Idemia and Sopra Steria win French biometric border control system contract

Idemia has won a contract with the French Ministry of the Interior, along with consortium partner Sopra Steria, to provide a new biometric border control system in the country.

The consortium will be responsible for the design, manufacturing, roll out, maintenance and updates of the new standard border control system (CCAF) underpinned by biometric technologies to make border controls faster and more accurate, according to a company announcement.

A high-performance system will be implemented to coordinate and harmonize all border control activities under the ambition CCAF project, focusing on interoperability and scalability. Biometrics will be used to minimize traveler time spent performing border control checks without hiring more French border guards.

The new CCAF is part of the Entry-Exit System (EES) being introduced by the EU in 2022, and for which Idemia-Sopra Steria consortium was also selected by the EU to provide the shared biometric matching system (sBMS) that underpins the regional system.

“We are very grateful to the French Ministry of the Interior for having trusted our know-how and expertise in automated border-crossing controls,” states Idemia Senior VP, Europe, Public Security and Identity Pascal Fallet. “The CCAF project aims to develop and perfect a standard and robust border system that is both smoother and more secure. Together with our partner Sopra Steria, we pledge to provide a groundbreaking system that delivers a high level of security and an enhanced travel experience.”

The new system will be implemented this year.

The companies note that the CCAF must be flexible and responsive enough to deal with the crowds expected for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“IDEMIA’s skills and know-how as biometrics world leader fit very well with our own skills as reputed big government systems integrator in complex environments,” comments Sopra Steria Security Market Director Georges Wakim. “This will be a great asset to ensure the project’s success. Together with IDEMIA we pledge to develop a reliable and secure system that sustainably delivers on required service quality by harnessing all necessary state-of-the-art technologies.”

Idemia is already responsible for the France’s passenger automated border control tracking system, as well as the system for visa and asylum application data processing, and conducts regular tests with the country’s aviation sector on the use of biometrics to improve airport experiences.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  border management  |  Entry/Exit System (EES)  |  France  |  IDEMIA  |  interoperability  |  Sopra Steria