The electronic European Residence Permit card provides temporary residence entitlement for non-EU citizens for any stay over three months, and for some shorter work-related stays. It embeds a contactless chip which securely stores facial image and two fingerprints, simplifying residency entitlement verification. As defined in the eERP specifications, the contactless interface is mandatory and meets the same EU standards as biometric e-passports do. The permit also stores id-numbers such as social security and taxpayer identifiers. www.gemalto.com