Introduction
I see identity verification and selfie facial recognition as essential building blocks for air travel and border control. The adoption we see now is critical for the future capabilities of airlines, airports and border agencies, saving them time and money. Investment into remote enrolment capabilities and opportunities have graduated from smaller scale pilots to full-scale programmes and frameworks, and with this, a new era of passenger processing is upon us.
Travellers are now able to share essential biometric and biographic information long before arrival at an airport or international border; further shifting the security process upstream, allowing for a seamless passenger journey to be unlocked and border agencies to receive essential and accurate information in advance of arrival to maximise pre-screening and risk assessment opportunities. Additionally, the adoption of ETAs and other methods of advance data sharing is on an uptick globally as countries face ever-increasing passenger volumes (as covered in our upcoming report on DTCs, ETAs and eVisas). Alongside this, technology has advanced drastically; travellers can leverage their mobile phones to capture high quality facial images and leverage NFC technology to access encrypted data in their ePassports.
To address rising passenger volume and the need for high-quality, accurate data in advance of arrival, remote enrolment has emerged as a leading and cost-effective solution. This blog explores what remote enrolment is, my opinion (as both an analyst and passenger), real-world use cases and potential limitations surrounding its use, as covered in our market reports.
Remote Enrolment and its Benefits
At its core, remote enrolment refers to the process of capturing a traveller’s biometric, biographic, and travel information before they arrive at an airport or border checkpoint. While enrolment can be completed at off-site kiosks, it is most commonly conducted via dedicated mobile applications or secure web portals, allowing travellers to submit their details from the convenience of their home.
The process typically requires travellers to access a dedicated mobile application or web portal, leveraging their mobile phone’s NFC capability to access and extract the secure data in the ePassport’s chip. As covered in our report The Seamless Passenger Journey in Smart Airports, companies such as Signicat and Veridos have developed solutions, ReadID and VeriGO MobileTravel Assist, respectively; plus Airside (now part of Entrust) that enable secure extraction of this sensitive information. The traveller is able to capture an image of their face, often supported by anti-spoofing technologies like liveness and presentation attack detection from providers such as iProov, NEC, and Paravision. Once the biometric and document data are verified, the traveller provides consent for the information to be shared with airports, airlines, and border control authorities. Upon completion, a digital token or credential is issued, allowing the traveller to leverage their verified identity across the airport and border clearance journey.
The advantages of remote enrolment extend across the travel ecosystem, benefiting passengers, airports and border control agencies alike:
| Stakeholder | Pain Points | Benefits of Remote Enrolment |
| Passenger | Long queues, repeated document checks | Reduced waiting times, elimination of repeated document checks, removing the need for in-person visits to embassies. |
| Airports | Limited space, infrastructure congestion | Supports biometric and digital travel programs, reduces need for check-in kiosks, alleviates pressure on ground staff. |
| Border Agencies | Congested checkpoints, inadmissible arrivals, manual data entry errors | Pre-arrival traveller data, shifted risk assessment, reduced officer workload, fewer refusals at the border. |
Remote enrolment not only improves operational efficiency but also strengthens security by making it more difficult for bad actors to evade detection, while enhancing the passenger journey for low-risk travellers.
An Analyst’s (and Traveller’s) Perspective
As someone who works in the industry, and travels frequently – I’ve experienced my fair share of long-queues, out-dated processes and hours wasted in the airport and at border control checkpoints (particularly in Portugal!). While I’m yet to leverage remote enrolment on my travels, I can imagine the time savings – switching time spent at check-in and pre-security checkpoints with shopping and spending in the duty-free area. The benefits for the passenger are clear, but the often-overthought benefits for the airports are huge. With the leveraging of remote enrolment, passengers can be processed through the airport faster than ever before and reach airside, maximise opportunities for ancillary revenue streams and promote a free-flowing and frictionless journey. With the integration of remote enrolment; less strain will be put on airport infrastructure as processes will be completed in advance of arrival while reclaiming key airport real estate in the process. All whilst increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Remote Enrolment Use Cases and Real-World Examples
Remote enrolment and digital identity are being leveraged across the value chain:
Passenger Processing:
India’s DigiYatra is a national-scale biometric enrolment programme for domestic air travel. Passengers enrol via a mobile app using their Aadhar credentials, upload a selfie, and link it to their boarding pass. Upon arrival, passengers can clear terminal entry, security, and boarding checkpoints by simply scanning their face at biometric pods integrated with existing eGates, dramatically improving flow and passenger satisfaction.
