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.