Norway awards Motorola biometric passports and visa contract

Company delivers “multi-mode” identity management solution combining fingerprints, 2D face and signature capture.

Basingstoke, UK – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today 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 Motorola solution for Norway 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 approximately 700 fixed enrolment stations for use in Norway and a further 100 portable versions for use in Norwegian embassies and other enrolment centres around the globe. Finger print capture will be capable of supporting 1000 pixels per inch (PPI) images, as well as the more common 500 PPI. The goal of the technology is to help make the passport and visa enrolment process easier for applicants while providing data that can help the Norway UD and the PDMT strengthen cross border security.

“As a global leader in identity management and security technology, Motorola are extremely pleased to be working with Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Police Computing and Material Service to develop such an advanced, global civil ID project,” says Ricardo Galeano, Director Biometrics Unit EMEA, Motorola Networks & Enterprise. “This contract builds on Motorola’s 30 year heritage in biometrics supporting home, government, airport and border security with trusted solutions that deliver fast, accurate results.”

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 Østebø 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. The solution will also meet the specifications of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) on the storage, secure encryption and interoperability of biometric information, as well as satisfying the requirements of Norway’s Personal Data Act.