30 June 2009
More than two million Moroccan citizens now carry biometric national identity cards. The new figure was revealed in April as the Kingdom of Morocco’s national security service (DGSN - Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale) marked the first anniversary of the card’s launch. The rapid adoption of the card is a major success for DGSN. The aim is to issue 20 million smart cards over the next 4 years.
In addition to its secure authentication function, the biometric ID card is designed to replace four administrative documents currently required by the Moroccan government: birth certificate, certificate of residence, certificate of existence and certificate of nationality. The new ID system includes both personal details and biometric data, and meets new security requirements relating to travel documents and migration control.
The Moroccan national security service has designed a comprehensive global ID system for this ambitious project. The DGSN deployed significant resources to ensure optimum management of the production of the secure documents. The infrastructure, systems involved in data acquisition, production and distribution of the cards were subject to particular scrutiny to avoid any problems.
Morocco’s biometric ID documents are based on contactless smart card technology to ensure maximum document security and respect for citizens' rights and freedoms. The DGSN was particularly careful to optimise the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and data management servers, and implemented a strict quality control policy to guarantee efficient production and to limit the number of returned cards.
"The Moroccan national security service has longstanding expertise in the issue of identity documents in the Kingdom. We used this experience to perfect the solutions put in place and incorporate our know-how with regard to secure ID solutions" adds Paolo Aielli, VP, Managing Director of the Security Systems SBL, Thales.
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