France chooses Thales’ biometric kiosks to meet EU border check directive

France has opted for biometric pre-registration kiosks from Thales as the country prepares to meet the European Union’s requirement of a biometric entry and exit mechanism at external borders of Schengen Area member states from 2022.

The EU in 2017 adopted a resolution calling for the deployment of a biometric entry and exit system by all member states with the goal of bolstering security within the Schengen Area and modernizing border crossings.

According to Thales’ press statement, the order placed by the French Ministry of the Interior will see the company provide hundreds of biometric pre-registration kits dubbed the ‘Thales Gemalto Border Kiosk’ which will be installed at all border crossing points.

The state-of-the-art pre-registration kiosks will allow non-Schengen visitors to register their identity quickly and securely, including data such as fingerprint and face biometrics, within just a minute and in a secure and convenient manner, the company says.

The installations will be at French airports, train stations and ports and will provide a self-service, intuitive and interactive terminal to guide travelers through every stage of the identity registration and verification process.

The biometric kiosks, which are designed and manufactured in Europe, will incorporate various document verification and biometric technologies, offering rapid registration for travelers, highly accurate identity verification, data management protection and advanced operational fluidity at border crossings.

The French Interior Ministry said Thales was chosen for its expertise in identity and border management.

“This new European entry and exit system represents a major challenge for Member States. On the one hand, they are required to be ready and compliant with the regulations by 2022; on the other hand, they are faced with the operational reality and the fact that millions of people have to be processed each year, for whom we want to offer the smoothest possible experience. Thales’ expertise in identity and border management provides us with technological reliability, without having to make a choice between security and ease of use,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“The pre-registration kiosks manufactured by Thales are equipped with our state-of-the-art technologies for identity creation and verification,” Thales’ Senior Vice President for Identity and Biometric Solutions Youzec Kurp said. “They are based on software optimized for ultra-rapid checks of a document’s authenticity and intelligent detection of any attempted identity fraud. We have therefore been able to develop high-performance tools to support operations, without compromising the safety and protection of travelers’ data.”

Recently, Madrid Airport also deployed Thales’ solution for faster and smoother passenger checks using mobile biometric devices in a projected backed by Spain’s Industrial Technology Development Center.

Article Topics

biometric exit  |  biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  Entry/Exit System (EES)  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint recognition  |  France  |  identity verification  |  kiosk  |  Thales