NEXUS Kiosks Facial Recognition Verification, eGates and Declaration Flow Change
Oct 25, 2019, 8:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
NEXUS Kiosks Facial Recognition Verification, eGates and Declaration Flow Change
Received this email from CBSA this morning. Facial recognition (which I thought that had already started at YVR?) which will require a passport on first use and declarations must be made verbally to an officer. Bolding in the original.
Dear NEXUS Member,
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is pleased to inform you that it will be modernizing the way NEXUS members are processed at Canadian airports. The existing NEXUS kiosks that use iris recognition technology will be replaced with new, modernized NEXUS kiosks that use facial verification technology. Vancouver International Airport will be the first to launch this new process in fall 2019, with other Canadian airports following in the ensuing months. These airports are:
· Halifax Stanfield International Airport
· Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
· Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
· Calgary International Airport
· Edmonton International Airport
· Toronto Pearson International Airport
· Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
· Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
To facilitate the transition to facial biometrics, your cooperation is required. You will need your passport the first time you use a new kiosk. You will be prompted to upload your passport photograph during your first passage for storage and identity verification purposes. Members who do not have a passport will be referred to an officer for identity verification.
This modernization is intended to better serve NEXUS members travelling by air as facial biometric verification provides travellers with a simplified method of being identified. This initiative aligns the NEXUS program with international trends on traveller processing, and supports the CBSA’s goal to increase efficiencies without compromising security.
It is also important to note that declarations will not be completed at the new kiosks. If you have something to declare you must do so verbally, to an officer, at a clearly marked area in the customs hall after using the kiosk. For more information on a traveller’s duty to declare, please visit the CBSA I Declare webpage.
This new process is expected to further expedite NEXUS air processing and enhance the travel experience through the customs hall.
The collection, use and sharing of information is protected by the privacy legislation of Canada and the U.S. For example, the CBSA protects personal information in accordance with Canada’s Privacy Act. The security and privacy of personal information has been factored into all elements of kiosk design and system architecture. While the new kiosks are provided by airport authorities, they are built to CBSA standards and must be certified before they can be activated. No personal information is stored on the kiosk. The only information retained is saved securely on CBSA systems, in accordance with government information, privacy and security policies.
For more information on this initiative, including instructions on how to use the new NEXUS facial verification kiosks, please visit the NEXUS Air webpage.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Traveller Programs Directorate
Canada Border Services Agency
**********************************************
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is pleased to inform you that it will be modernizing the way NEXUS members are processed at Canadian airports. The existing NEXUS kiosks that use iris recognition technology will be replaced with new, modernized NEXUS kiosks that use facial verification technology. Vancouver International Airport will be the first to launch this new process in fall 2019, with other Canadian airports following in the ensuing months. These airports are:
· Halifax Stanfield International Airport
· Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
· Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
· Calgary International Airport
· Edmonton International Airport
· Toronto Pearson International Airport
· Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
· Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
To facilitate the transition to facial biometrics, your cooperation is required. You will need your passport the first time you use a new kiosk. You will be prompted to upload your passport photograph during your first passage for storage and identity verification purposes. Members who do not have a passport will be referred to an officer for identity verification.
This modernization is intended to better serve NEXUS members travelling by air as facial biometric verification provides travellers with a simplified method of being identified. This initiative aligns the NEXUS program with international trends on traveller processing, and supports the CBSA’s goal to increase efficiencies without compromising security.
It is also important to note that declarations will not be completed at the new kiosks. If you have something to declare you must do so verbally, to an officer, at a clearly marked area in the customs hall after using the kiosk. For more information on a traveller’s duty to declare, please visit the CBSA I Declare webpage.
This new process is expected to further expedite NEXUS air processing and enhance the travel experience through the customs hall.
The collection, use and sharing of information is protected by the privacy legislation of Canada and the U.S. For example, the CBSA protects personal information in accordance with Canada’s Privacy Act. The security and privacy of personal information has been factored into all elements of kiosk design and system architecture. While the new kiosks are provided by airport authorities, they are built to CBSA standards and must be certified before they can be activated. No personal information is stored on the kiosk. The only information retained is saved securely on CBSA systems, in accordance with government information, privacy and security policies.
