• Biometric visa:
    • World premiere with use of live enrolment and AFIS for the issuing of biometric visa
    • First installation completed in Paris
    • 41 embassies and consular offices across the globe to be equipped with registration stations
  • Diplomatic and service passports:
    • Project based on the cutting-edge solution provided by Zetes for the personalisation of the ordinary passport
    • First diplomatic passport handed over to President Gbagbo

Brussels (Belgium) – Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) – 13 August 2009 – Zetes, the leading international supplier of solutions for the automated identification of goods and people, in partnership with the company SNEDAI (The National Company for the Issue of Administrative and Identity Documents), today announces the launch of its latest projects with the Ivorian authorities: the biometric visa and the biometric diplomatic and service passports. The contracts for these projects have been signed at the beginning of this year.

A complete solution for the issuing of visa that is unique in the world!

The Ivorian biometric visa and the issuing system that lies behind it are, to date, a unique achievement.  The provided solution is a complete registration (live enrolment) and production system. The biographic and biometric (fingerprints and picture) information are captured locally at the embassy or consular office. They are then secured by encryption and sent to Abidjan to check with AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) if the petitioner is allowed to get a visa for Côte d’Ivoire. If so, the post which has sent the petition is entitled to print and deliver the document. At the Ivorian border, the fingerprints of the holder of the visa will be checked with those registered on the document.

This project is handled in collaboration with Hologram Industries, which provides lamination solutions for the authentication of identity documents.

A total of 41 embassies and consular offices across the globe will be equipped with registration stations. The first location to be installed is the Ivorian embassy in Paris. In the coming months,  Zetes will be handling the installation of some 20 enrolment stations in 8 countries, as well as a validation station at Abidjan airport. The remaining posts will be installed directly by SNEDAI, whose agents are being trained and supported by Zetes.

Highly secured diplomatic and service passports

The diplomatic and service passports project is based on the solution used for the successful realisation of the ordinary biometric passport project. The enrolment operations are taking place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the personalisation of the documents occurs at the centre put in place by Zetes and SNEDAI in Abidjan.

The first diplomatic passport has been handed over to President Gbagbo on August 7th 2009, the anniversary day of Independence in Côte d’Ivoire.

‘We are very happy with the start of those projects. Côte d’Ivoire is now able to provide not only its own citizens but also citizens from foreign countries travelling to Côte d’Ivoire with highly secured travel documents.’ states Mr. Poby, SNEDAI director-general. 

Alain Wirtz, CEO of Zetes explains “In the last decade, border control and people authentication has become ever more a critical issue. By introducing biometrics in travel documents, it is possible to determine more accurately if the holder of a document really is who he pretends to be and if he is entitled to travel to the destination country. Côte d’Ivoire is really a pioneer is this field. Indeed, the solutions provided by Zetes integrate the latest and most secure technologies available on the market, which allows Côte d’Ivoire to offer highly secured travel documents’.

– END –

whitepaper

BEYOND IDENTITY

AN ECOSYSTEM TO SUPPLY QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES 44 pages

Download the white paper