IN Groupe to Provide Digital IDs, Biometric Passports for Monaco

The IN Groupe has been chosen as the technology partner for Monaco’s new digital identity project. The French company will be tasked with the design of several different ID documents, and will also be responsible for making sure that those documents are secure.

In that regard, the IN Groupe has been asked to create electronic ID cards, residence permits, and biometric passports for the European Principality. The initiative is part of a broader Extended Monaco program that was set up to drive digital transformation in all areas of Monaco society, including healthcare, education, and other public services.

The IN Groupe will start rolling out digital IDs in 2021. Monaco natives and residents who give their consent will have a digital identity linked to their physical ID document, which will allow cardholders to gain access to state services without needing to show any additional paperwork. The digital IDs are designed to be interoperable with other European identity schemes, and are compliant with the latest eIDAS, OSIA, and Open ID Connect standards.

In Monaco, the digital IDs will allow people to sign documents electronically, and to request documents like birth certificates from the government online. The IDs will be available on mobile devices, and will establish a qualified signature between Monaco and its citizens.

The IN Groupe augmented its passport business through the acquisition of SURYS in December. SURYS is an optical security specialist that already provided components for Brazilian, French, and Chinese passports before its 2019 acquisition. It also provided components for bank notes from the Philippines.

Before that, the IN Groupe was involved in a border security project at the Channel Tunnel between France and the UK, where Eurotunnel installed PARAFE e-Gates with facial recognition capabilities. The decision to upgrade Channel security with biometric e-Gates was made in response to the UK’s Brexit decision.

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October 16, 2020 – by Eric Weiss