In France, IN Groupe deployed its Fly’IN DTC solution that allows passengers to create a QR-based biometric boarding pass stored securely on their device. At each checkpoint, the passenger scans the QR code and verifies their face. The solution adheres to GDPR standards, ensuring only the necessary data is collected, consent is provided at each checkpoint, and biometric data is stored locally.
This is being increasingly adopted by airlines, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Ryanair, the Lufthansa group, and Emirates, amongst others, all utilising IDV and digital on boarding into their apps to improve accuracy and utilisation of passenger data and digitisaton of travel documents.
Border Control:
In Indonesia, Amadeus and the Directorate General of Immigration deployed contactless biometric corridors at Jakarta and Surabaya airports. Travellers use the “All Indonesia” app to submit passport and facial data in advance of arrival, enabling over 30 border crossings per minute per corridor; a x10 increase in border crossing capacity.
In the United Kingdom, the eTA (known as GIDV) process allows travellers to leverage the ‘UK eTA’ application to complete the end-to-end application process. Alternatively, it can be accessed through the official government website.
Frontex’s Travel to Europe application allows travellers visiting participating Schengen nations to enrol biometric and biographic information into the EU Entry-Exit System (EU-EES) before crossing the border. Passengers capture travel document and facial biometric data remotely, reducing the need for in-person processing and creating a more seamless, touchless experience upon arrival.
Additional examples include the USA’s Mobile Passport Control, ArriveCAN in Canada, Australia’s ETA app, and more countries looking at mobile for applications on arrival for visas. Plus the next phase of DTC pilots and trials are switching from manual, in-person enrolment to remote on boarding. The impact of these efforts can be seen in the forecast outcomes in our new report Smart Borders: The Future Evolution of Land, Sea and Air Borders.
Is Remote Enrolment as Seamless as It Seems?
Throughout this piece, I’ve sung the praises of remote enrolment; while I do believe it is ‘the key’ to unlocking the next frontier of passenger processing (more on this later), there are limitations that need to be addressed.
With any innovation in this industry, there are a plethora of regulations and legislations that need to be addressed before wide-scale launches can be achieved; and remote-enrolment for seamless passenger journeys is no exception. In Europe, under Article 9 of the GDPR, biometric data is classed as ‘special category data’ which places strict regulations on when and how biometric data is used. While it doesn’t slam the door entirely on the use of biometrics for a seamless passenger journey, it adds a breadth of complications that many airports and airlines believe isn’t worth the hassle. Taking GDPR regulations into account, it’s easy to see why there is limited adoption for this type of solution in Europe when compared to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, where the use of biometrics for passenger processing is less regulated.
Additionally, the nature of remote enrolment requires the user to be ‘tech-savvy’ to some degree. For one, it requires the passenger to have access to a smartphone and be able to leverage them to an extent in which you can effectively capture facial images and ePassport data through NFC technologies. Principally, there are several passengers who may be ‘disqualified’ from this experience; which in my opinion almost creates a ‘two-tier’ border experience. Passengers who are elderly, disabled or don’t have access to a smartphone have no way to leverage this solution; which requires the need for manual processes to remain prevalent, cutting into the cost savings that are realised from remote enrolment. However, if the majority can be processed digitally, it makes it easier to support those travellers with additional needs.
In Conclusion, Is Remote Enrolment a ‘Key to the Future?’
Throughout this piece, we’ve explored remote enrolment, its benefits, my perspective (as an analyst and passenger), real-world use cases and the drawbacks surrounding it. But the question remains, is this one of the solutions that will unlock the future of passenger processing in airports?
If you ask me, my answer is a resounding yes. Through the leveraging of remote enrolment, passengers can realise a seamless travel experience, airports realise significant cost savings and border control agencies realise increased security and throughput. The technology is proven and reliable, and the growing adoption we see from all parties shows that service providers are starting to become comfortable with the approach to safe and private of handling of sensitive data. Whilst not a perfect solution, with creases that need to be ironed out before wide scale adoption around the globe, the future of travel is looking increasingly digital, and I believe remote enrolment will be a driving factor in this shift towards the next era of traveller processing.
Shubh Karbhari
Market Research Analyst
