Neonatal Biometrics is Already a Reality in Brazil. A technology developed in the country enables the biometric identification of newborns right in the delivery room while simultaneously establishing an unquestionable bond between the baby and the mother. This solution—capable of preventing baby swaps and abductions while ensuring citizenship from the very first hour of birth—is the result of research conducted since 2013 by the Paraná-based company INFANT.ID™. The technology places Brazil at the forefront of neonatal identification and has already gained traction in the international market. Currently, its use is approved in six Brazilian states—Mato Grosso, Goiás, Rio Grande do Sul, Paraíba, Sergipe, and São Paulo—as well as in countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. The innovation is also undergoing approval in Uruguay and Peru.
Biometrics is one of the most secure identification methods, as each fingerprint is unique. For this reason, it is used in major identification documents and serves as a crucial tool in solving crimes. Children are among the primary victims of abduction, international trafficking for sexual exploitation, and illegal adoption. In Brazil, data from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) indicate that 2,169 children went missing in 2022, averaging six cases per day. The problem extends to other countries as well. According to the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), in 2023, the United States recorded 356,908 missing children reports. Canada saw over 34,000 cases, while France surpassed 40,000, and Germany reached 94,000.
“Biometrics ensures the newborn’s first step toward citizenship while providing greater security for the family both during and after childbirth. Our mission is to contribute to the safety of children worldwide. INFANT.ID™’s biometric platform captures high-definition fingerprints of children aged 0 to 5 years. It operates in compliance with international interoperability standards, allowing integration with global civil registry systems,” says INFANT.ID™ CEO Thais Akiyama.
Beyond crime prevention, neonatal biometric identification facilitates children’s access to official documentation and public services. In Mato Grosso, where the technology was implemented in 2021, over 10,000 children have already been registered. The state’s Legislative Assembly has integrated infant biometrics into the civil identification system, ensuring that children aged 0 to 5 years have an official document and access to social benefits. In Goiás, the technology began deployment in late 2024 with biometric scanners installed in 30 public maternity hospitals.
The scanner’s ergonomic design allows a single operator to perform the data collection, even in challenging scenarios, such as when a premature newborn must remain inside an incubator. Additionally, all parts of the equipment are easy to sanitize, eliminating any risk of contamination in the hospital environment.
The biometric scanner used by INFANT.ID™ is certified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It was also patented in the United States in 2024 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
A Right Guaranteed by Law, Yet Seldom Applied
What many people do not know is that neonatal biometrics has been a right guaranteed by the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) since 1990, aiming to ensure the identification and protection of Brazilian newborns. In 2018, the Ministry of Health’s Ordinance No. 248 mandated that Live Birth Declarations (DNV) be linked to the biometric registration of both the newborn and the mother.
“Despite existing legislation, many hospitals have faced challenges in implementing neonatal biometrics due to the lack of an efficient data collection system. Until recently, the few facilities that conducted identification used ink to stamp babies’ extremities on paper—an imprecise method with no validity for official identification,” explains the CEO of INFANT.ID™.
INFANT.ID™’s solution changes this scenario by offering a digital system that collects fingerprints, palm prints, and footprints from newborns. Developed over more than a decade of research, the technology enables biometric identification right in the delivery room.
