Systems and standards

What is border management technology?

Last checked 24 October 2026 · 10 sources

Short answer

Border management technology is the set of systems a state uses to check people and documents at its borders. In Africa the main parts are ePassports checked with certificates from the ICAO Public Key Directory ², border management information systems such as IOM's MIDAS ⁴, passenger data systems for API and PNR ⁶, e-visa and electronic travel authorisation platforms ⁷ and automated e-gates ⁹. Each part has its own standard, operator and status, and each must be checked in a public record.

ePassports in circulation: More than 1 billion, issued by more than 140 States and non-state entities, per ICAO ¹
Travel document standard: ICAO Doc 9303, Machine Readable Travel Documents, in 13 parts ³
UN rule on API, PNR and biometrics: Security Council resolution 2396 (2017), adopted unanimously under Chapter VII ⁶
Largest MIDAS deployment: Nigeria, according to IOM in December 2020 ⁴
UN passenger data software: goTravel, deployed free of charge by the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism ¹⁰

The main building blocks

Most border checks combine several separate systems. Each one has a different job and a different rule book. The table lists the parts this site tracks and the standard or programme behind each one ^1,6.

Component	What it does	Standard or programme
ePassport ¹	A chip in the booklet stores the page 2 data and a country digital signature ¹	ICAO Doc 9303 ³
Public Key Directory ²	A central broker for the certificates needed to check that signature ²	ICAO PKD ²
Border management information system ⁴	Collects, processes, stores and analyses traveller data and checks watchlists ⁴	IOM MIDAS is one example ⁴
API and PNR ⁶	Airlines pass passenger data to the state before the flight arrives ⁶	UN Security Council resolution 2396 ⁶
e-visa and ETA ⁷	The traveller asks for permission online before travel ⁷	National rules and portals ⁷
e-gate ⁹	An automated gate clears eligible travellers with less contact with officers ⁹	National programmes ⁹

How an ePassport check works

ICAO describes an ePassport as a normal passport with an added electronic layer. The chip holds the biographical data from page 2 and a Document Security Object that carries the issuing country's digital signature ¹.

Each issuing State runs one Country Signing Certification Authority, or CSCA, as its national trust point. Document Signer Certificates are checked against it, and each State must reissue its Certificate Revocation List every 90 days ¹.

To validate a chip, the receiving State's border control needs information from the issuing State. ICAO says the PKD acts as a central broker for that information, so States do not need to swap it one by one ².

Border management information systems

A border management information system records who enters and leaves. IOM describes MIDAS as a system that collects, processes, stores and analyses traveller information and checks entry and exit data against national and international watchlists, including INTERPOL's ⁴.

In a 2017 presentation, an IOM adviser said governments have full and exclusive ownership of the traveller data recorded in MIDAS and IOM stores none of it. The same deck cited 19 countries using MIDAS and, on a later slide, 17 African countries ⁵.

Passenger data and travel authorisation

Resolution 2396 says Member States shall require airlines operating in their territories to provide Advance Passenger Information, shall develop the capability to collect and analyse Passenger Name Record data, and shall develop systems to collect biometric data ⁶.

The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism runs the Countering Terrorist Travel Programme. It says the programme works with 91 Member States and donates its goTravel software to collect and process passenger data ¹⁰.

Electronic travel authorisations are a newer layer. The Africa Visa Openness Index says ETAs operate in a similar way to e-visas ⁷. South Africa's ETA, launched in August 2026, compares a selfie with the passport photo and checks the passport against more than forty parameters, as reported by Engineering News ⁸.

Who does what

Governments own and run the border system and its data. IOM says this of MIDAS ⁵.
Donors and international bodies supply equipment. In Nigeria IOM handed over MIDAS equipment funded by the Government of Canada in December 2020 ⁴.
The UN donates goTravel software for passenger data ¹⁰.
State-owned companies can own parts of the system. In South Africa the eGates are owned by the state-owned Airports Company South Africa, as reported in August 2026 ⁸.
Status matters. This site labels each system as live, pilot, announced, suspended or historical, with the date of the record ^7,9.

Common questions

What is the ICAO PKD?

ICAO calls it a central repository for exchanging the information needed to authenticate electronic travel documents such as ePassports ².

What is MIDAS?

MIDAS is IOM's border management information system. It collects, processes, stores and analyses traveller information in real time ⁴.

Do UN rules require airlines to send passenger data?

Yes. Resolution 2396 says Member States shall require airlines operating in their territories to provide API to national authorities ⁶.

Is an ETA the same as an e-visa?

Not in name. The Africa Visa Openness Index says ETAs operate in a similar way to e-visas and can be no less onerous ⁷.

Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].

Sources

ICAO PKD and ePassports in Africa
The 22 African states listed as ICAO PKD participants, their joining dates, and how the PKD lets border officers check an ePassport chip.
IOM MIDAS in Africa
What IOM's MIDAS border management information system does, who owns the data, who funds it, and where IOM records show it in use in Africa.
API and PNR in Africa
What Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record data are, what UN resolutions require, and which African states have UN support records.
E-visa and ETA platforms in Africa
How many African countries offer e-visas, which run ETAs, and what Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa record about their platforms.
E-gates in Africa
Public records on automated border gates at African airports: Nigeria's rollout, South Africa's airport eGates and Sierra Leone's Lungi equipment.