Standards
This website is a reproduction of select portions of Biometrics.gov from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, December 15, 2016.
NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards
The goal of this Policy is to establish a framework to reach interagency consensus on biometric standards adoption for the Federal government. Federal agency adoption of these recommended standards, and associated conformity assessment programs, will enable necessary next generation Federal biometric systems, facilitate biometric system interoperability, and enhance the effectiveness of biometrics products and processes. [Download] (2MB)
Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards
The Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards (Registry) supplements the NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards. This Registry is based upon interagency consensus on biometric standards required to enable the interoperability of various Federal biometric applications, and to guide Federal agencies as they develop and implement related biometric programs. The Subcommittee will continuously review the content of this document, and release updated versions as required to assist agencies in the implementation and reinforcement process of biometric standards to meet agency-specific mission needs.
Supplemental Information in Support of the NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standards, August 10, 2009
To assist Federal agencies support biometric system interoperability, this section provides supplemental standards and testing related information in support of the NSTC Policy for Enabling the Development, Adoption and Use of Biometric Standard and the Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards. [Download]
Some government-issued standards found within the Registry document are available for download below. Other standards are available from their Copyright holders (note that federal agencies have licenses for several of these standards – contact your department’s biometric standards coordinator for additional information).
IDENT Exchange Messages (IXM) Specification
The purpose of this document is to describe standard messaging format for interacting with the US-VISIT/IDENT systems. This guide is intended for the external users who are creating a client application that will interface with one or more US-VISIT/IDENT messaging services. [Download Version 5.0] (19 MB) [Download Version 3.1] (14 MB)
DoD Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification
The ability to transmit biometric data in a standardized format is critical for enabling the Department of Defense (DoD) to share and leverage biometric information across the DoD Biometrics Enterprise.
The DoD Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification is intended for those applications requiring the exchange of biometrics data, and related biographic and contextual data both within the DoD Biometrics Enterprise and with external agencies, coalition members, international partners, and governments. DoD currently collects biometrics for matching and storage using ABIS in a format similar to the FBI's EFTS, which is an implementation of ANSI/NIST-ITL. DoD-specific customizations are captured in the DoD EBTS. [Download]
Catalog of USG Biometric Product Testing Programs
This Catalog of USG Biometric Product Testing Programs (Catalog) supplements the Registry of USG Recommended Biometric Standards, which was developed through a collaborative, interagency process within the Subcommittee on Biometrics and Identity Management and approved by the NSTC Committee on Technology. This document provides a listing of Federal biometric testing and certification programs, and is a supplementary guide to Federal agencies as they develop and implement biometric programs. The Subcommittee’s standards and conformity assessment working group is tasked to develop and update the Catalog. [Download]