CBP seeks biometric photo capture technology for border vehicle inspection

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) on commercial solutions for capturing high-quality facial images of vehicle occupants in officer-manned “primary zones” at inbound land ports of entry.

The RFI is issued by CBP’s Office of Field Operations Biometric Program Office. The goal of the RFI is to learn about existing technologies that can capture facial images of all travelers in privately-owned vehicles (POVs) entering the U.S., particularly those whose images were not successfully captured earlier in the screening process at what CBP calls the “Pre-Primary Zone” (PPZ).

The envisioned solution will serve as a second layer of biometric verification. As vehicles approach inspection booths, a biometric capture device would supplement any missed scans from the PPZ by collecting live facial images from within the vehicle. These images would then be compared in real-time to existing government databases using the Traveler Verification Service (TVS) system. This process is intended to confirm traveler identities prior to their engagement with a CBP officer and update the individual’s crossing record.

CBP emphasized that any proposed solution must meet the stringent technical and operational standards outlined in the RFI. The technology must function under various lighting and environmental conditions, including extreme temperatures, glare, and low visibility, and must accommodate non-standard vehicle configurations, capturing clear images of passengers seated in rear seats or behind tinted glass.

The RFI says facial images must comply with TVS standards, including specific metrics for image clarity, resolution, exposure, and biometric readiness. For instance, the image must have a minimum resolution of 480×760 pixels and comply with established thresholds for tilt, pan, roll, and illumination uniformity.

CBP is considering both passive and officer-actuated systems. Passive systems would operate automatically while officer-actuated devices may be wearable or booth-mounted and triggered manually by CBP personnel. Regardless of design, the capture device must provide real-time feedback to the officer to confirm successful photo acquisition without interfering with their line of sight or safety.

Additionally, the biometric system must be designed with stringent cybersecurity and privacy compliance in mind. The capture devices cannot store images or permit off-network image access, must pass CBP vulnerability scans, and must be integrated into CBP’s secure technical infrastructure. The equipment must also meet U.S. federal procurement laws which bans procurement from Chinese firms like Hikvision, Dahua, and ZTE due to national security concerns.

CBP expects the technology to be easily maintainable, commercially available, and compatible with existing lane infrastructure. The system must offer high-speed image transmission – ideally within one second – and be able to integrate with CBP’s existing Simplified Arrival–Vehicle (SA-V) inspection software. Additional functionality, such as remote adjustment, on-board image processing, and duplicate image elimination, will be considered advantages.

CBP is looking for a solution that minimizes the burden on officers while maintaining high image quality across diverse scenarios. Devices must be functional in all weather conditions, resistant to dust and water, and flexible in mounting options. The system should be capable of capturing usable images even if passengers are not directly looking at the camera or are partially obscured by hats, sunglasses, vehicle components, or personal items.

CBP also is requesting information about power, bandwidth, form factor, battery life, and specific image data formats supported by the proposed systems. Importantly, vendors are asked to describe whether their solution can discern between human faces and other images such as those on T-shirts or animal passengers

Interested vendors must respond by May 30, and submissions are limited to 15 pages, excluding company details and appendices.

As CBP continues to expand its biometric enforcement regime into vehicular border crossings, this RFI signals the agency’s next technological frontier. By seeking commercial solutions that ensure high match rates while complying with data privacy and operational efficiency mandates, CBP is further entrenching facial recognition into the core of U.S. border control policy.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  border security  |  CBP  |  face biometrics  |  face photo  |  RFI  |  Simplified Arrival  |  tender