How facial recognition secures and simplifies immigration checkpoints in Indonesia

Seamless and secure border crossings are crucial for a thriving travel industry. But border control processes that still rely on manual document checks pose unnecessary risks to both national security and a positive traveller experience. Slow and cumbersome identity verification conducted by humans looking over one document at a time leads to long lines and frustrated travellers. This is where biometrics come in.

Biometric technologies are revolutionizing border security by providing a faster, more secure and more efficient approach to verifying traveller identities. As passenger volumes continue to rise globally, transportation authorities and immigration agencies are quickly realizing the value of onboarding facial recognition technology to streamline busy and mission-critical border crossings.

Seamless Passage Across Southeast Asia
One of the busiest border spots between Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia is the international seaport at Batam Center. With nearly half a million people moving through arrivals and departures each year, the slow manual processes resulted in extremely long wait times, leading to irritation, frustration and missed connections. 

In partnership with Indonesia Immigration’s system integrator partner, the HID U.ARE.U Camera Identification System was selected as the facial recognition component incorporated into the automated border control (ABC) gates, or Autogates per Indonesia Immigration. The Autogates were installed throughout Batam Center and immediately transformed the border crossing experience, thanks to the layers of engineering excellence built into the AI-powered facial recognition camera. 

Now, travellers can experience a hassle-free journey. They simply approach the self-service gate and place their passport on the HID ATOM document reader. Once their information is confirmed, they move through the first gate and step in front of the camera for a quick face scan and a match against their ID document photo. The visitor then moves through the second gate. The entire process is done within seconds.

This extremely intuitive solution benefits both passengers and port authorities as it is:

• Fast and Accurate: On-the-spot verification validates a traveller’s identity in seconds
• Easy to Use: One look is all that’s required for secure, frictionless identity verification
• Secure: Biometric traits provide irrefutable proof of identity to prevent spoofs and enhance border security
• No Human Intervention: This seamless, automated technology requires no dedicated staff to check travel documents and IDs — freeing up resources to focus on other tasks 
• Contactless and Hygienic: Touchless authentication minimizes exposure to health risks by reducing shared touchpoints  

Engineering Excellence: An Edge Camera for Mission-Critical Facial Recognition 
The HID U.ARE.U camera delivers comprehensive biometric processing — face detection, matching, identification, verification and passive liveness detection — directly at the camera to ensure the highest level of performance and data protection by minimizing the transmission of sensitive data to external devices or servers. 

HID-patented multispectral imaging (MSI) technology is fused with artificial intelligence (AI), resulting in impeccable operation even in challenging lighting. Ethically trained and built AI reduces matching bias, and the camera earns top NIST ranking in matching speed and accuracy. In addition, industry-leading presentation attack detection (PAD) with passive liveness detection prevents fraud attempts in unattended use cases. 

The HID U.ARE.U camera sets a new standard in facial recognition technology for mission-criminal environments, such as border crossing. 

A Model for Modernization: Frictionless Security With Facial Recognition
Integrating best-in-class facial recognition cameras into the Autogates enables Indonesia Immigration to:

• Improve the Traveler Experience: The biometric-based gate system provides passengers with a satisfying experience via convenient, self-service authentication that shortens wait times 
• Deliver Fast and Reliable Authentication: The entire process to authenticate an individual is now accomplished in seconds
• Enhanced Border Security: The Autogate system is connected with Interpol and other deterrence databases to prevent foreign travellers involved in unlawful activities from entering

“People moving through borders really appreciate the efficiency provided by this Autogate system with facial recognition,” said Silmy Karim, Director General of Immigration in Indonesia. “Wait queues are now drastically decreased and passengers are empowered by the fast and convenient self-service process that has them on their way in a matter of seconds.”

The use of facial recognition at border checkpoints is fast becoming a public expectation and a significant advantage for security operations. The success of the Batam Center project sets a precedent for Indonesia and paves the way for broader adoption of facial recognition technology across the country.

Get a more detailed look at this real-world use case: HID Facial Recognition Helps Optimize and Automate Border Control for Indonesia Immigration & Seaport Authorities