Digital Travel Credential pilot
What are we testing?
During this pilot, we’re testing the so-called Digital Travel Credential (DTC). A DTC represents your identity and can temporarily replace your conventional passport. This new standard is developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). They created 3 different DTC types. In this pilot, we’re testing DTC type 1. You’ll still need to carry your physical travel document during your trip. However, presenting it to an agent before boarding or border crossing is unnecessary.
There are 2 different forms of this pilot: biometric border control and biometric boarding.
Use your biometrics to cross the Dutch border in Amsterdam smoothly. You can participate if you fly from a Canadian airport to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
You can board your flight to Amsterdam using your biometrics. Simply present your face and tap your passport against the e-gate. You can only participate if you fly from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Note, though: if you depart from Montréal, you can also participate in the biometric border control pilot.
Am I eligible for this pilot?
Do you want to join? You’re more than welcome. There are 3 requirements:
- you’re aged 18 or over;
- you’re flying from a Canadian airport to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport between 8 January 2024 and the end of March 2024;
- you have a Dutch, Canadian or Belgian passport. Note, though: you can only participate in biometric boarding in Montréal if you have a Canadian or Belgian passport, or a Dutch passport issued on or after 1 September 2021.
At this point in our road to digitalisation, passengers with other passports cannot join. Please note that you need to have a so-called e-passport. Have you ever noticed that small logo on the front of your passport? That logo is the international biometric symbol, which means you have a passport fitted with a chip.
Please log in to My Trip and add your passport details before signing up for the pilot. Otherwise, you'll receive an error and cannot participate.
I’d like to know more about this pilot
Are you looking for more information? We've gathered the most asked questions and answered them for you.
If you sign up for this pilot, you can expect the following experience: an efficient, contactless, fast and safe process.
Efficient because you can create your Digital Travel Credential via a mobile app in the comfort of your home. You can make your DTC well before departure, and you'll arrive at the airport fully prepared.
Contactless because we no longer need to check your passport and boarding pass. A specially developed biometric gate takes care of this process.
It's fast because we're using facial recognition techniques. You'll be recognised within a few seconds. The queue will be shorter, and you can board your flight sooner.
Safe because it is based on advanced technologies that are highly secure.
If you join the pilot, you help us transform towards a digital border and boarding experience.
The primary intent of the pilot is to test innovative techniques and learn how they work out in practice. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has developed a new technical standard: the Digital Travel Credential Type 1 (DTC-1). The European Commission is very interested in this new standard. They made funding available to test the feasibility of using the DTC during border control and boarding.
Passengers with Dutch, Canadian or Belgian passports travelling from any Canadian airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
We've chosen the Netherlands, Canada and Belgium because passengers from these countries are allowed to go through the e-gates (biometric gates). The pilot must have a certain number of participants, and with the choice of these countries, there is the greatest chance we'll achieve this.
Only holders of passports with Chip Authentication (CA) or Active Authentication (AA) can participate in the pilot. Dutch, Canadian and Belgian passports meet these requirements.
It's a pilot, so we'll learn about using a DTC in practice with this pilot. While signing up for the pilot, something may have gone wrong. You'll then see an error message in the app. You can also get an error message at the e-gate. In this case, you can go to the gate agent.
You can travel through the normal boarding process at any time if something goes wrong in the registration or boarding process. Technical or operational limitations that arise during the pilot that we have not foreseen will be resolved as soon as possible during the pilot.
Because it is a pilot, only some passengers can participate. You must have a Dutch, Canadian or Belgian passport, be 18 years or older and fly from Montréal to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Your final destination must be Schiphol or any other destination within the Schengen area.
Unfortunately, if you have a Dutch passport issued before 1 September 2021, you cannot participate in the biometric boarding part of the pilot. The reason is that Dutch passports issued before this date contain a social security number. We are not allowed to process this data because of privacy regulations. Removing social security numbers from passports in this pilot stage is technically not feasible.
The Dutch government, however, is permitted to process social security numbers. That means you could use your biometrics to cross the Dutch border.
Can't find the answer to your question, or do you want to contact us? Please send us an e-mail. You'll receive a response from us as soon as possible.
Privacy policy
In our privacy policy, we describe how we process your personal data. We also describe your rights and the parties that are involved in the pilot.
Please note: regarding biometric border control, we partner with the Dutch government. We bring this pilot to your attention and invite you to join, but we are not responsible for executing this part of the pilot.