Visitors CANPASS at Vancouver International

Nov 12, 2003 12:00 PM

The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) has officially launched CANPASS, an air program for travelers at Vancouver International Airport.

CANPASS allows pre-approved travelers to clear customs and immigration quickly and securely by using iris recognition technology from Iridian Technologies, Moorestown, N.J.

“Members of this program can speed up their own passage through the airport, since clearing customs and immigration now means looking into a camera lens that recognizes the iris of their eyes as proof of identity,” says Elinor Caplan, Canada’s Minister of National Revenue.

The program is open to citizens and permanent residents of the United States or Canada. It will be extended to other visa-exempt countries and the North American Free Trade Agreement business travelers in the future. Seven more airports in Canada are expected to implement this new security measure.

Pre-approved travelers can clear customs by simply looking into a camera that recognizes the iris of their eyes as proof of identity. Pre-screened, frequent travelers will be identified quickly.

“We are in the business of operating programs that balance security with the free flow of travel,” Caplan says. “CANPASS-Air enables us to work with our trusted and known clients to make their Customs experience quick and secure while allowing us to focus our attention on higher-risk cases.”

The iris recognition biometric technology is non-invasive and accurate. In five seconds, the iris image is captured with a black-and-white camera. Members receive an encoded identification card to use at CANPASS-Air kiosks in Canada’s international airports where they insert their card into a slot, provide an iris scan, and enter Canada without further interaction with customs unless selected randomly for inspection.

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