Multi-Biometric E-Passport

Multi-Biometric E-Passport
Reinforcing National Security
The Multi-biometric e-passport project is NADRA’s latest brainchild, intended to enhance national security by embra-->cing state-of-the-art technologies. Congruent with the government’s policy of gradually moving towards e-governance, the Multi-Biometric E-Passport Project is testament to the government’s commitment to providing its citizens with ever more efficient public services. A move fraught with significant strategic ramifications for the country, the decision to implement this new project, serves as an indicator of the government’s resolve to inculcate transparency in the public sphere. The Government of Pakistan remains committed to providing its citizens with the best possible security services, at the same time ensuring that the identities of the individuals are upheld by universally upheld corroborations.
Background
Illegal immigration is a global concern in the present era. As in various other countries, illegal immigrants in Pakistan have caused chronic law and order problem. Taking advantage of the erstwhile and archaic information, unscrupulous individuals were able to travel on forged Pakistani passports, tarnishing country’s image abroad. It was therefore thought out to be imperative for the registration authority to ensure that illegal travel, both in and out of the country must be prevented.
Addressing these concerns, the Multi-Biometric E-passport Project was conceived, and finally successfully implemented as a comprehensive safeguard against exploitation of the Pakistani passport system. Having gone operational, this new project has readily contributed to the overall safeguard of the national security.
This project has been implemented by NADRA as an ultimate solution and an integrator. In terms of the features and components it encompasses, the MRP system developed by NADRA for Pakistan, can at the same time work internationally. Equipped with the latest technologies in Facial Recognition and Fingerprint Identification along with the introduction of RFID tags, this e-passport is the forerunner of next-generation “smart” travel documents.
The Multi-biometric E-Passport System is a US $8-9 Million project, involving the development of passport offices at 25 locations nationwide, as well as in 10 Foreign Missions. The heart of the system is the centralized Control Center and Production Facility, housed in Islamabad. In addition to developing the complete software in-house, NADRA has also conceived, designed and implemented the applicant handling process flow and design, as well as the complete WAN network design and operations.
MRP Acceptability
The e-passport provides easy, user-friendly, accurate and tamper-proof means to verify the identity of the holder through its multifaceted, cross-examinable security features. The e-passport ensures that the holder’s international identity is secure.
The new e-passport adheres to the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Apart from all the other security aspects, this translates to the additional features, given in the communiqué of 12th May 2003, which entails the embedding of a contact less chip in the passport having 88 characters of the machine readable data, and a photograph of the passport holder.
An Integrated Security System
The new multi-biometric e-passport system consists of a comprehensively secured production, personalization, and issuance process. The resulting process also provides an integrated referencing mechanism. The elimination of human intervention, through the effective usage of sophisticated computer hardware and software, provides for a high degree of reliability in monitoring and tracking applications as well as providing immigration controls. Once interfaced with the citizen's database and the steadily expanding data warehouse (DW), as well as other departmental databases established by various government agencies from time to time, its multidimensional advantages will accrue to departments of immigration and passport with other user agencies.
The new e-passport is totally interactive with online data availability procedures, thus minimizing the human intervention. The system stores personal data of the applicants that facilitates the authorities by providing a history of the applicants and the grounds on which any of their visas were denied in the past. Furthermore, the infrastructure required at each embassy is also reduced significantly, as only one server and a few data entry terminals are needed to process applications. The central database acts as a ready reference for extracting the statistics relating to the visitors, denied applicants, or asylum seekers.
Integration with Automated Border Control (ABC)
In order to make full use of the e-passport, NADRA has come up with the latest in border control systems, using an auto-gate, designed for the immigration authorities to efficiently process all arrivals and departures at all international airports, railway stations or bus terminals.
The Automated Border Control (ABC) is a fully automated immigration control system linked with the central database that makes full use of the e-passport not only by reading all electronic passports but also by performing Facial Recognition and Fingerprint Identification to identify the individuals.