For more information on this initiative, including instructions on how to use the new NEXUS facial verification kiosks, please visit the NEXUS Air webpage.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Traveller Programs Directorate
Canada Border Services Agency
**********************************************
Oct 25, 2019, 2:54 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: EY
Posts: 852
Seems like with Global Entry 2.0 kiosks rolling out, they want to be in line with other trusted traveler programs and use facial recognition instead of iris scans, which the US never used. On a plus note, there likely won't continue to be a difference in the enrollment process for nexus offices on the US side vs those in Canada, which were the ones that did the iris scans (eg even though nexus enrollment is done at the ambassador bridge, in order to get an iris scan done, they told you to go to the windsor airport).
Also - - very bizarre that they ask you to scan your passport the first time so that your passport photo can be uploaded. One would think that photo would already be in their system.
Also - - very bizarre that they ask you to scan your passport the first time so that your passport photo can be uploaded. One would think that photo would already be in their system.
Last edited by xobile; Oct 25, 2019 at 8:00 pm
Oct 26, 2019, 8:26 am
#3
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,638
NEXUS to transition away from iris to facial recognition
Dear NEXUS Member,
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is pleased to inform you that it will be modernizing the way NEXUS members are processed at Canadian airports. The existing NEXUS kiosks that use iris recognition technology will be replaced with new, modernized NEXUS kiosks that use facial verification technology. Vancouver International Airport will be the first to launch this new process in fall 2019, with other Canadian airports following in the ensuing months. These airports are:
· Halifax Stanfield International Airport
· Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
· Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
· Calgary International Airport
· Edmonton International Airport
· Toronto Pearson International Airport
· Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
· Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
To facilitate the transition to facial biometrics, your cooperation is required. You will need your passport the first time you use a new kiosk. You will be prompted to upload your passport photograph during your first passage for storage and identity verification purposes. Members who do not have a passport will be referred to an officer for identity verification.
This modernization is intended to better serve NEXUS members travelling by air as facial biometric verification provides travellers with a simplified method of being identified. This initiative aligns the NEXUS program with international trends on traveller processing, and supports the CBSA’s goal to increase efficiencies without compromising security.
It is also important to note that declarations will not be completed at the new kiosks. If you have something to declare you must do so verbally, to an officer, at a clearly marked area in the customs hall after using the kiosk. For more information on a traveller’s duty to declare, please visit the CBSA I Declarewebpage.
This new process is expected to further expedite NEXUS air processing and enhance the travel experience through the customs hall.
The collection, use and sharing of information is protected by the privacy legislation of Canada and the U.S. For example, the CBSA protects personal information in accordance with Canada’s Privacy Act.The security and privacy of personal information has been factored into all elements of kiosk design and system architecture. While the new kiosks are provided by airport authorities, they are built to CBSA standards and must be certified before they can be activated. No personal information is stored on the kiosk. The only information retained is saved securely on CBSA systems, in accordance with government information, privacy and security policies.
For more information on this initiative, including instructions on how to use the new NEXUS facial verification kiosks, please visit the NEXUS Air webpage.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Traveller Programs Directorate
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is pleased to inform you that it will be modernizing the way NEXUS members are processed at Canadian airports. The existing NEXUS kiosks that use iris recognition technology will be replaced with new, modernized NEXUS kiosks that use facial verification technology. Vancouver International Airport will be the first to launch this new process in fall 2019, with other Canadian airports following in the ensuing months. These airports are:
· Halifax Stanfield International Airport
· Montréal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport
· Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport
· Calgary International Airport
· Edmonton International Airport
· Toronto Pearson International Airport
· Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
· Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
To facilitate the transition to facial biometrics, your cooperation is required. You will need your passport the first time you use a new kiosk. You will be prompted to upload your passport photograph during your first passage for storage and identity verification purposes. Members who do not have a passport will be referred to an officer for identity verification.
This modernization is intended to better serve NEXUS members travelling by air as facial biometric verification provides travellers with a simplified method of being identified. This initiative aligns the NEXUS program with international trends on traveller processing, and supports the CBSA’s goal to increase efficiencies without compromising security.
