Sweden’s Migration Agency, Migrationsverket, has awarded a contract worth 27.2 million SEK (approximately $2.5 million USD) for a new Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to AB Svenska Pass, a Thales subsidiary based in Stockholm.
The contract, concluded on January 21, 2026, covers the on-premises deployment of a system capable of comparing facial images and fingerprints. The agreement runs through January 2034 and includes support services, updates, and upgrades. The total estimated contract value was 40 million SEK, with the awarded tender valued at 27.2 million SEK – indicating competitive pricing against the agency’s planning estimate.
The tender drew five competing bids, making it one of the more contested ABIS procurements in recent European history. Alongside AB Svenska Pass, unsuccessful tenderers included IDEMIA Public Security France, DERMALOG Identification Systems, Sopra Steria, and Neurotechnology – a field spanning several of the most active biometric identity vendors operating in the European government market. No complaints were received during the formal review period, suggesting an uncontested award process.
The procurement follows Migrationsverket’s market consultation in early 2025, when the agency published an RFI for the project via the EU’s TED procurement database. The award notice, published February 4, 2026 under TED notice 81041-2026, confirms the agency moved from market exploration to contract conclusion in roughly ten months – a relatively fast timeline for a central government ABIS procurement.
ABIS platforms are used by immigration and border agencies to de-duplicate applicants, detect fraudulent identity claims, and verify travelers against biometric watch lists. The Swedish system will be installed on-premises within Migrationsverket’s infrastructure in Norrköping, Östergötlands län, rather than in a cloud environment – a common requirement for high-security government identity systems handling sensitive biometric data.
The award notice lists AB Svenska Pass – whose customer service contact email resolves to Thales Group’s Swedish operations – as the winning tenderer with subcontracting arrangements in place. Thales has a substantial footprint in European border and identity infrastructure. Among the losing bidders, IDEMIA and DERMALOG are both regular competitors in government ABIS procurements across the continent. IDEMIA Public Security recently announced an interoperable identity verification partnership for financial services, while Neurotechnology updated its MegaMatcher suite with ISO-compliant face liveness workflows earlier this year.
The contract is covered under the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) and was procured via open procedure under Directive 2014/24/EU.
Sources: TED Notice 81041-2026
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By Ji-seo Kim
