Regula and RADEX BCMS Collaborate to Enhance Caribbean Border Control

RADEX BCMS develops state-of-the-art software for border control management, tourism information systems, immigration platforms for pre-enrollment of travelers, and eGoverment solutions. Their solution is a complete border control management system (BCMS) developed with the latest hardware and software for multi-biometric capture and search capabilities. The system is an application with an extensive array of modules that is developed as a turnkey solution to assist government agencies involved in law enforcement activities and protection of country borders.

Challenge

The Aruban Immigration Authority set up an online Embarkation and Disembarkation (ED) program to facilitate the process of passport control. In accordance with the State Decree of Admittance, the online ED Card is mandatory for all travelers to Aruba. Travelers must obtain an online travel permission using this system before taking a flight to Aruba. These measures allow the Aruban authorities to implement the first filters in pre-screening future travelers to Aruba, and to gather valuable data about the incoming travelers beforehand. By having the data on-hand in advance, authorities can make better arrangements to accommodate the number of travelers. This improves passport control procedures upon arrival, as the authorities can allocate immigration and airport personnel in advance. RADEX BCMS took over the executive part of the program, developing the best solution for verifying travelers’ identity and documents.

Before cooperating with Regula, RADEX BCMS used devices from another vendor of identity verification solutions; however, due to speed and service issues, as well as complications with connectivity, RADEX BCSM decided to change their device supplier. The company pursued several goals, including:

• Providing Aruba with the most secure border management system in order to increase the chance of detecting unwanted individuals
• Offering the highest level of traveler experience with an average document processing time of less than 10 seconds
• Making border crossing more efficient with increased throughput
• Providing access to collection of fines and outstanding tax payments at the border

Solution

RADEX BCMS initiated their own research to find a new vendor of compatible devices, and, through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) conference, they encountered Regula. Their most crucial criteria were reading and processing time, easy integration, and convenient maintenance. Regula met all these criteria. RADEX BCMS opted for the flagship document reader, the Regula 7034M, a full-page passport reader for quick hassle-free reading and verification of identity documents and automated data entry.

At the ICAO conference we witnessed the great results of the Regula readers and we compared it with other vendors’ solutions... Regula came out best for our needs as software developer and integrator.

—Frank Baks, Director at RADEX BCMS

The Regula 7034M is used to scan and carry out authenticity verification of travel documents, including passports, ID cards, visas, and driver’s licenses. This document reader instantly scans the passport page and automatically checks the major security features in white, infrared, ultraviolet, and coaxial lights. The advanced optical character recognition, trained to work with identity documents, recognizes all sorts of data, including engraved and embossed text. Smart algorithms instantly read data from barcodes and machine-readable zones, as well as RFID chips.

Result

Implementing the Regula document reader has yielded remarkable outcomes for border management in Aruba. Leveraging advanced technologies from Regula & RADEX BCMS has significantly reduced processing time at border crossings by an impressive 300%, with an average time to process a passport at approximately 10 seconds. This fact even prompted the Aruban Immigration Authority to temporarily stop eGates during the arrival of planes, because in most cases, people get confused and slow down under pressure caused by overcrowding and queueing. Manual document verification using the Regula & RADEX BCMS solution turns out to be not only faster and more efficient, but also ensures a higher level of security. As a result, travelers benefit from expedited processing, while authorities can effectively manage and screen incoming travelers.

Plus, RADEX BCMS has expressed keen interest in exploring further solutions offered by Regula, highlighting a promising avenue for continued improvement and expansion of their product line.

Our collaboration has been truly fruitful. By significantly reducing the time needed for identity verification at our borders, we not only enhance the efficiency of border management but also significantly improve the travel experience for thousands of individuals. This success reflects our commitment to leveraging innovative solutions to meet the demands of modern security and mobility, ensuring that safety and convenience go hand-in-hand. We are looking forward to extending and growing new experience with Regula.

—Frank Baks, Director at RADEX BCMS

As a company with over 30 years of experience in developing IDV hardware and software, we always welcome the opportunity to participate in complete solutions for border management. This gives us a chance not only to contribute our accumulated knowledge, but also to learn and gather more information to develop our next products. I am excited to see the effectiveness of the RADEX BCMS system, making Aruba border crossing experience a very pleasant and stress-free experience without sacrificing the security and the accuracy of passenger verification.

—Arif Mamedov, President and CEO at Regula Forensics, Inc.