It is also important to note that declarations will not be completed at the new kiosks. If you have something to declare you must do so verbally, to an officer, at a clearly marked area in the customs hall after using the kiosk. For more information on a traveller’s duty to declare, please visit the CBSA I Declarewebpage.
This new process is expected to further expedite NEXUS air processing and enhance the travel experience through the customs hall.
The collection, use and sharing of information is protected by the privacy legislation of Canada and the U.S. For example, the CBSA protects personal information in accordance with Canada’s Privacy Act.The security and privacy of personal information has been factored into all elements of kiosk design and system architecture. While the new kiosks are provided by airport authorities, they are built to CBSA standards and must be certified before they can be activated. No personal information is stored on the kiosk. The only information retained is saved securely on CBSA systems, in accordance with government information, privacy and security policies.
For more information on this initiative, including instructions on how to use the new NEXUS facial verification kiosks, please visit the NEXUS Air webpage.
We thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Traveller Programs Directorate
Canada Border Services Agency
Oct 26, 2019, 8:27 am
#4
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
I just got this email from them, too. Do you guys think uploading a passport photo will be enough to get an accurate facial print?
Oct 26, 2019, 8:52 am
#5
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
Seems like with Global Entry 2.0 kiosks rolling out, they want to be in line with other trusted traveler programs and use facial recognition instead of iris scans, which the US never used. On a plus note, there likely won't continue to be a difference in the enrollment process for nexus offices on the US side vs those in Canada, which were the ones that did the iris scans (eg even though nexus enrollment is done at the ambassador bridge, in order to get an iris scan done, they told you to go to the windsor airport).
Also - - very bizarre that they ask you to scan your passport the first time so that your passport photo can be uploaded. One would think that photo would already be in their system.
Also - - very bizarre that they ask you to scan your passport the first time so that your passport photo can be uploaded. One would think that photo would already be in their system.
Oct 26, 2019, 9:19 am
#6
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,638
Oct 26, 2019, 9:22 am
#7
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,638
Isn’t the passport picture already embedded in the passport chip? German eGates also use facial recognition.
Upload is poorly worded. Is upload as in you need to submit a photo to upload at the kiosk or you just need your passport at the kiosk and it does the rest?
Upload is poorly worded. Is upload as in you need to submit a photo to upload at the kiosk or you just need your passport at the kiosk and it does the rest?
Oct 26, 2019, 9:26 am
#8
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,030
Some passports (like mine) aren't biometric, and I have a green card, which is biometric, so I assume that's how they got my photo for GE 2.0.
And I think they mean you scan your passport bio page and they upload your photograph from it.
And I think they mean you scan your passport bio page and they upload your photograph from it.
Oct 26, 2019, 9:36 am
#9
Join Date: May 2016
Location: YUL
Programs: Aeroplan, NEXUS
Posts: 433
Oct 26, 2019, 10:29 am
#11
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: NYC
Programs: AA 2MM, Bonvoy LTT, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 14,638
The email indicate they are not asking for the photo on the card. They are asking for the passport photo thus the requirement to bring your passport first time you use the new kiosk.
Oct 26, 2019, 2:48 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: Star Alliance G*, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium,
Posts: 3,585
me too
To be sure, the NEXUS terminals need modernizing. In YOW last month, for example, only one machine was operational & a friendly CBSA ee said all of them would be replaced soon.
Having said that, I am not impressed by this "announcement":
- biometrics? I was under the impression that NEXUS utilized biometrics already. If not, what do they use?
- the announcement says to bring my passport the next time I use my card. Its almost November. Kind of late in the year to make this change.........my int'l travel is over for 2019;
- I often use my NEXUS at land crossings e.g. the TI Bridge, where they have a dedicated NEXUS lane. Why can't I do my update there??
IMO, CBSA does not care if the changeover is easy or conveneint. They should.
Having said that, I am not impressed by this "announcement":
- biometrics? I was under the impression that NEXUS utilized biometrics already. If not, what do they use?
