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European Entry/Exit System best practice needs professional ID readers such as those provided by Laxton and Elyctis, says Rein Süld from SMIT, Estonia
As a pioneer in implementing the European Entry/Exit System (EES), Estonian authorities have conducted real-world tests with mobile ID terminals. Their findings underscore the necessity of professional, specialized enrolment and verification devices, such as those provided by Laxton and Elyctis, for meeting EES’s technical requirements in the diverse, real-life scenarios encountered at border control posts and by mobile control teams.
Tallinn, ESTONIA, Pertuis, FRANCE and The Hague, THE NETHERLANDS – June 7, 2023 – Amidst the ongoing implementation of the European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES), Estonia stands as a leading innovator in adopting comprehensive technology solutions for optimal border control. The EES system registers Schengen and non-Schengen travellers via their ePassport, visa, and biometric data as they cross the EU’s external borders. Therefore, there’s a vital need for control mechanisms that can handle peak traffic and operate seamlessly under all conditions.
Estonia’s Ministry of Interior’s IT and Development Center, SMIT, is pioneering this crucial initiative. Under the direction of project manager Mr. Rein Süld, the team has tested various solutions in real-life conditions, finding that professional mobile readers delivered by Elyctis and Laxton best fit the demanding technical requirements of the European Entry/Exit System.
Mr. Süld said: ”Unlike offices, where one can master the conditions, mobile biometric identification at borders require equipment performing Secure Document Authentication that can withstand the actual working conditions of border guards, police and immigration officers. For instance, in Estonia, we need mobile equipment that is perfectly capable of working at night and day, under rain and snow, and by -15 degrees. Reading MRZ lines of passports with a camera outdoors is not as reliable as a dedicated scanner, and it is recommended for European EES to use a dedicated MRZ scanner. Reading the MRZ is key to accessing the chip, so this step must be fast and accurate under any conditions. Also, EES mandates that biometrics are used to authenticate persons travelling with passports. So, we need equipment able to take a good picture of the face, accurately read the fingerprints under any condition, and compare them with the data in the passport chip. »
« We also need to take into account the actual situation at a border crossing: queues are forming fast if control is not completed in a limited timeframe. We need to read more than 99.99% of the presented ePassports in a few seconds each and finish a full enrolment process within two minutes. For this reason, we need professional equipment that can read the chip of all ePassports without error, » he adds.
Mr. Rein Süld concludes: « To deliver the needed services in real-life conditions, we must ensure the mobile devices we use store data and communicate securely, something that cannot be certified on a smartphone. Also, to be practical, the battery should have a long life, and its shift should be fast and easy. Ergonomics is paramount: not only should the mobile terminal be made of one all-inclusive device, with limited size and weight, but it should also be handled in one hand as the border guard will hold the persons passport in the other hand. »
Thanks to its extensive benchmarking and on-the-field experience, SMIT has qualified Laxton Chameleon 8 biometric tablet, which incorporates Elyctis ID BOX One – OEM series. Laxton Chameleon 8 biometric tablet is an all-in-one multi-modal biometric device, dedicated to ID control, including a camera, fingerprint scanner, MRZ scanner, passport contactless chip reader and secure communication capabilities. Its seamless integration of the Elyctis ID BOX One – OEM series, responsible for reading the MRZ and ePassport chip, is a standout feature. This advanced technology guarantees reading of the MRZ lines of e-IDs or e-passports in under a second (0.8 seconds precisely), regardless of varying environmental conditions – indoors or outdoors, in varying light levels, and even when passports are damaged or curved. This user-friendly system requires minimal training for agents; simply inserting the document into the designated slot enables the process.
This solution allows the simultaneous reading of the chip and the MRZ, a process completed in mere seconds with 100% reliability. This eliminates the need for the agent to transfer the passport from the camera to the contactless reader, enhancing the efficiency and ease of the process. Leveraging the Elyctis SDK and a dedicated contactless reader ensures this rapid, efficient, and reliable process. This innovative solution guarantees the ability to read all passports worldwide, setting it apart from standard NFC readers not explicitly designed for this purpose, thus committing to full e-passport reading interoperability.
About SMIT
The IT and Development Centre of the Ministry of the Interior (SMIT) is the largest IT agency in Estonia. SMIT develops and administers the information systems required for saving lives and guaranteeing internal security. SMIT provides information system development and administration to the Police and Border Guard Board, the Rescue Board, the Emergency Centre, the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences and the Ministry of the Interior. We provide radio and voice communications to our clients, and our customer support answers calls from police officers, rescuers, and officials 24 hours a day. We provide ICT services at ca 400 locations throughout Estonia.
More information at https://www.smit.ee
Contact
Rein Süld, program manager, tel: +372 58 85 74 49, rein.syld@smit.ee
About Elyctis
Created in 2008, Elyctis mission is to supply system integrators with mobile and fixed hardware to access data of eIDs (ePassports, NICs, resident permits, driving licenses). The company specializes in the development, industrialization, production and marketing of readers and terminals dedicated to Secure Identity Documents including e-passports, e-ID cards, and e-driver licenses, … Elyctis has longstanding expertise in eID projects, as well as hardware and software developments, especially in the combination of optics, antenna design, high-security software and integration. Elyctis sells its products through its network of distributors and systems integrators, to whom it provides a development environment to facilitate the use of its readers. Elyctis is headquartered in Pertuis, France, and has sales offices in Hong Kong SAR, China and Dakar, Senegal.
Alexandre Joly, Elyctis founder and CEO is a laureate of Reseau Entreprendre since 2011, and a laureate of the Reseau Entreprendre Ambition program in 2016.
More information at www.elyctis.com
Contact
Alexandre JOLY, CEO, +33 6 27 71 37 68, press@elyctis.com
About Laxton
Laxton is a global leader in Identity Management Solutions. Governments and organisations use our systems for elections, ID issuance, border security, and law enforcement. Our proprietary hardware and software solutions are engineered for fast and reliable identity registrations and verifications for various applications and operating conditions.
More information at Laxton.com
Contact
Irina Stoica, VP Sales Europe, +40 725 826 202, irina.stoica@laxton.com
