Regula First to Cover Every Country and Territory with Its Document Information Reference System
Regula’s digital collections of specimens of identity and vehicle documents, as well as banknotes and coins, known as the Information Reference System (IRS), has recently received a major update. With Liberia's passport added, this system is now the only one in the world that covers all countries and territories to the fullest extent. In total, Regula’s IRS comprises detailed descriptions and over 337,000 images of 12,000+ unique document specimens from 225 states, dependent territories, and international organizations to assist with their examination.
Regula’s Information Reference System is designed to help border control officers, forensic experts, law enforcement authorities, financial organization employees, and other document examination specialists investigate and verify a document's authenticity through manual examination. Comprising scrutinized samples of passports, ID cards, visas, banknotes, coins, driver’s licenses, and vehicle documents from all over the world, Regula’s IRS provides an indispensable and reliable reference to compare against, even for the rarest documents.
The most detailed and comprehensive database
Since it’s impossible for anyone to know all the security features of all the identity documents and banknotes that are currently circulating around the world, Regula places special effort in attaining a high-resolution capture and meticulous description of up to 80 security features in every document in its IRS.
All the images of document pages, as well as close-ups, are captured in perfect laboratory conditions with the help of advanced forensic devices, such as the high-resolution photospectral scanner Regula 8880. This allows for 2400 DPI or higher (for some document zones) optical resolution in the captured images (the maximum for existing reference systems) to highlight even the slightest nuances of document security features and their printing techniques. For holograms and other optically variable features, Regula’s IRS contains animated GIFs to show how they change visually.
A general view and detailed fragments of a passport of the Republic of Seychelles issued in 2022
It is also important that all the images are captured in different light sources: white (incident and transmitted), ultraviolet (365, 313, 254 nm), infrared (870 nm), and IR and anti-Stokes luminescence, so that an expert can thoroughly check a document under various lights. Plus, Regula’s IRS is the only database that contains magnetic ink patterns with images and descriptions.
A specimen of a passport of the Republic of Seychelles issued in 2022 under various light sources: white incident, UV 365 nm, IR luminescence, and IR 870 nm (left to right, top to bottom)
All 337,000+ images of document security features are enhanced with detailed descriptions containing information about their type, location, printing technique, etc.
Non-stop updates and transparency
Regula’s IRS is being constantly updated. Usually, it takes around two weeks to examine, capture, and describe a new document before adding it to the collection.
The company’s experts add new documents, banknotes, and coins as soon as they are in possession of them. In some cases, new versions of documents, like a U.S. visa or a Korean passport, become part of the IRS even before they have been put into official circulation.
Regula prevents the duplication of identical IDs for a specific country and its dependent territories since they share the same layouts and security features. Also, the company allows users to monitor the exact number of documents in the reference system in real time.
Ease of use
Regula’s Information Reference System provides convenient search mechanisms. Users can find a specific reference by document type, issuing country, ICAO code, printing techniques, security element, light source, and more.
The IRS can be natively integrated with Regula’s advanced forensic devices, solutions for border control, and identity document readers. This allows for quick and convenient visual comparison of a questioned document with the relevant reference streamlining and enhancing the whole process of document examination.
We are immensely proud to announce that our Information Reference System now encompasses an unmatched global range, with over 12,000 documents and banknotes from every corner of the world. This achievement not only sets a new standard in the industry, but also reinforces our commitment to supporting the critical work of border control officers, forensic experts, and other specialists everywhere. By providing the most comprehensive and detailed data available, we ensure that these experts have the tools they need to accurately identify and verify documents, further enhancing global security measures.
— Arif A. Mamedov, President and CEO at Regula Forensics, Inc.
If you are interested to learn more about how Regula creates its Information Reference System, find the details in this blog article.