Axalto to deliver biometric smart cards for the National Identity Project of Qatar

Qatari citizens will use these high-end cards, combining built-in biometrics feature, contact and contactless technologies as their national ID document as from the first quarter of 2007.

This smart card, the size of a credit card, will serve as the official ID document for Qatari citizens above 16, as well as foreign residents. In addition to the personal data available in usual ID documents (such as name, birth date, address etc), the microprocessor will also store the person's fingerprint. The biometric data remains on the chip and never leaves the card even when the identity verification is being performed, respecting privacy of the cardholder.

Thanks to the security features embedded in his/her ID card, the cardholder will be able to access e-government services and perform transaction in a simple and secure manner. Using an Axalto smart card reader connected to their home computer, citizens could use their smart ID card to declare household employee, change of address, or obtain civil records.

Moreover, the contactless technology built in the card together with the match-on card capability allows this ID card to be used as a travel document, increasing speed, convenience and security of identity verification at border crossing.

Colonel Saleh El Kubeissi, Head of computer systems department, from the Qatar Ministry of Interior comments: "Worldwide concerns related to security, border control and financial criminality are prompting governments to fight identity theft attempts. And Qatar is no exception; but it is a strong will from our government to use a technology that can also improve our citizens' life and contribute to the modernization of our administration. The smart card technology strikes us as the best means to meet all these needs."

"For the Qatar national ID program, Axalto provides a comprehensive and multi-application smart card based solution that clearly benefits both the Ministry of Interior of Qatar and the card holder: security in the identification of the cardholder, convenience when crossing borders, and trust when accessing e-government services,"

added Olivier Piou, chief executive officer of Axalto.