VISG Viisage Technology (MM)

Increase Reflects the Rising Demand for US Passports; Innovative Electronic Passport and Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative are Key Drivers for Growth Viisage (NASDAQ: VISG), a leading provider of advanced technology identity solutions, through its wholly owned subsidiary Trans Digital Technologies (TDT), today announced that the US Department of State (DoS) increased its existing sole source IDIQ contract ceiling with the Company by $56 million, bringing the total potential value to $121 million. The Department of State expects demand for US passports to increase by approximately 20 percent per year and estimates that the US will produce 17 million passports annually by 2009. The original five year contract awarded in 2003 to TDT was valued at $65 million. Viisage enables the production of highly secure credentials. The Company's solution is the cornerstone to ensuring counterfeit-resistant US passports. The DoS has demonstrated leadership and excellence in employing cutting edge technologies to develop programs for securing the US passport for American citizens and US borders. Such programs include the Electronic Passport program and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative announced last year. These initiatives, along with the increase in travel abroad, have led to this demand and growth for new travel documents. "More secure management of borders continues to be a growing need both domestically and internationally," said Bernard Bailey, president and CEO of Viisage. "The value Viisage provides in these efforts is tried and proven, and we are delighted that the DoS has expanded their partnership with us." About Viisage Viisage (NASDAQ: VISG) delivers advanced technology identity solutions for governments, law enforcement agencies and businesses concerned with enhancing security, reducing identity theft, and protecting personal privacy. Viisage solutions include secure credentials such as passports and drivers' licenses, biometric technologies for uniquely linking individuals to those credentials, and credential authentication technologies to ensure the documents are valid before individuals are allowed to cross borders, gain access to finances, or granted other privileges. With over 3,000 installations worldwide, Viisage's identity solutions stand out as a result of the Company's industry-leading technology and unique understanding of customer needs. Viisage's product suite includes FaceTOOLS(R) SDK, Viisage PROOF(TM), FaceEXPLORER(R), Viisage iA-thenticate(R), BorderGuard(R), PIER(TM), HIIDE(TM), AutoTest(TM), FacePASS(TM) and FaceFINDER(R). This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this document and those made from time to time by Viisage through its senior management are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to the future events or financial performance discussed in this release, based on management's beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. When used, the words "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "project", "should", "expect", "plan", "assume" and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements concerning future plans or results are necessarily only estimates and actual results could differ materially from expectations. Certain factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, among other things, in particular, the size and timing of contract awards, performance on contracts, performance of acquired companies, availability and cost of key components, unanticipated results from audits of the financial results of the Company and acquired companies, changing interpretations of generally accepted accounting principles, outcomes of government reviews, developments with respect to litigation to which we are a party, potential fluctuations in quarterly results, dependence on large contracts and a limited number of customers, lengthy sales and implementation cycles, market acceptance of new or enhanced products and services, proprietary technology and changing competitive conditions, system performance, management of growth, dependence on key personnel, ability to obtain project financing, general economic and political conditions and other factors affecting spending by customers, and the unpredictable nature of working with government agencies. In addition, such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the following risks: that the merger with Identix will not close, that the regulatory or shareholder approvals will not be obtained, that the closing will be delayed, that customers and partners will not react favorably to the merger, integration risks, the risk that the combined companies may be unable to achieve cost-cutting synergies, and other risks described in Viisage's and Identix' Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC in connection with the transaction, Viisage's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended April 3, 2005, July 3, 2005 and October 2, 2005 under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," and Identix' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2005 under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Viisage expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.