More than one hundred document experts from government, immigration and passport authorities as well as delegates from identity verification solution providers are already planning to attend GITA Summit 26 in Amsterdam this October. The conference of the Global Identity Trust Alliance (GITA) – a coalition formed by identity verification experts DESKO, Keesing Technologies and forensic science equipment supplier foster+freeman – will explore the complexities of a fast-evolving technological and regulatory environment.
Taking place at the KIT Royal Tropical Institute on 14th and 15th October 2026, GITA 26 will offer border chiefs, document examination professionals and other senior decision makers two days of expert presentations, discussion and practical training. The programme will explore emerging fraud tactics and the tools that support decisions from the first border encounter through to detailed forensic analysis within context of the current pressures facing identity and border security professionals.
A session from Frontex will examine operational intelligence and the detection of travel and identity fraud across the EU. Manos Mavrikos of FaceTec will discuss global trends and tactics in document forgery, while Christian Zitzelsberger and Marco Boscolo of InterDocPol will explore the connection between a document and its holder.
Perspectives from government and forensic practice will also feature in the programme. Sofche Popovska of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of North Macedonia will share lessons from border encounters and laboratory examination, and Al-Sharif Hashem Mogahed of Egypt’s Ministry of Justice will address counterfeit trends and forensic lessons from the MENA region. An expert roundtable will consider when frontline officers should escalate a case for further examination.
Workshops led by Keesing, foster+freeman and DESKO will cover physical document inspection, ePassport and eChip checks, and identity analysis using reference cases. Participants will also be able to explore the demo arena through guided product walkthroughs.
“The issues around identity and border security are changing very quickly, and the industry needs opportunities to share what is working in practice,” said Jessica Luh-Fuchs, Vice President of Marketing at DESKO. “GITA 26 brings together expertise from government and across the sector at an important time. I’m looking forward to meeting colleagues in Amsterdam, exchanging ideas, and working together to strengthen confidence in identity.”
Admission is free, but limited to experts. The organisers reserve the right to verify participants’ legitimate interest in advance. To register and to view the full programme, visit gita26.com.
