Update: 18K fingerprint readers for Germany

25 October 2007

18,000 fingerprint scanners, not 13,000, have been installed across Germany in time for the national roll out of ePassports containing fingerprint biometrics.

The main supplier (13K units) is German company Dermalog. Dermalog began its installation of ZF1 scanners units in June 2007 and completed the project within five months.

Cross Match Technologies also has delivered 5,000 single fingerscanners (L SCAN 100).

Germany is the first European country to use fingerprint biometrics within its new electronic passport with the start date set at 1st of November 2007. Two fingerprint images of both left and right index fingers of each passport applicant will be stored in the RFID chip of the electronic passport, besides face and personal data.

Dermalog and Cross Match delivered the 18,000 devices through Bundesdruckerei.

In order to ensure international inter-operability and highest quality of the fingerprint images, the ZF1 fingerprint scanners have undergone a certification of the new “TR-PDÜ” quality standard for fingerprint live scanners for ePassports by BSI (Bundesamt für Sicherheit). This is a new standard for fingerprint live scanners to be used in biometric ePassport projects. The TR-PDÜ standard is similar to the FBI Appendix F quality standard, but has been adopted to single fingerprint scanners.

Currently three scanners are certified: L SCAN 100 (Cross Match Technologies), ZF1 (Dermalog), DactyScan 26 (Green Bit).

Green Bit has not yet announced the delivery of any scanners to Bundesdruckerei.