Lisbon International Airport in Portugal is trialling the European Commission Smart Borders program to help optimize the best entry/exit procedures for third country nationals (TCN) using automated border control systems in the Schengen region.
The program is being coordinated by Portugal’s border control agency SEF (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) in partnership with technology developer VisionBox and the airport’s operator Vinci Airports. The 12 EU members states participating in the program comprise Portugal, Spain, France, Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Hungary, Greece, Italy and Romania. Each of these countries will perform tests with TCNs passing through immigration checkpoints at various airport, land, and sea borders, experimenting with different facial, fingerprint, and iris biometric verification methods.
The main purpose of the program is to identify the best technical solutions for each specific type of border using multi-modal biometric identification and verification processes, and comparing the metrics and usability of each solution through specific reporting methods. The results of the pilot programs will set the foundation for a common, standardized platform used to manage European borders, namely for an entry/exit system (EES) and a Registered Traveler Program (RTP).