British firm , De La Rue , is reportedly developing technology that has the potential to replace a paperless passport , such as a digital version on a laptop . Security experts have , however , warned that any company using this sort of technology will face serious operational challenges . Among the issues is the need to install new hardware onto the device to ensure that it can securely store the passport . There is also the issue of lost or stolen devices . Alongside this , it is unclear what the user would have to do when they need to upgrade their phone and want to trade - in or sell their handset . Finally , it is likely that travellers will continue to need to use a paper passport because not all countries will use the paperless system .
British firm, De La Rue, is reportedly testing technology that has the potential to produce a paperless passport, stored as a digital version on a smartphone. Security experts have, however, warned that any company pursuing this sort of technology will face serious operational challenges. Among the issues is the need to install new hardware onto the device to ensure that it can securely store the passport. There is also the issue of lost or stolen devices. Alongside this, it is unclear what the user would have to do when they need to upgrade their phone and want to trade-in or sell their handset. Finally, it is likely that travellers will continue to need to carry a paper passport because not all countries will use the paperless system.