Signicat, SITA and Indicio to test digital travel credentials as part of new EUDI Wallet pilot

Digital identity firm Signicat is joining companies such as SITA and Indicio to test digital travel credentials (DTCs) and cross-border use cases for the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet as part of a new Large Scale Pilot (LSP) called Aptitude.

The pilot, fully titled Advanced Project for Trusted Identity Technologies and Unified Digital Ecosystem, was officially launched last week in Paris and will run for two years. Coordinated by France’s National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS), it brings together more than 110 organizations from over 15 European countries.

As part of the consortium, the three companies plan to explore passport-based and reusable DTCs, including how European citizens could use a single credential to book flights, train tickets and hotels. The project is aligned with ICAO Digital Travel Credential (DTC) and ISO PhotoID standards, the companies explain in their announcements.

“With Aptitude, we are taking another major step towards making digital travel a reality in Europe by ingesting NFC-verified and passport-based attestations into European digital identity wallets,” says Bob Hulsebosch, Signicat’s compliance officer.

Signicat is joining the consortium following its acquisition of Inverid in July, which was selected to participate in Aptitude. Signicat has participated in previous rounds of Large Scale Pilots as part of the NOBID and EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC) consortiums and is currently also involved in WE BUILD.

Decentralized software provider Indicio, on the other hand, will participate in partnership with aviation technology firm SITA.

The duo is creating the infrastructure and software that allows digital ID to be verified and reused across airlines, airports, border control checkpoints and payment channels. The goal is to streamline travel by avoiding repeated identity checks, reliance on paper documents, manual data entry and visual inspections.

As an associate partner, SITA will contribute to developing Digital Travel Credential (DTC) Type-2 integration, piloting user interface testing and collaborating on border control scenarios.

Aptitude has been allocated a budget of 20.3 million euros (US$23.5 million). Aside from DTCs, the consortium is also testing EUDI Wallets across payment, travel and mobility use cases. This includes smart ticketing and check-in, Mobile Vehicle Registration Certificates (mVRC) and payments with Strong Customer Authentication (SCA).

“We are building a future where crossing a border, proving your identity online, or making a payment abroad can be done with the same confidence as at home,” says Florent Tournois, Aptitude project coordinator and director of Identity, Trust Services and Production (DISCOP) at ANTS.

Aptitude is not the only consortium that has been focusing on Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs). Earlier this year, the EWC completed its work on a Large Scale Pilot focusing on digital travel and payment credentials with the help of all 27 EU Member States and dozens of partners.

The pilot included Amadeus and Lufthansa, which successfully tested the EUDI Wallet in air travel this summer. Amadeus has announced further tests for other travel uses, including airport security, immigration and border control.

Article Topics

APTITUDE consortium  |  digital identity  |  digital travel  |  digital travel credentials  |  EU Digital Identity Wallet  |  Indicio  |  Signicat  |  SITA