Motorola wins Norway biometric passports, visa contract

Motorola, Inc. announced a contract with Norway‘s Ministry of Foreign

Affairs (UD) and the National Police Computing and Material Service (PDMT) to provide for the collection and verification of biometric data for Norwegian passports, visas and other travel documents. Biometric data provides the capability to identify people through unique physical attributes such as fingerprints, the iris, or face characteristics.

The solution will be one of the first in Europe that follows EU standards for passport and visa application system to include fingerprints, 2D face and signature capture — a “multi-mode” mix that helps ensure data integrity and security by enabling several sources of identification versus just one.

Motorola will supply 700 fixed enrolment stations for use in Norway and a further 100 portable versions for use in Norwegian embassies and other enrolment centres. Finger print capture will be capable of supporting 1000 pixels per inch (PPI) images, as well as the more common 500 PPI. 

Motorola will provide additional software for biometric capture to guide applicants through the enrolment process, including local language versions for the portable units. Although the process may still be overseen by a member of staff, the front-end software makes the enrolment stations very easy for applicants to use and therefore minimises the level of support required from enrolment staff.

“Simplicity is the key to making these systems work for us,” says Elin Ostebo Johansen, Director General in the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “It is very important to us that we offer people an easy way to apply for a passport or visa that include new biometric requirements. The enrolment process will be fast and intuitive, collecting biometric data at the same time as the demographic information that has always been required.”

The Identity Management and Security Solutions from Motorola capture, manage and protect travel-related biometric data in line with International Civilian Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.