Identity management , format: Article, area: Authority

Establishing the identity of asylum seekers is a key aspect of both implementing the asylum procedure and security. Persons seeking protection often have to leave their country of origin under difficult circumstances and are not always able to take their identity documents with them. Many countries of origin do not have an integrated passport and registration system such as the one Germany has, for instance.

In the context of immigration, however, German authorities are also confronted with persons who deliberately try to conceal their true identity, for instance in order to hide a possible criminal or extremist background, or to improve their chances of being granted protection status in Germany. In order to meet these challenges, the employees of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees have access to various digital assistance systems within the framework of identity management.

All asylum seekers have their photograph and fingerprints taken when they apply for asylum. Fingerprinting in the asylum procedure means it is possible to detect and rule out multiple identities. Other authorities involved in the asylum procedure can also access biometric data nationwide via the so-called core data system. This means security-relevant findings can be taken into account even more effectively in asylum decisions and are helpful for the work performed by the security authorities.

In cases in which identity documents are presented, an in-depth, if necessary multi-stage, authenticity check is carried out. The Federal Office is one of the leading competence centres in the area of document verification in Germany.

IDM-S Tools

Technical assistance programmes used for the establishment of identity help to establish the identity of asylum seekers. They do not replace the information asylum seekers provide about their country of origin or the professional assessment of all the available evidence by the experts of the Federal Office.

The following technical tools are used to establish the identity of asylum seekers:

Speech biometrics

If asylum seekers are unable to present identity documents, it is possible to narrow down the region they originate from with the help of a voice sample using automated digital analysis.

Image biometrics

In addition to comparing fingerprints, image biometrics can be used as a further means of identification. With the help of special software, a photo comparison is carried out in order to ensure that the person has not already been registered under another file number or name.

Evaluation of mobile data carriers

If the identity of an asylum seeker could not be proven using more simple means (e.g. presentation of identity documents), the reading of metadata from mobile data carriers can provide information on where the asylum seeker originates from. It can be determined to which countries the mobile phone was used to make calls, and the location data of certain apps can be used to find out where the phone was used.

Name transcription

Arabic names are uniformly converted into the Roman alphabet using an automated programme. This rules out name confusion and registrations using different spellings. Furthermore, an analysis of the distribution of the name in the various countries and regions of origin is carried out.

Physical and technical document examinations

At the Federal Office, the authenticity of documents submitted in the asylum procedure is examined and assessed within the framework of fact-finding and the establishment of identity. To this end, the Federal Office employs specially trained document experts, inter alia.