Facial recognition test begins at Schiphol passport control

By Janene Pieters on June 28, 2017 - 13:20
Marechaussee
A Marechaussee border agent checks a passport at Schiphol (photo: Marechaussee). (A Marechaussee border agent checks a passport at Schiphol (photo: Marechaussee))

Schiphol airport and the Koninklijke Marechaussee are preparing to start a test with facial recognition technology at passport control. The first travelers to take part in this experiment will be a limited group of people traveling from the Schengen area, with a stopover in Amsterdam, to a destination outside of the Schengen, according to AD. 

For example, a person traveling from Barcelona to New York, with a stopover in Amsterdam. The passenger's face will be scanned at the start of his trip. Then instead of showing a passport at Schiphol, a camera will check if the passenger is recognized. 

This method is intended to make passport checks faster and reduce the workload of the Koninklijke Marechaussee - a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military and is responsible for airport security. 

Earlier this year Schiphol and KLM experimented with facial recognition at airplane boarding, so that passengers did not have to show their boarding passes before getting on the plane. 

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