INSPASS
Encyclopedia
INSPASS, or INS Passenger Accelerated Service System, was a program of the United States
Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS) during the 1990s and early 2000s the purpose of which was to facilitate the entry of pre-screened low-risk travellers through immigration and customs at certain airports.
Frequent travelers who were citizens of the U.S. or a handful of other trusted countries could apply for INSPASS privileges. After a thorough background check, approved INSPASS members would register their hand geometry
as a biometric identifier and were presented with an associated membership card.
Upon entering the United States after arriving from abroad, users would subject themselves to hand geometry scans and would pass through Federal Inspection without undergoing a formal interview by immigration inspectors. The initial kiosk implementation, as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice, was composed of the following elements:
The program initially was established at JFK International Airport and Newark International Airport in May 1993. Later, it expanded to the US Immigration and Customs Pre-Clearance Inspection Stations in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. Although modeled on the Dutch "SchipholPass" program, INSPASS was the first large scale biometric identity verification program undertaken by the United States Government and quickly became the largest biometric program in the world in terms of enrollments.
The development of the project was initially piloted and then later deployed with support from the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
and INS contractor Computer Data Systems, Inc. (CDSI). Support for the program was later taken over by Electronic Data Systems
(EDS) in 1995 when they were awarded a general support services contract with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Program officials advocated the concept of "One Traveler, One Card" to promote harmonization of the system with other traveler biometric programs and regular meetings were held with the immigration authorities of Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands to achieve that goal. Pilots of land border versions were conducted in Buffalo, New York during the World University Games (summer 1993) and later in Hidalgo, Texas.
Eventually, a total of 15 permanent INSPASS kiosks were deployed at the following locations:
Although the program was discontinued in 2002, it has since been replaced by Global Entry
, a program of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
that uses fingerprint biometrics to enable frequent travelers to bypass lines at traditional immigration inspection lanes at international airports.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Immigration and Naturalization Service
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...
(INS) during the 1990s and early 2000s the purpose of which was to facilitate the entry of pre-screened low-risk travellers through immigration and customs at certain airports.
Frequent travelers who were citizens of the U.S. or a handful of other trusted countries could apply for INSPASS privileges. After a thorough background check, approved INSPASS members would register their hand geometry
Hand geometry
Hand geometry is a biometric that identifies users by the shape of their hands. Hand geometry readers measure a user's hand along many dimensions and compare those measurements to measurements stored in a file....
as a biometric identifier and were presented with an associated membership card.
Upon entering the United States after arriving from abroad, users would subject themselves to hand geometry scans and would pass through Federal Inspection without undergoing a formal interview by immigration inspectors. The initial kiosk implementation, as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice, was composed of the following elements:
- ATM-like stand
- 80486 personal computer
- MS-Windows running Visual Basic
- 10 inch monitor/touch-screen
- 16-key keypad
- OCR-BOCR-BThe OCR-B is a set of monospace font developed in 1968 by Adrian Frutiger for Monotype by following the European Computer Manufacturer's Association standard. Its function was to facilitate the optical character recognition operations by specific electronic devices. It has been accepted as world...
card reader - Electronic gate lock trigger
- 5 inch Telpar receipt printer
- Recognition Systems, Inc (RSI) 'Handkey' hand geometry scanner
The program initially was established at JFK International Airport and Newark International Airport in May 1993. Later, it expanded to the US Immigration and Customs Pre-Clearance Inspection Stations in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. Although modeled on the Dutch "SchipholPass" program, INSPASS was the first large scale biometric identity verification program undertaken by the United States Government and quickly became the largest biometric program in the world in terms of enrollments.
The development of the project was initially piloted and then later deployed with support from the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center or simply Volpe Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a center of transportation and logistics expertise, operating under the United States Department of Transportation....
and INS contractor Computer Data Systems, Inc. (CDSI). Support for the program was later taken over by Electronic Data Systems
Electronic Data Systems
HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,...
(EDS) in 1995 when they were awarded a general support services contract with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Program officials advocated the concept of "One Traveler, One Card" to promote harmonization of the system with other traveler biometric programs and regular meetings were held with the immigration authorities of Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands to achieve that goal. Pilots of land border versions were conducted in Buffalo, New York during the World University Games (summer 1993) and later in Hidalgo, Texas.
Eventually, a total of 15 permanent INSPASS kiosks were deployed at the following locations:
- New York (JFK) (6 terminals)
- Newark
- Toronto (2 terminals)
- Miami (2 terminals)
- Vancouver
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles (LAX) (2 terminals)
Although the program was discontinued in 2002, it has since been replaced by Global Entry
Global Entry
Global Entry is a program being piloted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to receive expedited clearance upon arrival into the United States.-Enrollment:...
, a program of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is a federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs and immigration. CBP is the...
that uses fingerprint biometrics to enable frequent travelers to bypass lines at traditional immigration inspection lanes at international airports.