Seychelles Introduces Biometric Passports

IN Groupe has been a special partner of the government of Seychelles for over two decades and has won the country’s most recent bid for the development of its new biometric passports and issuance system. This agreement also includes the provision of the national ICAO PKI and PKD (Public Key Directory).

The new electronic passport features a polycarbonate data page, combining a transparent window and a DIDTM Shape holographic device, an electronic chip in the eCover containing biographical and biometric data, and a digital signature, an important feature that ensures the link with the issuing authority, making it one of the most advanced on the African continent.

IN The Groupe team assisted the local government in establishing the data collecting and processing system. Additionally, they ensured a transfer of knowledge to empower the customer to handle the customizing of passports independently.

During the signing of the deal, Mr. Errol Fonseka, Minister of Home Affairs, informed the local press that the adoption of an electronic biometric passport in Seychelles would boost border security by enhancing fraud detection.

In terms of ease of travel to foreign nations, the Seychelles passport is currently rated first in Africa and 28th globally (source Henley Passport Index).

“The biometric passport solution, brought to us by the IN Groupe, will without a doubt, take the travel experience of our citizens to a new level, allowing for greater convenience and access to a range of services. Thanks to the incorporation of enhanced security features in the passport booklet, the threat of identity fraud will be kept in check while operational efficiency at border control points will receive an added boost through a faster authentication process. The realization of this project will certainly go down as the country’s first major technological accomplishment in the post-Covid 19 eras” said Mr. Alain A. Volcere, Principal Secretary of Immigration & Civil Status of Seychelles.

“This contract is the result of a strong collaboration between the Seychelles authorities and our teams: it is a new step in the establishment of IN Groupe in the Commonwealth zone which should help us to develop our presence in East Africa,” emphasizes Yann Haguet, IN Groupe’s Identity BU Director.