Biometric passports in 2005, as trial for national ID cards

The six-month trial run by the UK Passport Service (UKPS) will test facial, iris and fingerprint recording and recognition. Each volunteer will receive a personalised smart card carrying both printed and electronic information. Results from the trial will help inform the Government's plans to introduce biometric passports and driving licences, and build a base for the national identity card scheme.

Home Office Minister, Beverley Hughes, said:

"Through identity cards, the Government is determined to put Britain at the forefront of international developments in the use of biometrics to protect our citizens from identity theft and to prevent abuse of our immigration system.

"We are building the foundations for a compulsory national identity card scheme, and are moving ahead with the development and testing of this cutting-edge technology.

"This large-scale trial into the practicalities of recording and verifying biometrics will play an important part in that process. The issuing of upgraded biometric passports from 2005 will help build the base for the identity card scheme.

"By using biometric data, linked to a national database, we can provide a modern, secure means of confirming identity, helping us to crack down on identity fraud, immigration abuse, illegal working and organised crime. We will also be in a much better position to ensure that our free public services are only used by those who are actually entitled to them."

Chief Executive of UKPS, Bernard Herdan, said:

"The biometric trial is an important stepping stone in developing the use of biometrics in the British passport and the national identity card scheme. The trial will help us understand how the enrolment of biometrics will work, what it will cost, and how our customers will react. Biometrics will further enhance the security features of passports and are an essential element in the UKPS drive to strengthen identity authentication and reduce identity fraud and related crimes."

Working in close collaboration with the Home Office and the DVLA, the UKPS will carry out the trials at various locations involving a representative group of the UK population. The pilot, which will run from January to June 2004, will employ four fixed, one mobile and one portable unit. The technical delivery will be undertaken under contract by SchlumbergerSema, and the recruitment of volunteers will be managed by MORI.

The UKPS intends to begin issuing passports incorporating a chip holding a facial biometric in mid-2005. The UK Passport Service (UKPS) signed a contract with SchlumbergerSema on 27 November 2003 to deliver the six-month biometric enrolment pilot, to be carried out from January to June 2004. Over a six-month period 10,000 volunteers will have their facial, iris and fingerprint personal identifiers - known as biometrics - enrolled.

The objectives of the UKPS biometric pilot are:

- to test the use of biometrics through a simulation of the passport process;

- to include exceptional cases, e.g. people who may have difficulties in enrolment;

- to measure the process time and hence estimate costs;

- to assess customer perceptions and reactions;

- to assess practical aspects of incorporation of biometrics into a biometric database;

- to trial the use of biometrics to prevent duplicate identities;

- to test fingerprint and iris biometrics for one-to-many identification and facial recognition - for one-to-one verification; and

- to identify issues and risks and produce an outline implementation plan.

The UKPS and SchlumbergerSema are in the process of selecting the sites for the biometrics trial, which will include a passport office. The locations of the other three fixed sites will be decided during the course of the trial. The mobile and portable units will enable the UKPS to cover other parts of the country.

The UKPS will implement initially a facial recognition biometric (which can be derived from a passport photograph) in the British Passport book in accordance with emerging international standards in 2005. The UKPS is giving consideration to include a secondary biometric, either the image of the bearer's iris or fingers, in a later version of the passport. The UKPS will subsequently launch a passport card also holding biometric information.

The Government is planning to start introducing identity cards on a phased basis from 2007/08. Together with the incremental roll-out of biometric passports and driving licences, this would mean that that 80% of the economically active population could be covered within five years.

Background notes on this story:

1) The recruitment of volunteers will be managed by MORI to ensure a representative sample of the UK population. Any requests to take part in the trial should be directed to Melanie Briere, MORI, on telephone number 020 7347 3023 / email trial@mori.com.

2) Facial recognition, iris pattern and fingerprint images were nominated the most suitable biometrics for use at border controls and passport issuance by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in May 2003.

3) One-to-one verification is where identity is checked against a document to ensure that the holder is the person it was issued to (e.g. comparing the facial image on the identity card against the person or against the database). For one-to-many identification the biometric (iris pattern or fingerprint) is compared against a database to verify a person's identity. Such a check would reveal any previous application, preventing issuance of documents to the same person under different identities.

4) The UKPS is also in partnership with SchlumbergerSema for facilities management of the UKPS administration IT system. For further information on SchlumbergerSema, visit

www.schlumbergersema.com.

5) The contract award will be announced in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) in due course.