How to leverage eKiosks at border control

Feb 13, 2023

How to leverage eKiosks at border control Self-check-in service ensures seamless travel experience

The airline industry is moving closer to full recovery on the back of pent-up consumer demand following the lifting of travel restrictions. Global passenger traffic for 2022 is expected to reach 6.8 billion, according to Airports Council International. New innovations and technologies can securely and conveniently handle such large passenger numbers. In particular, self-service eKiosks can lead to a more seamless traveler experience at borders, making passport control smoother, faster and more efficient, while retaining the utmost level of security required by border authorities, airlines and airports.

Increasingly, ports of entry are turning towards biometric technology to digitally process travelers. In this way, passengers can use unmanned kiosks to scan their passports and help streamline their journey.

Biometric technology provides a smart solution

Biometric technology identifies people by using something that is part of the individual, such as via Touch ID or facial recognition. Once confined to the spheres of science fiction, biometrics have become part of our daily lives, whether for unlocking our phones or for passenger identification at border, travel and migration control.

Airports have been taking advantage of biometrics for several years now. Firstly, fingerprints were used to verify passengers’ identities at borders and in airports. More recently, facial recognition technology and iris recognition have become a popular means of ensuring a fast, smooth check-process at self-service kiosks.

Leveraging cutting-edge biometric technology enhances security by capturing and verifying biometric data efficiently and securely. Biometrics are nearly impossible to replicate, which adds up to a more secure border control process.

Self-service kiosks additionally equal greater convenience for passengers. In this globalized world, the large volume of passengers passing through border control would otherwise have to be handled by security officers, leading to a higher workload and longer waiting times. Using a kiosk, for example, passengers can be processed far faster, equaling shorter waiting times.

Even where manual border control is still in use, self-kiosks can pre-enroll and pre-register an individual’s data, passport, and biometrics, thereby allowing their identity to be verified before they are processed by a border guard at a screening booth.

Entry-Exit System highlights automated checks

Further key developments are imminent in terms of border control. The European Union’s new entry and exit system (EES) is scheduled to come into force in May 2023, followed by the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) in November.

EES is a biometric entry and exit system for automated passport scans at EU external borders, which will also examine dates of entry into the Schengen Area and identify visa overstays. This will enhance internal security and modernize external border management.

Meanwhile, ETIAS is a completely electronic system that allows and keeps track of visitors from countries who don’t need a visa to enter the Schengen Zone. Both EES and ETIAS will promote the wider use of self-service systems, such as VeriCHECK SelfKiosk.

Interactive kiosk benefits from biometrics

VeriCHECK SelfKiosk is an innovative, easy-to-use border control solution provided by Veridos that allows travelers to self-register quickly and securely. Advanced biometric units capture the travelers’ modalities and verify travel documents to ensure fast processing.

Features include an integrated camera that captures high-quality facial images with reliable presentation attack detection (PAD) features. The kiosks automatically adjust to the traveler’s height so that even children or wheelchair users can use the self-service solution. Biometric requirements can also be customized to be integrated into any existing border control system and backend databases.

What’s more, the system is fully General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant. As it is interactive, it can provide intuitive user guidance, for example asking the passenger to answer certain questions using a touch screen.

As biometric technology becomes more and more widespread, sophisticated solutions such as VeriCHECK SelfKiosk will become more prevalent and deliver a corresponding increase in security, faster processing times and enhanced traveler satisfaction. SelfKiosks represent the future of smart airline travel.