Oranjestad, Aruba – The COVID-19 crisis proves that automation is of huge importance now more than ever. With many restrictions being lifted and borders re-opening, the travel industry and governments are ready to implement new measures and strict rules that travelers should adhere to. An online ED card or tourism card is one of the tools being used by most governments in order to gather valuable information beforehand of the incoming travelers.

Gamma IT Solutions, an Aruban based software development company, is the developer of Aruba’s Online ED card (www.edcardaruba.aw), which is a full-fledged and fully automated Immigration Platform. The Online ED Card is making it possible for the concerned Aruban authorities to implement the first filters in pre-screening future travelers to Aruba and making it possible to re-open Aruba’s borders again.

The Online ED Card or tourism card as developed by Gamma IT Solutions is an important tool for the government of any country looking to gather valuable data beforehand of the incoming travelers. Given that each country determines their own safety measures, one of the best features of the Online ED Card is that it is fully customizable to meet the requirements and policies of each country.

The Online ED Card of Aruba has thus far been able to gather valuable data with regards to health concerns of the Aruban government such as:

• The introduction of health related questions on the Immigration Platform as the first line of defense for denying travelers wanting to visit Aruba that have COVID related symptoms;
• The possibility to upload a negative Corona test within 72 hours before arriving on Aruba to allow healthy travelers to visit Aruba;
• Offering an integrated payment solution within the Immigration Platform allowing future travelers to Aruba to pay for the mandatory Aruba COVID insurance and pre-pay for a test to be conducted upon arrival in Aruba;
• An automated check and filter for travelers coming from risk states within the USA requiring  them to upload a negative PCR test before flying to Aruba;
• An automated check and filter for denying travelers flying in from countries of which Aruba has closed its borders to;
• An integrated solution with the Health Department where the Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) made it possible that all health-related information is collected by the Immigration Platform and provided to health department to examine future visitors upfront.

Gamma IT Solutions, also being the developer of RADEX BCMS, the Border Control Management System of Aruba, has made it possible to integrate all the information gathered by the Online ED Card into the RADEX BCMS database. The authorized government entities in charge will be able to look up the data and have the current and accurate information about the travelers entering and leaving the country.

In terms of Border Control Management, the Online ED Card has made it possible to make the Immigration Platform mandatory for all travelers. This has eliminated the use of the physical ED card which immediately leads to:           

• No more scanning of the physical ED cards by Immigration Officers which reduces the processing time of travelers by 40%;
• Airlines do not have to purchase the physical ED cards anymore; this is very environmentally friendly;
• Cleaner data, which improves the overall quality of RADEX BCMS data and tourism data.

Like Aruba, many countries are putting their own safety measures and policies in place in order to re-open their borders. One of the many advantages of having a border control management system as RADEX BCMS, is that it can be integrated with any online ED Card and/or tourism card of any country.  

So far, the automation of the Online ED Card has also brought many benefits for the local authorities of Aruba. By having the data on-hand, before the travelers arrive in Aruba, authorities are able to make better arrangements to accommodate the number of travelers. This includes arrangements related to:

• Staffing of immigration personnel;
• Staffing of airport personnel;
• Taxi’s
• Etc.

An Online ED Card or tourism card can have many benefits for any country. It is equally important to have a Border Control Management System such as RADEX BCMS in place, which allows the systems to interact and provide valuable information to all relevant authorities. RADEX BCMS is a complete Border Control Management System with the latest hard- and software for multi-biometric capture and search capabilities. The key features of RADEX include first-stage processing, which involves checks against stolen passport databases, multiple wanted lists, and any other database a country desires; second-stage processing, which includes multi-biometric search and enrollment; reporting; security; and administration. 

When these two measures (Online ED Card/Tourism Card and a border control system) are combined, it will expedite the work of many government entities pursuing to assure the safety and security of not only the incoming travelers, but especially that of their citizens.

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