EU establishing legal foundation for digital travel app and credentials

The European Union is laying down the legal groundwork for a digital travel app and digital travel credentials (DTCs) that will ease travel to Europe, including registration for the biometric-based Entry-Exit System (EES).

On Wednesday, EU member states representatives agreed on a plan for negotiating a new law on the EU digital travel app and its use on external borders. The agreement opens the door for the European Council presidency to begin negotiations with the European Parliament.

The EU digital travel app was proposed by the European Commission last year and will be developed by eu-LISA. The app will be optional and allow both EU citizens and third-country nationals to create digital travel credentials (DTCs). 

Meanwhile, EU border agency Frontex has developed its own app at the request of the EC called Travel to Europe which is already live for the first time in Sweden’s Arlanda Airport this year. It is unclear how the apps will fit together, but currently, the Travel to Europe app is the only way for travelers to preregister for EES.

The proposed regulation aims to define the functional and technical requirements for developing not just the mobile app but also the backend validation service and the traveler router, which will allow people to share their DTCs with border authorities.

This app is designed to shorten waiting times and improve security checks. The platform will electronically verify a travel document’s chip and confirm that the document was issued by a legitimate authority. Travelers will be able to submit their data before arriving at the border, allowing border officers to remotely verify travel documents and cross-check them against various databases.

Travel to Europe already has those capabilities included, and it can be used in Sweden and prospective deployments by other Schengen Member States without waiting for any regulatory change.

The European Council also wants travelers to use digital travel credentials to register for the EES and the ETIAS travel authorization system.

The EU started a phased rollout of the EES border registration scheme in October. The system requires third-country nationals entering the bloc to submit personal information, fingerprints and a facial image. ETIAS, on the other hand, is due to launch in 2026.

While the travel app may not solve every problem, it will allow border guards to do their work better, Rasmus Stoklund, Danish minister for Immigration and Integration says in an announcement.

“We must be able to control who enters, and we must refuse entry to people who do not have the right to enter the EU,” says Stoklund. “It is therefore important that we give border guards the best possible tools to work with, so that they can combat crime, security threats and illegal migration.”

This post was updated at 12:49pm Eastern on November 25, 2025 to reflect that Travel to Europe is currently live in Sweden.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital travel  |  digital travel credentials  |  Entry/Exit System (EES)  |  ETIAS  |  EU digital travel application  |  Europe  |  mobile app  |  mobile biometrics