Sweden is considering purchasing a new biometric system that will help the country collect fingerprints and facial images of asylum seekers. The Swedish Migration Board has published a Request for Information (RFI) for an Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) which could be procured in the coming years.
The agency currently stores fingerprint data in a searchable format in the Swedish Police Authority’s ABIS and the Eurodac (European Dactyloscopy) information system. According to upcoming legislative changes, facial images would also need to be searchable.
The government is currently considering allowing the Swedish Migration Board to run its own searchable biometric register which means that the agency will no longer use the police ABIS.
The register will include not only data from asylum seekers but also for other immigration applicants. The agency estimates the system should be able to store approximately 3 million fingerprints (TenPrints, no PalmPrints) and 7 million facial images in its database, but no trace images (Latents).
