D4FLY · Project

On-the-Move Identity and Document Fraud Detection for Border Control

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine walking through airport passport control without stopping — cameras and sensors verify your identity and documents while you keep moving. D4FLY built the technology to make that possible: advanced cameras that check if your passport is genuine, facial recognition that works even if someone tries to use a morphed photo, and smartphone apps that act as secure digital ID carriers. The whole system was tested at 4 real border crossing points across Europe to catch forged documents and impostors on the fly.

By the numbers

consortium partners across the project

countries represented in the consortium

border control points used for testing and demonstration

document fraud expertise center for validation

demo-type deliverables produced

total project deliverables

industry partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Border authorities face a growing challenge: passenger volumes keep rising while document forgery and identity fraud become more sophisticated. Manual passport checks create bottlenecks, automated gates miss advanced fraud like morphed photos, and there is no reliable way to verify identities while travelers are moving. Organizations issuing and checking identity documents need faster, more accurate, and privacy-compliant fraud detection.

The solution

What was built

D4FLY built a border control kiosk with enhanced biometric capabilities, smartphone apps for secure identity verification, and a non-stop on-the-move biometric system. Specific outputs include a meta fusion and risk analysis tool, document verification for physical and electronic security features, morphing detection, document anonymization modules, and blockchain-based identity research — all validated through 3 demonstrator iterations at 4 border control points.

Audience

Who needs this

Airport operators and border control agencies needing faster passenger throughputNational passport offices and document issuers fighting forgeryIdentity verification providers serving banks and fintech (KYC)Law enforcement agencies tracking suspects via biometric databasesSmartphone security companies building digital identity wallets

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Border security and airport management

enterprise

Target: Airport operators and border control authorities

If you are an airport operator dealing with growing passenger volumes and long queues at passport control — this project developed an on-the-move biometric verification system that lets travelers pass through without stopping. It was demonstrated at 4 different border control points using 2D+thermal face, 3D face, iris, and body-type biometrics. The system reduces bottlenecks while catching document fraud and impostors more accurately than manual checks.

Identity document production

enterprise

Target: National printing offices and passport manufacturers

If you are a document issuer struggling to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated forgery techniques — this project built a document verification system that detects tampering in physical security features like Kinegrams and multi-laser images, as well as electronic fraud and advanced photo morphing. It was validated across 29 deliverables including document anonymization modules. The tools work during both document issuance and border verification.

Financial services and fintech

any

Target: Banks and digital identity providers

If you are a financial institution dealing with identity fraud during customer onboarding — this project developed smartphone-based identity verification technology and explored blockchain for secure identity management. The smartphone app acts as a secure biometric and biographic data carrier, tested across multiple iterations. With 21 consortium partners including 8 industry players, the technology was built for real-world deployment beyond border control.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this technology?

The project does not publish specific licensing or deployment costs. VERIDOS GMBH (Germany), the coordinator and a major identity solutions provider, led a consortium of 21 partners. Contact the coordinator to discuss pricing for specific components like the document verification system, biometric kiosk, or smartphone application.

Can this scale to handle high-traffic border crossings or airports?

The system was specifically designed for high-throughput scenarios — the on-the-move biometric verification eliminates the need for travelers to stop. It was demonstrated at 4 different border control points and 1 document fraud expertise center. The 3 iterations of demonstrator development (first prototype through final) suggest progressive scaling and hardening.

Who owns the intellectual property and how can we license it?

As an EU-funded Research and Innovation Action, IP typically stays with the partner that generated it. The consortium includes 8 industry partners and 4 SMEs across 11 countries. For licensing specific components (lightfield cameras, biometric algorithms, smartphone apps), you would need to contact the relevant consortium partner directly.

Does this comply with EU data protection regulations?

The project explicitly states that innovation was validated against European societal values, fundamental rights, privacy, data protection, and applicable legislation. Document anonymization modules were developed as a dedicated deliverable, showing built-in privacy-by-design. The project also studied blockchain and DLT methods for secure identification.

What biometric technologies does the system actually use?

The system combines 2D+thermal face recognition, 3D face recognition, iris scanning, and somatotype (body shape) biometrics. It uses advanced lightfield cameras and can identify known criminals based on somatotype and 3D face data generated from mugshots and observation data.

How mature is the technology — is it ready for deployment?

The project produced 3 iterations of functional demonstrators integrating contributions from all technical work packages, culminating in a final version configured for demonstration at 4 border control points. With 9 demo-type deliverables out of 29 total, the technology has been validated in operational environments but would need further commercialization work.

Consortium

Who built it

D4FLY is led by VERIDOS GMBH, a major German identity solutions company (joint venture of Giesecke+Devrient and the German Federal Printing Office), which signals strong commercial intent. The consortium of 21 partners across 11 countries has a healthy 38% industry ratio with 8 industry players and 4 SMEs, balanced by 3 universities and 5 research organizations. This mix of established identity technology companies, specialized SMEs, and academic research groups — spanning from Germany to Finland to Greece — suggests the results are being developed with real deployment in mind, not just academic publications. The 5 "other" category partners likely include border control agencies and government bodies who served as end-users and testing sites.

VERIDOS GMBHCoordinator · DE
MINISTERIE VAN DEFENSIEparticipant · NL
THE UNIVERSITY OF READINGparticipant · UK
TRILATERAL RESEARCH LIMITEDparticipant · IE
NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK TNOparticipant · NL
TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYparticipant · FI
VALSTYBES SIENOS APSAUGOS TARNYBA PRIE VIDAUS REIKALU MINISTERIJOSparticipant · LT
GIESECKE+DEVRIENT EPAYMENTS GMBHthirdparty · DE
NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH "DEMOKRITOS"participant · EL
YPIRESIA DIACHEIRISIS EUROPAIKON KAI ANAPTYXIAKON PROGRAMMATON (Y.D.E.A.P.)participant · EL
BALTIJOS PAZANGIU TECHNOLOGIJU INSTITUTASparticipant · LT
PIRAEUS PORT AUTHORITY SAparticipant · EL
MINISTERIE VAN JUSTITIE EN VEILIGHEIDparticipant · NL
RAYTRIX GMBHparticipant · DE
NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNUparticipant · NO
WOJSKOWA AKADEMIA TECHNICZNA IM.JAROSLAWA DABROWSKIEGOparticipant · PL
HOME OFFICEparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

VERIDOS GMBH is a German identity solutions company — reach their innovation or partnerships team through their corporate website or via SciTransfer introduction.

Order a report on this consortium See VERIDOS GMBH profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how D4FLY's document verification or biometric technology could fit your border security, identity, or fraud prevention needs? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the right consortium partner.

Order a report on this topic More in Digital & ICT