- the announcement says to bring my passport the next time I use my card. Its almost November. Kind of late in the year to make this change.........my int'l travel is over for 2019;
- I often use my NEXUS at land crossings e.g. the TI Bridge, where they have a dedicated NEXUS lane. Why can't I do my update there??
IMO, CBSA does not care if the changeover is easy or conveneint. They should.
Oct 26, 2019, 4:27 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
Programs: ʙᴏɴᴠo̱ʏ Au, IHG Au, HH Dia, Nexus, Pilot FlyingJ Preferred
Posts: 5,336
- the announcement says to bring my passport the next time I use my card. Its almost November. Kind of late in the year to make this change.........my int'l travel is over for 2019;
- I often use my NEXUS at land crossings e.g. the TI Bridge, where they have a dedicated NEXUS lane. Why can't I do my update there??
- I often use my NEXUS at land crossings e.g. the TI Bridge, where they have a dedicated NEXUS lane. Why can't I do my update there??
Oct 26, 2019, 7:31 pm
#14
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: SEA, or BOS, or MUC, or other places (probably connecting). "Detroit, Michigan is in the Eastern time zone."
Programs: DL PM/1MM, AS 100K, NEXUS/GE, CLEAR, Bonvoy Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 1,201
- biometrics? I was under the impression that NEXUS utilized biometrics already. If not, what do they use?
- the announcement says to bring my passport the next time I use my card. Its almost November. Kind of late in the year to make this change.........my int'l travel is over for 2019;
- I often use my NEXUS at land crossings e.g. the TI Bridge, where they have a dedicated NEXUS lane. Why can't I do my update there??
IMO, CBSA does not care if the changeover is easy or conveneint. They should.
- the announcement says to bring my passport the next time I use my card. Its almost November. Kind of late in the year to make this change.........my int'l travel is over for 2019;
- I often use my NEXUS at land crossings e.g. the TI Bridge, where they have a dedicated NEXUS lane. Why can't I do my update there??
IMO, CBSA does not care if the changeover is easy or conveneint. They should.
- They use biometrics already, but "biometrics" covers a wide range of possible things. The current NEXUS kiosks use iris photos (which could only be taken at some enrollment centers), the current Global Entry kiosks use fingerprints, and passport e-gates (in my experience including travel to the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, and Finland) use facial geometry. The last one seems to be the emerging standard, probably because it can read photo information from e-Passports to compare to the traveler. That makes it a reasonable choice for future Trusted Traveler kiosks as well; note that the US is also testing facial recognition for Global Entry.
- The email notes that the changeover will happen over time; YVR launches first in "fall 2019, with other Canadian airports following in the ensuing months". Should you arrive without a passport at an airport with the new kiosks, NEXUS members will be "referred to an officer for identity verification".
- Land crossings don't have kiosks because using a kiosk would require everyone to get out of the car and that would slow down, not speed up, the process. With no kiosks, why would you expect them to be able to update kiosk biometric data?
Oct 26, 2019, 7:54 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LAS - Las Vegas
Programs: Southwest
Posts: 131
So this raises a question.
Does this decision by CBSA mean that folks who are approved at non-airport based Nexus locations (e.g. Sweetgrass, Pembina, Detroit, Derby Line, Calais, Warroad) would be able to use Nexus Air without further pre-verification for air mode?
None of those named facilities presently have the capability to do iris photographs. As I had my Nexus interview at Detroit Ambassador Bridge, I could not use the card for a flight into Canada until I had my iris photographs taken several months later at YUL.
Or will future interviewees at these non airport locations be able to have their passports scanned for the purposes of Nexus Air privileges?
Does this decision by CBSA mean that folks who are approved at non-airport based Nexus locations (e.g. Sweetgrass, Pembina, Detroit, Derby Line, Calais, Warroad) would be able to use Nexus Air without further pre-verification for air mode?
None of those named facilities presently have the capability to do iris photographs. As I had my Nexus interview at Detroit Ambassador Bridge, I could not use the card for a flight into Canada until I had my iris photographs taken several months later at YUL.
Or will future interviewees at these non airport locations be able to have their passports scanned for the purposes of Nexus Air privileges?