Recommended Practice 1701p (Passenger Services Conference, IATA), formally designated PSC(44)1701p, is the industry recommended practice that defines the pre-travel processes by which a passenger can digitally obtain necessary authorisations directly from governments and demonstrate to the airline that they meet all admissibility requirements for the journey—without disclosing unnecessary personal data. It is classified as Type B with indefinite expiry and forms the second core pillar of IATA’s One ID initiative (alongside RP 1701o Contactless Travel).
Its purpose is to enable an end-state in which passengers arrive at the airport “Ready to Fly”: all document and authorisation checks have already been completed digitally and remotely, allowing full advance check-in and eliminating or minimising on-airport document presentation.
Origin, Status, and Relationship to Other Standards
RP 1701p was developed under the One ID programme to address the repetitive, paper-based document checks that occur at check-in, bag drop, security, and boarding. It became effective as a new Recommended Practice that complements the existing RP 1701o (Contactless Travel). Together the two practices cover the full digital journey: pre-travel digital proof of admissibility (1701p) followed by biometric contactless processing at the airport (1701o).
It builds on earlier foundations including:
- RP 1701d Self-Service Electronic Document Check (passenger self-capture and automated verification of documents).
- RP 1701a Passenger Data Harmonization.
- ICAO work on Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) and Digital Travel Authorizations (DTAs).
- Open technical standards, particularly the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model and Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs).
Supporting materials include the One ID Handbook, One ID Glossary, and alpha/technical specifications for verifiable-credential schemas covering passport, visa, DTA, health certificates, and “Ready to Fly” status.
Purpose and Scope
The objective is to provide a mechanism by which the passenger can:
- Digitally obtain all necessary authorisations in advance of travel directly from governments.
- Demonstrate to the airline the admissibility to travel without disclosing unnecessary personal data.
- Enable automated digital document checking by the airline.
- Complete remote (web/mobile) check-in and arrive at the airport Ready to Fly.
Scope covers the end-to-end pre-travel admissibility process: issuance of digital credentials by trusted issuers (primarily governments), storage in the passenger’s digital wallet, selective presentation to the airline under passenger consent, verification of authenticity by the airline, and the resulting “OK to travel” / Ready-to-Fly status that unlocks full remote check-in.
It applies when Members plan to implement digital-identity solutions to support the digitalisation of admissibility processes. The procedures described in the Recommended Practice are then to be applied.
Core Concepts and Technical Principles
Passenger control and consent
The passenger owns and controls their digital identity credentials. Informed consent is required before any data is shared. Relying parties request only the minimum data necessary (selective disclosure / data minimisation).
Verifiable Credentials (VCs)
IATA promotes the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model. Credentials are tamper-evident, cryptographically verifiable, and more trustworthy than physical counterparts. Relevant credentials include:
- Biographic and document data derived from a passport or other identity document.
- Visas and other travel authorisations.
- ICAO Digital Travel Authorization (DTA).
- Health-related status (where required).
- Flight/itinerary details.
- A composite “Ready to Fly” or admissibility status.
Trusted issuers
A State-issued digital identity or Digital Travel Credential is the most trusted source. In its absence, a passenger may self-derive a digital identity or use a third-party application that is recognised as a trusted issuer; such credentials can be used at non-government-managed touchpoints (check-in, bag drop, boarding).
Airline verification
The airline verifies that the presented credential is authentic (conforms to the specification, was issued by an appropriate issuer, and has not been tampered with). Upon successful verification the airline can proceed with automated digital document checking and complete remote check-in / boarding-pass issuance.
Privacy-protective design
Unnecessary personal data need not be disclosed. The architecture supports selective disclosure and, over time, stronger privacy-enhancing techniques such as zero-knowledge proofs.
Process Overview
- Passenger obtains digital credentials (passport-derived identity, visa, DTA, health certificates, etc.) from trusted issuers and stores them in a digital wallet.
- Passenger consents to present the required credentials (or a derived “admissibility” claim) to the airline.
- Airline verifies authenticity and completeness against the journey requirements.
- Upon success the airline records an “OK to travel” / Ready-to-Fly status and enables full remote check-in and boarding-pass issuance.
- Passenger arrives at the airport already validated, ready for the contactless processes defined in RP 1701o.
- Consent can be revoked; traditional document presentation remains available as a fallback.
Implementation Considerations
Airlines implementing RP 1701p typically:
- Integrate digital-wallet presentation and verifiable-credential verification into web and mobile check-in flows.
- Support the relevant VC schemas (passport, visa, DTA, etc.).
- Maintain real-time or near-real-time validation against entry-requirement rules (building on capabilities first standardised in RP 1701d).
- Ensure robust consent management, audit logging, and compliance with data-protection regimes.
- Coordinate with governments that issue Digital Travel Credentials or Digital Travel Authorizations.
- Provide clear passenger guidance and seamless fallback to conventional document upload or agent-assisted checks.
- Link the resulting Ready-to-Fly status to the biometric enrolment or advance-sharing steps required for RP 1701o Contactless Travel.
Proofs of Concept under the IATA Strategic Partnerships Program have demonstrated that wallet-based digital identity solutions (including global wallets such as Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, national programmes, and airline wallets) can successfully support pre-travel identity and admissibility sharing across multi-carrier journeys.
Benefits
Passengers
- Ability to complete all document and authorisation checks from home.
- Full remote check-in and boarding-pass issuance.
- Arrival at the airport Ready to Fly.
- Stronger privacy through consent and selective disclosure.
- Reduced risk of last-minute document problems.
Airlines
- Automated digital document checking replaces many manual processes.
- Higher remote check-in completion rates.
- Lower risk of fines for carriage of inadequately documented passengers.
- Cleaner, earlier API data and better operational predictability.
- Foundation for the contactless airport experience defined in RP 1701o.
Governments
- Direct digital issuance of authorisations to the passenger.
- Potential for higher-quality, earlier data and reduced on-arrival interventions for pre-verified travellers.
Relationship to RP 1701o and the One ID Vision
RP 1701p handles the pre-travel digital proof of documents and authorisations. RP 1701o then uses the resulting validated identity (typically via a live biometric shared under consent) to enable contactless passage through airport touchpoints. The combined One ID vision is a passenger-centric, paperless journey from booking to arrival in which identity and admissibility are established early and biometrics replace repetitive physical checks.
Conclusion
Recommended Practice 1701p – Digitalization of Admissibility establishes the industry standard for pre-travel digital demonstration of travel documents and authorisations. By enabling passengers to obtain credentials directly from governments, present them selectively from a digital wallet under consent, and receive an automated “Ready to Fly” confirmation from the airline, the practice removes the need for most on-airport document checks and unlocks full remote check-in. When implemented together with RP 1701o Contactless Travel and supporting open verifiable-credential standards, it delivers the seamless, privacy-protective, and efficient end-to-end passenger experience that is the goal of One ID.
Sources include the published text and descriptions of RP 1701p (PSC(44)1701p) in Passenger Services Conference materials, official IATA One ID documentation and fact sheets, Verifiable Credentials guidance, Proof-of-Concept results, and related ICAO Digital Travel Credential work. Full proprietary text of the Recommended Practice is contained in the IATA Passenger Services Conference Resolutions Manual.
