3M Security Systems has debuted the world’s first multilateral border crossing programme which will enable hasslefree travel between participating nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Called ‘CARIPASS’, the first multilateral border crossing programme in the world, is a voluntary travel card programme that provides secure and simple border crossings for citizens and legal residents of 10 CARICOM nations. With the introduction of CARIPASS, participating governments aim to enhance regional security and support expedited travel throughout the participating member States.

To participate in CARIPASS, eligible travellers must pre-enroll at local immigration or designated offices, and have a facial image and two fingerprint images captured. Users are then issued a card with a 2D bar code which they can use to electronically process through self-service border crossing gates. These gates are connected to the system’s user database, and after matching the user’s biometric data with that on the card, the gates open, allowing the traveler to pass through. The gate prints a receipt for the traveller to document his or her valid entry.