-exempt travellers once it is launched in the last quarter of 2026.
MEPs want the system to start 18 months after the regulation’s entry into force, rather than the Commission’s original deadline of 2030.
Quote
Rapporteur Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, Spain) said: “By introducing a European digital travel application system, we are transforming the way people cross our external borders, making procedures faster, smoother, and more secure. This proposal will not only strengthen the EU’s capacity to protect its citizens, it will also enhance the travel experience for millions who enter or leave the Union each year”.
Next steps
MEPs adopted the draft EP position with 42 votes in favour, 13 against, and 17 abstentions. The negotiating mandate will be announced at the upcoming 15-18 December plenary session, and if no objection is raised, negotiations with member states can begin.
Background
According to the European Commission, 593 million crossings were recorded at Schengen area external borders in 2023. Increasing traveller volumes combined with the need for manual checks against relevant databases at borders have resulted in long waiting times, which this digitalisation aims to resolve.
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