This system has the capability of reading and processing all of Electronic and Manual Passports as well as all identity documents such as the National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis. It also retains important attributes of travelers as well as information about their port of origin, destination, and nationality, which can then be used by immigration authorities and security agencies, should the need arise.
E-Passport Overview
International Standard Compliance: Machine-readable booklet compliant with ICAO standards.
Robust Security: Secure system through a combination of physical and soft security features, and validation of applicants through citizens’ database.
Integration: Online link with Automated Border Control, country-wide access through Wide Area Network, integration with National Data Warehouse and central control.
Security: Multi-biometric e-passport booklet with transfer laminate and Central Issue Authorization and tracking.
Data Acquisition: Twenty-seven local and 10 Foreign Passport Issue Offices, and applicant required to visit Regional Passport Office (RPO) for digital photo and thumb impression.
Personalization (Distributed): Five local centers (Islamabad + 4 Provincial Capitals), and 10 Foreign Personalization Centers.
Network: Backbone infrastructure and data warehouse facilities with Automated Border Control (ABC).
Multi-biometric E-Passport Features
The Multi-biometric E-Passport consists of the following state-of-the-art features:
The record of the applicant in question is transmitted online from National Data Warehouse of NADRA, to the concerned passport office. It thus eliminates the use of fake names, addresses, date of births, etc by the applicants.
Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) provides 1:N verification to eliminate duplication problems, and helps validating Name, Father’s Name, and Date of Birth. This 1:N feature of AFIS, checks the probability of getting duplicate passports, whereas, 1:1 verification facilitates passport renewal, authenticating the identity of the applicant.
Facial Recognition System for 1:1 verification with the photograph from the National Data Warehouse in order to eliminate fraudulent photographs. It also crosschecks from the wanted list of Police, Interpol, or other agencies. Any renewals will match all the photographs of the individual, available in the database.
State-of-the-art security features on personalization (data) page, using Invisible Personal Information (IPI) feature on the photograph which prints the passport number and first name of the applicant, only visible through special lens.
2-D Barcode on the Data page, encoded with encrypted data from the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ), and the template of the best finger image (from the set of four fingers) is used for one-to-one finger-match at the Automated Border Control (ABC) counters for verification of the passport holder.
Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) on the Data page which includes encrypted data of the applicant using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
High-end network connectivity is used to provide highly secure, reliable, and high-availability Wide Area Network (WAN) solutions. Modular and fully functional Data Capturing Facilities, which has been designed by NADRA, with a view to incorporate both functional design and aesthetic aspects using modern technology.
The new Multi-biometric E-Passport is being integrated with the Automated Border Control (ABC) system, which has being implemented separately by NADRA, resulting in a seamless inter-working of the Multi-biometric Machine Readable E-Passports at the border entry and exit terminals.
Design Architecture
The Multi-biometric E-passport system entails fully functional, end-to-end data capturing, verification, back-end processing, and printing application, developed in-house by NADRA’s Research Development Department.
Strong International Partnership
NADRA works in close cooperation with its international partners, who have proven tracks in the field of information technology, communication, and marketing. NADRA, as a total solution provider and integrator, has the technology and capacity to provide a viable and an economical solution for production of multi-biometric e-passport.
Multi-biometric E-Passport Consulting Service(s)
Equipped with an extensive research and development infrastructure, NADRA is strategically poised to providing services that require complete domain expertise. Due to our extensive involvement with people, data, and various national and international resources, NADRA is well-versed as an organization to provide required infrastructure and integration on demand. NADRA is the only organization of the country that has complete infrastructure, and can provide support using state-of-the-art technology.
NADRA has developed a reputation for delivering products in record time, whether they be mega projects dealing with national voter lists, production of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC), or even the development of a totally new infrastructure for production of Machine Readable Passports and Visas. The organization has created new benchmarks in developing systems that can meet customer requirements to the utmost level. NADRA is now offering its special consultancy services to help develop Multi-biometric Machine-readable E-Passport systems to foreign countries as well.