Gemplus Certified for Indias SCOSTA National Driving License and Vehicle Registration Program

The SCOSTA-compliant smart card is poised to be the globes largest smart card-based driving license and vehicle registration card rollout, backed by the hefty India market potential of 100 million driving license and vehicle registration cards. The India Federal Government published the SCOSTA specification in 2002. Following the announcement, state governments across India must adhere to the SCOSTA standard when implementing their card-based driving licenses and vehicle registration to ensure interoperability. Early industry reports indicate Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh and Nagaland have chosen two separate smart cards -- for vehicle registration and driving license. Gujarat has called for fresh tender for driving license based on SCOSTA compliance. The reports also point that Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana have already called for tenders for driving license and vehicle registration. Although primarily used as a driving license/vehicle registration card since it was first endorsed by the Ministry of Transport in India, the SCOSTA smart card operating system has capacity for multiple secure ID applications such as national identity and healthcare information purposes. Gemplus has an impressive track record as a smart card solutions provider, assisting several governments with secure national ID programmes including the following: - National ID cards: Sultanate of Oman, U.A.E. - Immigration clearance and residency cards: Singapore, Philippines, Colombia, Mexico - Welfare ID: South Africa, Brazil - Healthcare ID: Slovenia, France, Germany - Drivers licenses & car registration: Argentina, El Salvador, Mexico Gemplus is also an active participant in industry-level efforts to address physical and virtual security concerns including the Open Security Exchange and the European Commission-sponsored S-Travel (Secure-Travel) program.