Rochford Thompson wins US-VISIT passport reader contract

19 October 2006 

Rochford Thompson is providing the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with its next generation of e-Passport readers.

The contract award is for an initial 500 readers, with an option for an additional 300.  They will be deployed at US ports of entry and will help ensure the authenticity of international travel documents; they will also be used by US Customs and Border Protection officers.  

The US required Visa Waiver Program countries to begin issuing fully compliant e-Passports by the end of October, 2006.  

The Rochford Thompson product is the only e-Passport reader to include Active Video document detection, which means they will read travel documents in any orientation.  The design of the readers is such that officers may easily place passports in the scanning window – and the reading of passports is faster, easier, and more efficient.

Chris Scorey, Managing Director of Rochford Thompson, said:  “Winning the US-VISIT business represents a major achievement for us, because it is a very prestigious contract.  I know that ease of use was critical to the customer, and that the results of testing helped to influence the contract decision.”

The technology in the e-Passport readers passed international interoperability requirements during testing by DHS at US ports of entry, and in the lab setting.  They can read e-Passports issued by other countries, and are fully integrated with the biometric data technology used in the US.

An e-Passport contains an embedded, contactless integrated circuit chip, which stores the passport holder’s biographic information and biometrics – digitized photographs.

For further press information, contact David Bellis on +44 (0)20 8399 1184 / db@garnett-keeler.com