For a decade Regula Devices help to ensure Hajj safety

Large-scale events may vary in their subject: business, sports, tourism, entertainment, pilgrimage, etc. But maintaining state security during border crossing is always the highest priority for all host-countries. No exception was the Hajj of 2014. It became the first year when Regula devices were implemented to guarantee rapid but secure border control procedures in Saudi Arabia.

Challenge

Annually, more than two million people take part in the sacred Hajj, and more than half of the pilgrims are foreigners. On the eve of the event, passport control areas are overcrowded, so the risk to let in an illegal traveler significantly increases. In 2012, Regula designed a prototype of a device for authenticity verification of travel documents during the Hajj. The project was launched and released with the support of our local partner, a company specializing in integrated security and military solutions that provides full-fledged services to all government entities across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This was the first step on the ten-year path of implementing Regula solutions in the border control system of Saudi Arabia. A lot has changed over these ten years – new documents have appeared, trends in the production of documents have shifted to a greater introduction of plastic and polycarbonate data pages, new security features have come in use, but it has always been that Regula's solutions were a reliable assistant for the border service.

Solution

During 2013 and 2014 Regula supplied more than six hundred units of newly designed document authenticity verification devices to the international terminal. The device had all the necessary light sources and sufficient magnification to effectively perform first-line document verification. The simple device body and buttons to switch between modes contributed to the rapid mastering of the device.
The authenticity verification device allows passport control officers to thoroughly inspect pages, visas, stamps and other crucial elements for comprehensive verification.

In the picture you can see the workplace of a border control officer equipped with a Regula device. Image taken from video on youtube channel King Khaled International airport - Riyadh

Our vision was to create a ‘workhorse’ — a precise, space-saving and easy-to-operate device. So, any person involved in the process of travel document verification could understand how to operate the device right from the first sight. And we did it.

—Alex Lewanowicz, Director of Hardware Engineering at Regula.

Result

For over a decade, Regula has been working to meet the customer’s needs and support their desire to enhance the document authentication system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Throughout this period, Regula has provided an array of cutting-edge solutions, including document authenticity verification devices, mobile and desktop document readers with an Automatic Authenticity Control SDK module, compact devices, and extensive databases containing reference images of documents from 214 countries and territories. These combined identity and verification solutions have been meticulously designed to meet the stringent demands of a swift and comprehensive passport control process. As a result of this collaborative effort, Saudi Arabia's passport control has been significantly bolstered, ensuring enhanced security and efficiency in verifying travel documents, especially during the Hajj.