Datacard providing national ID system to Guatemala
20 August, 2009
category: Biometrics, Government
Datacard Group announced that they were chosen to supply card personalization equipment and software for the new national identification system planned in Guatemala. The country’s Registro Nacional de Personas (“RENAP”) intends to issue electronic identity cards to more than 11 million residents to improve the process of citizen authorization and reduce benefits fraud. Issuance of the cards began July 1, 2009.
Guatemala’s new civil registry database will utilize Automated Fingerprint Identification System and facial recognition biometrics. When a citizen enrolls in the program, two fingerprints will be taken and a faceprint will be made using facial recognition software. These biometrics, along with the citizen’s biographic information, will be stored both in the civil registry database and on a smart chip imbedded into the identification card.
The cards for this program need to provide an expected usage life of up to 10 years, so polycarbonate cards were chosen. The printed personalization was laser engraved into the substrate, enhancing both durability and card security. The card designs incorporate three levels of security measures – those visible to casual visual inspection, those visible using special enhanced visual inspection techniques and those that require laboratory or forensic inspection.
The solution includes Datacard MPR5800 inline card production and personalization systems, Datacard Snooper card counting systems; and Datacard Data Preparation and Process Software. The company will also provide professional services for installation, implementation and maintenance training.