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Mon, 23 Feb, 2015 12:03:15 AM EU VIS fingerprints to be applicable for ALLEGRO passengers FTimes – STT Report, Feb 23  Passenger fingerprint identification machines at the West Harbour in Helsinki. File Photo Lehtikuva. The experimental automatic identification system will be introduced for non-European Union citizens at the Vaalimaa border crossing point and Helsinki West Harbour from April this year.
The trial is expected to last for about half a year, sources at the immigration and Border Guards said.
On the part of biometrics, the experiment will mostly be dealing with fingerprints identification. However, facial feature detectors will also be put into use.
Jaakko Ritola, head of Border Checks at the Border Guard of Finland, confirmed that the trial is part of EU’s Smart Borders programme testing and preparation.
The programme’s technical and minor sub-assemblies will be tested in spring.
Through the Smart Border initiative, a registered traveller programme will enter into force enabling advance screening of third-country nationals in the same way as the checks conducted at EU borders on both third-country nationals and EU nationals.
The programme will enable smooth and fast border crossing for travellers and speed up border-crossing checks.
According to Ritola, the matter is currently experiencing a slight standstill at the EU level while a political solution is being sought.
Ritola revealed that due to technical and legal considerations, a new practice will not be introduced during the trial.
Similarly, the border inspection trial will not be carried out on passengers travelling in trains between Finland and Russia.
Passport Control Automatic Identification Machine at West Harbour in Helsinki. File Photo Lehtikuva. However, passengers travelling by trains (ALLEGRO trains ply between Helsinki and St Petersburg) between the two countries will soon be subjected to EU’s Visa Information System (VIS) fingerprints identification.
“This is already used at the airports on passengers arriving from African countries. The EU plans this year to expand the practice which will cover Russia and China,” said Ritola.
Originally, the plan was expected to be enforced this spring, but the matter has been postponed.
“When Russians apply for new biometric visa in Finland, 10 finger prints will be collected as by Visa Information System (VIS),” said Ritola adding that an EU country can use one to four finger prints for identification.
Ritola also revealed that Finland is moving towards one fingerprint system.
Ritola understands that visa details of all Russian tourists coming to the country will be recorded in the VIS during this year.
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| Thursday, 25 April, 2024 |
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