Idemia’s latest PIV card added to US approved products list

The latest generation of PIV-based smart cards from Idemia Public Security has been added to the General Services Administration (GSA)’s Approved Products List (APL), according to a release from the firm.

Idemia has been providing Personal Identity Verification (PIV) system-based smart cards certified under Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 201 to the U.S. government since 2005. The firm says the addition of the ID-One PIV 243 card to the APL comes after rigorous testing and the achievement of NIST FIPS 140-3 level 2 validation for cryptographic modules.

It represents the first new addition to the Approved PIV Card list in four years. All U.S. federal government agencies and federal contractors are required to purchase only products on the GSA APL.

Smart cards exceed standards to stay ahead of fraud, quantum threat

Per the release, ID-One PIV cards offer a “3-in-1 solution” for visual identification, physical access and logical access, including an optional FIDO applet. Use cases include access, digital signatures for emails, and data encryption.

Cards are enhanced with on-card biometric comparison capability for fingerprint, face, and iris modalities; “quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms that support longer key lengths; built-in support for Open Authentication (OAuth) with HMAC-based and time-based One-Time Password (OTP); extended PIN lengths and PIN formats; one-step application reset to recycle cards for visitors; and biometric data encryption irrespective of communication interface (contact or contactless).”

Matt Cole, CEO of Idemia Public Security, says the company is “proud to support the U.S. government and its partners in securing their facilities, data, and communications with products that adhere to the strictest standards” – and beyond.

“We stay ahead of bad actors by not just meeting but exceeding these standards, so that our public sector and commercial customers can feel confident as they move into a post-quantum future. We are very excited to be able to offer this new form factor with the same proven technology baseline.”

In addition to the cards, the FIPS 140-3 and FIPS 201-3 validated cryptographic module of the ID-One PIV 243 card is used in Idemia’s new USB security key, the ID-One Key Bolt.

GSA committed to Login.gov

The GSA has been active on the Login.gov file concerning the government’s single sign-on and identity proofing service, which is used by over 100 million people to access government services.

The organization recently unveiled a 40-page program roadmap for Login.gov alongside a plan to support mDLs during the first half of its 2026 fiscal year, which runs October to March. It is also adding passports as evidence for identity verification and launching an API for sharing anti-fraud signals, deeper anti-fraud analytics and additional identity vendors.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  GSA  |  Idemia Public Security  |  identity management  |  identity verification  |  PIV cards  |  smart card  |  smartcards  |  U.S. Government