The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a final ruling which will make participation in its facial biometric program mandatory for non-US citizens. The regulation is expected to come into force on December 26, 2025, although full implementation could of course take much longer. Biometric programs, such as Simplified Arrival, are already in place at several US airports.
“DHS may require all aliens to be photographed when entering or exiting the United States, and may require non-exempt aliens to provide other biometrics,” the rule states. It also amends the regulations to remove the references to pilot programs and the port limit to permit collection of biometrics from aliens departing from airports, land ports, seaports or any other authorized point of departure.
DHS is requesting comments on the specific collection process as well as costs and benefits for new transportation modalities.
“Implementing an integrated biometric entry-exit system that compares biometric data of aliens collected upon arrival with biometric data collected upon departure helps address the national security concerns arising from the threat of terrorism, the fraudulent use of legitimate travel documentation, aliens who remain in the United States beyond their period of authorized stay (overstays) or are present in the United States without being admitted or paroled, as well as incorrect or incomplete biographic data for travelers,” states the rule as posted on the publicly available Federal Register.
DHS component US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been testing various options to collect biometrics at entry and departure. DHS says the results of these tests and the recent advancement of new technologies, including facial comparison technology, have provided CBP with a model to implement a comprehensive biometric entry-exit solution. Based on these tests, CBP determined that facial comparison technology is currently the best available method for biometric verification.
CBP estimates that a biometric entry-exit system can be fully implemented at all commercial airports and sea ports for both entry and exit within the next three to five years.
In related news, BigBear.ai deploys VeriScan biometric platform at Chicago O’ Hare