3M to supply new CARICOM visas

Dedicated cricket fans no doubt already know that the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup is to be held in the West Indies. What will be news to them is that St. Paul, Minnesota-based 3M has won the contract to supply the Carrbibean Community (CARICOM) with its new via issuance system — a major priority for the governments of Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago ahead of the high profile event. Indeed, 3M was chosen in large part due to its ability to quickly roll out the system at consulates around the world, including in such cricket-mad countries as Pakistan.

3M’s Identity Document Issuance Systems (IDIS) manage the visa process from enrollment to printing, with the only outside technology coming from the visa chip manufacturer, which 3M would not name. Although IDIS is biometrics-compatible, no such approach will be used under the CARICOM contract. Instead, 3M relies on a series of database identity validation procedures, an added layer of supervisory oversight for each application, and the use of covert UV images, special inks and fonts, and tamper-resistent glues to maintain security.

The market for secure visas and passports is growing rapidly — 3M’s Todd Kealey tells us more than 110 million passports are issued every year — and 3M is carving out a nice little niche among smaller nations. Its products are used in twenty-odd countries worldwide, including Belize, Andora, and San Marino.

-read more in this company news release