Nigeria Looks to Contactless Biometric Capture for Remote Passport Renewal

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce a digital passport renewal system that includes contactless fingerprint and facial biometrics, allowing applicants to complete the process entirely online. The plan is part of broader reforms under the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at enhancing the accessibility and efficiency of government services.

Set for an April 2025 launch, the system will enable Nigerians to renew their passports from home, eliminating the need to visit an NIS office in person. The new digital system will operate through a dedicated NIS app, which will require applicants to create a profile, submit their biometrics, and verify their information using their National Identification Number (NIN).

Two technology providers have been disclosed as being involved in the project: Iris Smart Technologies and Newworks Solutions are collaborating with the NIS to deliver the infrastructure necessary for contactless biometric capture.

“This new feature is undoubtedly a game-changer, and we are eager to fully roll it out in our new passport regime,” said Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. “Our goal remains to transform our systems and methods to align with global best practices, setting the pace for other nations to follow without compromising national security.”

The initial phase of the rollout will target Nigerians living abroad, allowing them to renew their passports and receive them by mail. During a recent meeting with various stakeholders, including government officials, civil society representatives, and technology experts, the NIS gathered feedback to refine the system. Tunji-Ojo emphasized that the feedback collected from this review process will be instrumental in ensuring a smooth implementation, with the aim of creating a user-friendly experience for all applicants.

This digital approach follows previous attempts to modernize the passport renewal process, which faced delays, especially in integrating biometric features. The NIS states that once the new system is operational, processing times will be reduced to approximately 24 to 48 hours after application submission.

Commenting on the effort, TECH5’s Chief Strategy Officer, Rob Haslam, highlighted its incorporation of contactless fingerprint registration, calling it “a world first.”

“All e-passports have a digital facial portrait stored in the chip for comparison at borders,” he explained. “Some countries opt to add fingerprints to the chip dataset as part of Extended Access Control (EAC). For that to happen, fingerprints of course need to be captured as part of the application process.

“However, this story is not so much about what is stored in the chip as the fact that fingerprints are collected in Nigeria in order for an automated comparison to be done on the central database before issuing the passport.”

TECH5 is itself known for a suite of biometric and digital ID technologies that have been used to support pioneering, national-scale digital ID programs. Some of its efforts in this area were outlined by co-founder, Chairman, and CTO Rahul Parthe, alongside Visa’s Svyatoslav Senyuta, in a conversation on the ID Talk podcast earlier this year.

While TECH5’s platform does include contactless fingerprint recognition, via its T5-AirSnap Finger solution, any involvement on its part in the Nigeria project has not yet been officially disclosed.

Source: Nigeria Communications Week

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October 10, 2024 – by the ID Tech Editorial Team