Thales selected to prepare France for new Schengen Area entry/exit system

Thales selected to prepare France for new Schengen Area entry/exit system

In 2022, Member States of the Schengen Area will be required to have a biometric entry and exit system to register non-European citizens crossing an EU external border. Thales has been selected by the French Ministry of the Interior to deliver several hundred pre-registration kiosks at various border crossing points. Therefore, France will be equipped with a state-of-the-art biometric solution to streamline and secure its air, land and sea border crossings.

In accordance with the directive approved by the European Union, the countries that are part of the Schengen Area will deploy pre-registration kiosks or similar equipment in order to allow non-Schengen visitors to register their identity quickly and securely, including their biometric data (fingerprint and facial biometrics).

To this end, the ‘Thales Gemalto Border Kiosk’ will provide a self-service, intuitive and interactive terminal to guide travellers through every stage of identity registration and verification.

These kiosks, designed and manufactured in Europe, will incorporate various document verification and biometric technologies. They will offer rapid registration for travellers, highly accurate identity verification, data management protection and advanced operational fluidity at border crossings.

The verification of biometric data is an extremely effective and reliable technology, allowing Member States to accurately identify any attempted identity fraud and prevent individuals with false documents, multiple identities, etc. from entering the country.

“This new European entry and exit system represents a major challenge for Member States. On the one hand, they are required to be ready and compliant with the regulations by 2022; on the other hand, they are faced with the operational reality and the fact that millions of people have to be processed each year, for whom we want to offer the smoothest possible experience. Thales’ expertise in identity and border management provides us with technological reliability, without having to make a choice between security and ease of use,” said the French Ministry of the Interior.

“The pre-registration kiosks manufactured by Thales are equipped with our state-of-the-art technologies for identity creation and verification. They are based on software optimised for ultra-rapid checks of a document’s authenticity and intelligent detection of any attempted identity fraud. We have therefore been able to develop high-performance tools to support operations, without compromising the safety and protection of travellers’ data,” said Youzec Kurp – SVP Identity and Biometric Solutions at Thales.

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