ISO/IEC 19785-3:2025

Overview

ISO/IEC 19785-3:2025 - part of the Common Biometric Exchange Formats Framework (CBEFF) - publishes the officially registered CBEFF patron formats and their associated patron format types and resulting full ASN.1 Object Identifiers (OIDs). This fourth-edition International Standard is maintained by ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 37 and documents how patron formats are defined, registered and encoded for interoperable biometric data exchange. Annex A provides the rules for defining patron formats using CBEFF data elements.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Registered patron formats: The document lists and specifies multiple patron formats (simple bit/byte-oriented, presence bit/byte-oriented, TLV-encoded for smartcards, complex formats, XML-full formats, etc.), including deprecated entries where applicable.
• Patron format metadata: For each patron format the standard records the patron, owner, format name, format type, domain of use, version identifier, and CBEFF version.
• ASN.1 type definitions and OIDs: Contains ASN.1 type definitions for CBEFF data elements and abstract values, and the resulting full ASN.1 OIDs assigned to each registered patron format.
• Conformance rules: Defines conformance requirements for implementers and includes patron format conformance statements and identification details.
• Encoding and specification details: Provides ASN.1 specifications, TLV and tabular encodings (where applicable), and illustrative examples for complex formats.
• Normative structure: Organized sections for each patron format type and clear rules (Annex A) on constructing patron formats from CBEFF data elements.

Applications and who should use this standard

• Biometric system developers and integrators - to implement interoperable templates and data exchange formats that comply with a globally registered set of patron formats.
• Smartcard and token vendors - to adopt TLV-encoded patron formats and OID assignments for on-card/off-card biometric comparison.
• Government identity programs and credential issuers - to reference standardized patron formats and conformance criteria for citizen or employee biometric credentials.
• Security architects and standards bodies - to ensure consistent encoding, registration and versioning of biometric information across systems.
• Software library authors and device manufacturers - to map biometric data elements to ASN.1 types and use assigned OIDs for identification and parsing.

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 19785-1 - defines CBEFF patron format types (referenced for patron type classification).
• ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 37 - technical committee responsible for biometric standards development.

Keywords: ISO/IEC 19785-3:2025, CBEFF, patron format, biometric exchange formats, ASN.1 OID, patron format types, biometric interoperability, TLV smartcard format.