<PAGE>

                                                             333-_______________

                                 UNITED STATES
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549


                                   FORM S-8

            REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                           VIISAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
            ------------------------------------------------------
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         Delaware                                         04-3320515
------------------------                    ------------------------------------
(State of Incorporation)                    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

         30 Porter Road        Littleton, MA              01460
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         (Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code)

                 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as Amended
                 ---------------------------------------------
                           (Full title of the plan)

                              Thomas J. Colatosti
                     President and Chief Executive Officer
                           Viisage Technology, Inc.
                                30 Porter Road
                              Littleton, MA 01460
                    ---------------------------------------
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                (978) 952-2200
         -------------------------------------------------------------
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                   Copy to:
                                   --------

                           Charles J. Johnson, Esq.
                   Hill & Barlow, a Professional Corporation
                            One International Place
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02110
                                (617) 428-3061


                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                              Proposed maximum        Proposed maximum
Title of securities      Amount to be         offering price          Aggregate offering     Amount of
to be registered         Registered(1)        per share(2)            Price(2)               registration fee
----------------         -------------        ------------            --------               ----------------
<S>                      <C>                  <C>                     <C>                    <C>
Common Stock,                 200,000(3)            $2.19(4)                 $438,000               $109.50
$0.001 par value
=============================================================================================================
</TABLE>
(1)  The shares being registered represent an incremental number of shares that
     may be purchased.
(2)  Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee.
(3)  If, as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions,
     the number of securities purported to be registered on this registration
     statement changes, the provisions of Rule 416 shall apply to this
     registration statement and this registration statement shall be deemed to
     cover the additional securities resulting from the split of, or the
     dividend on, the securities covered by this registration statement.
(4)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, in
     accordance with Rule 457, on the basis of the average of the high and low
     prices of Viisage Technology, Inc.'s Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq
     National Market on July 12, 2001.

<PAGE>

                                    Part II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
         ---------------------------------------

         The documents listed below are incorporated by reference herein:
(a) the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Viisage Technology, Inc. for the year
ended December 31, 2000; (b) the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended April 1, 2001; (c) the description of the Company's capital stock
contained in its Registration Statement under Section 12(g) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 on Form 8-A, filed on October 15, 1996, including any
amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. All
reports and other documents filed by the Company after the date of this
prospectus pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which
indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold, or which
deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the
filing of such report or document.

Item 4. Description of Securities.
        ------------------------- -

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of named experts and counsel.
        --------------------------------------

        The legality of the Common Stock being offered by this Registration
Statement will be passed upon by Hill & Barlow, P.C., (the "Firm"), One
International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. Charles J. Johnson, a member
of the Firm is the Secretary and a former director of the Company. Mr. Johnson
owns 66,745 shares of Common Stock and has options to purchase 41,329 shares of
the Company's Common Stock.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
        -----------------------------------------

         Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
provides for indemnification of officers and directors subject to certain
limitations. The general effect of such law is to empower a corporation to
indemnify any of its officers and directors against certain expenses (including
attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by the person to be indemnified in connection with certain
actions, suits or proceedings (threatened, pending or completed) if the person
to be indemnified acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to
be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with
respect to any criminal actions or proceedings, if he had no reasonable cause to
believe his conduct was unlawful. The Company's By-laws provide that it shall
indemnify its officers, directors, employees and agents to the extent permitted
by law.
<PAGE>

         The Company maintains insurance under which the insurers will reimburse
the Company for amounts which it has paid to its directors, officers and certain
other employees by way of indemnification for claims against such persons in
their official capacities. The insurance also covers such persons as to amounts
paid by them as a result of claims against them in their official capacities
which are not reimbursed by the Company. The insurance is subject to certain
limitations and exclusions.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.
         -----------------------------------

Not Applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits.
         --------

See Exhibits Index.

Item 9. Undertakings.
        ------------

        A.  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

            (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                (i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of
the Securities Act of 1933;

                (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-
effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent
a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement;

                (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or
any material change to such information in the registration statement.

            Provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) do not apply
if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by
those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant
pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

            (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be a bona fide
offering thereof.
<PAGE>

            (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
registration amendment any of the securities being registered which remain
unsold at the termination of the offering.

         B. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
<PAGE>

                                  SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Company
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly
authorized in the town of Littleton in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on
July 13, 2001.


                                       VIISAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.



                                       By: /s/ Thomas J. Colatosti
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Thomas J. Colatosti
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer
<PAGE>

                                 EXHIBIT INDEX

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

Exhibit       Title                                       Method of Filing
-------       -----                                       ----------------
<S>           <C>                                         <C>
 4.1          Restated Certificate of Incorporation       Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Form S-1
              of Viisage Technology, Inc.                 Registration Statement dated November 4, 1996
                                                          (File No. 333-10649).

 4.4          By-laws                                     Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Form S-1
                                                          Registration Statement dated November 4, 1996
                                                          (File No. 333-10649).

 5            Opinion of Hill & Barlow, P.C. as to        Filed herewith.
              the legality of the shares being
              registered.

23.1          Consent of BDO Seidman, LLP                 Filed herewith.

23.2          Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP              Filed herewith.

