In a biometrics authentication apparatus an increase in the speed of a comparison process and an increase in the maximum number of pieces of living body information which can be registered are realized. A vein authentication apparatus registers vein data and vein characteristic amounts, determines comparison order at vein data identification time by sorting records in descending order of degree of similarity on the basis of vein characteristic amounts for comparison and the registered vein characteristic amounts, and makes vein data comparison in accordance with the comparison order. The vein authentication apparatus uses 32 frequencies obtained by performing a Fourier transform (first vein characteristic amount), 12 angles obtained by performing a Fourier transform (second vein characteristic amount), curvature directions in 36 angle areas (third vein characteristic amount), segment directions in 18 angle areas (fourth vein characteristic amount), and a vein amount (fifth vein characteristic amount) as the vein characteristic amounts. By doing so, the accuracy of comparison order is improved and a comparison using a record for which a degree of similarity is low can be omitted. As a result, the speed of a comparison process and the maximum number of pieces of living body information which can be registered can be increased.
