Travel and Transport

The travel and transport sector is one of the most compelling use cases for the European Digital Identity Wallet. Travel inherently involves repeated identity verification: at airports, borders, hotels, car rental desks, train stations, and tourist attractions. Each of these touchpoints currently requires physical document presentation, manual inspection, and often photocopying or scanning of identity documents. The EUDIW replaces this with digital credential presentations that are faster, more secure, and privacy-preserving.

The EU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium (EWC) Large-Scale Pilot specifically focuses on travel use cases, testing scenarios from airport check-in to hotel registration. The results of this pilot are directly informing how the travel industry will integrate with the wallet. For travel and transport companies, the wallet offers both operational efficiency gains (faster identity checks, reduced manual handling) and enhanced customer experiences (seamless check-in, no document photocopying).

Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) are electronic representations of travel documents, such as passports and national ID cards, that can be stored in the EUDIW and presented digitally at border control and other travel checkpoints. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is developing standards for DTCs that align with the wallet architecture, enabling a future where travelers can present their identity digitally at automated border gates without handing over a physical passport.

For airlines, the DTC enables a fully digital passenger identity verification chain: from booking (verified identity at reservation) through check-in (wallet-based identity confirmation) to boarding (digital identity presentation at the gate) and arrival (DTC presentation at border control). This continuous digital identity thread reduces manual checks, speeds up passenger processing, and improves security by replacing visual document inspection with cryptographic verification. Airlines, airports, and border agencies should monitor DTC standardization progress and plan for integration alongside EUDIW deployment.

The Mobile Driving Licence (mDL), standardized under ISO 18013-5, is one of the most mature wallet credentials and directly relevant to the transport sector. The mDL allows drivers to present their driving licence digitally from their wallet, with selective disclosure enabling them to prove they hold a valid licence for a specific vehicle category without revealing their home address or other unnecessary data.

For car rental companies, the mDL transforms the rental process. Instead of photocopying physical licences (a practice with significant data protection implications), rental agents verify the mDL through a digital presentation. The verification confirms licence validity, category, and any restrictions in real time. For fleet management and ride-sharing platforms, the mDL provides a standardized mechanism for driver verification that works across all EU Member States. Law enforcement can verify driving credentials through proximity-based (NFC or Bluetooth) wallet presentations during roadside checks. The mDL is expected to be among the first credentials widely available in EU wallets, making it a priority integration for transport companies.

Hotel guest registration is a mandatory requirement across most EU Member States, with laws requiring accommodation providers to verify and record guest identity. This currently involves guests presenting their passport or ID card at reception, where staff manually check and often photocopy the document. The process is slow, creates data protection risks (accumulated photocopies of identity documents), and is particularly cumbersome for large hotel chains processing thousands of check-ins daily.

The EUDIW enables a digital check-in experience: guests present their wallet at arrival (or remotely before arrival), the hotel system verifies the PID and any required attestations, and the guest registration requirement is satisfied without physical document handling. For the hotel, this reduces front desk processing time, eliminates the need to store physical document copies, and simplifies compliance with guest registration laws. Selective disclosure allows the hotel to receive only the attributes required by law (typically name, nationality, date of birth, and document number) without accessing the guest's full identity data. Self-service kiosks and mobile check-in apps can integrate wallet verification for a completely contactless arrival experience.

Cross-border travel within the EU and the Schengen area involves multiple identity verification points where the wallet adds value. Train operators running cross-border services (such as Eurostar, Thalys, or night trains requiring reservation-linked identity) can verify passenger identity through wallet presentations. Ferry operators subject to passenger registration requirements can streamline boarding processes. Coach and bus companies operating international routes can use wallet-based passenger identity for manifest compliance.

For travel aggregators and online travel agencies, the wallet provides a verified identity layer that enhances booking security, reduces fraudulent reservations, and simplifies identity verification for services that require it (such as rail passes linked to a specific traveler). Tour operators organizing cross-border group travel can verify participant identity once through the wallet rather than collecting and managing passport photocopies. The standardization of the wallet across all Member States means that travel companies operating pan-European services deal with a single identity verification mechanism rather than 27 different national document types.

Travel and transport companies should prioritize wallet integration based on operational volume, regulatory requirements, and customer impact. Hotels and accommodation providers should start with guest registration workflows, as this is a high-volume, legally mandated process where wallet integration delivers immediate operational benefits. Car rental companies should prioritize mDL verification, as driving licence checks are a core business process and the mDL will be among the first widely available wallet credentials.

Airlines and airports should engage with the EWC pilot results and monitor DTC standardization progress, as the full digital travel credential chain (booking to border) involves dependencies on border agency readiness. Transport platforms and aggregators should implement wallet-based user authentication and passenger identity verification for services that require it. For all travel companies, the cross-border nature of their business means the wallet's standardized pan-European identity verification is particularly valuable, eliminating the need to handle dozens of different national document types and verification procedures.