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Babies now need passports

As of Tuesday, Finnish children travelling abroad are required to have their own passports.

Henkilö pitelemässä vauvasta otettuja passikuvia sekä passia.
Image: Yle

In some cases, minor children used to be included in parents' travel documents. New EU regulations, however, require individual identification. Officials say that the changes are aimed at improving the safety of small children while travelling abroad.

Up until August 2006, Finnish authorities included children in parents’ 10-year passports. Guardians may continue using these travel documents through expiration, though new passports are necessary for their children.

In 2006 Finland introduced biometric passports, which included a microchip storing a digital facial image. Three years later, fingerprint scans were added to the personal data stored on these chips. Fingerprints will, however, not be taken from kids under the age of 12.

Sources: Yle

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