23.3          Consent of Hill & Barlow, P.C.
              (included in Exhibit 5.1)

24            Power of Attorney                           Filed herewith.

99            Viisage Technology, Inc. 1997 Amended       Filed herewith.
              Employee Stock Purchase Plan
</TABLE>
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{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "VIISAGE TECHNOLOGY INC", "cik": "0001018332", "assigned-sic": "7373", "irs-number": "043320515", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-65312", "film-number": "1683606"}, "business-address": {"street1": "VIISAGE TECHNOLOGY INC", "street2": "30 PORTER ROAD", "city": "LITTLETON", "state": "MA", "zip": "01460", "phone": "6179522200"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "VIISAGE TECHNOLOGY INC", "street2": "30 PORTER ROAD", "city": "LITTLETON", "state": "MA", "zip": "01460"}}
333-_______________

                                 UNITED STATES
                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                            WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549

                                   FORM S-8

            REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                           VIISAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
            ------------------------------------------------------
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

         Delaware                                         04-3320515
------------------------                    ------------------------------------
(State of Incorporation)                    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

         30 Porter Road        Littleton, MA              01460
         ------------------------------------------------------------
         (Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code)

                 1997 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as Amended
                 ---------------------------------------------
                           (Full title of the plan)

                              Thomas J. Colatosti
                     President and Chief Executive Officer
                           Viisage Technology, Inc.
                                30 Porter Road
                              Littleton, MA 01460
                    ---------------------------------------
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                (978) 952-2200
         -------------------------------------------------------------
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                                   Copy to:
                                   --------

                           Charles J. Johnson, Esq.
                   Hill & Barlow, a Professional Corporation
                            One International Place
                          Boston, Massachusetts 02110
                                (617) 428-3061

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Proposed maximum        Proposed maximum
Title of securities      Amount to be         offering price          Aggregate offering     Amount of
to be registered         Registered(1)        per share(2)            Price(2)               registration fee
----------------         -------------        ------------            --------               ----------------
Common Stock,                 200,000(3)            $2.19(4)                 $438,000               $109.50
$0.001 par value
=============================================================================================================
(1)  The shares being registered represent an incremental number of shares that
     may be purchased.
(2)  Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee.
(3)  If, as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions,
     the number of securities purported to be registered on this registration
     statement changes, the provisions of Rule 416 shall apply to this
     registration statement and this registration statement shall be deemed to
     cover the additional securities resulting from the split of, or the
     dividend on, the securities covered by this registration statement.
(4)  Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, in
     accordance with Rule 457, on the basis of the average of the high and low
     prices of Viisage Technology, Inc.'s Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq
     National Market on July 12, 2001.
Part II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
         ---------------------------------------

         The documents listed below are incorporated by reference herein:
(a) the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Viisage Technology, Inc. for the year
ended December 31, 2000; (b) the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended April 1, 2001; (c) the description of the Company's capital stock
contained in its Registration Statement under Section 12(g) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 on Form 8-A, filed on October 15, 1996, including any
amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. All
reports and other documents filed by the Company after the date of this
prospectus pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which
indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold, or which
deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of the
filing of such report or document.

Item 4. Description of Securities.
        ------------------------- -

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of named experts and counsel.
        --------------------------------------

        The legality of the Common Stock being offered by this Registration
Statement will be passed upon by Hill & Barlow, P.C., (the "Firm"), One
International Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02110. Charles J. Johnson, a member
of the Firm is the Secretary and a former director of the Company. Mr. Johnson
owns 66,745 shares of Common Stock and has options to purchase 41,329 shares of
the Company's Common Stock.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
        -----------------------------------------

         Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
provides for indemnification of officers and directors subject to certain
limitations. The general effect of such law is to empower a corporation to
indemnify any of its officers and directors against certain expenses (including
attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by the person to be indemnified in connection with certain
actions, suits or proceedings (threatened, pending or completed) if the person
to be indemnified acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to
be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with
respect to any criminal actions or proceedings, if he had no reasonable cause to
believe his conduct was unlawful. The Company's By-laws provide that it shall
indemnify its officers, directors, employees and agents to the extent permitted
by law.
The Company maintains insurance under which the insurers will reimburse
the Company for amounts which it has paid to its directors, officers and certain
other employees by way of indemnification for claims against such persons in
their official capacities. The insurance also covers such persons as to amounts
paid by them as a result of claims against them in their official capacities
which are not reimbursed by the Company. The insurance is subject to certain
limitations and exclusions.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.
         -----------------------------------

Not Applicable.

Item 8.  Exhibits.
         --------

See Exhibits Index.

Item 9. Undertakings.
        ------------

        A.  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

            (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

                (i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of
the Securities Act of 1933;

                (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising
after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-
effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent
a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement;

                (iii) To include any material information with respect to the
plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or
any material change to such information in the registration statement.

            Provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (1)(ii) do not apply
if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by
those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant
pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement.

            (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be
a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be a bona fide
offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
registration amendment any of the securities being registered which remain
unsold at the termination of the offering.

         B. The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the
registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement
relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities
at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         C. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise,
the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and
Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the
registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling
person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or
proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in
connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such
indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
SIGNATURES

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Company
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly
authorized in the town of Littleton in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on
July 13, 2001.

                                       VIISAGE TECHNOLOGY, INC.

                                       By: /s/ Thomas J. Colatosti
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Thomas J. Colatosti
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit       Title                                       Method of Filing
-------       -----                                       ----------------
4.1          Restated Certificate of Incorporation       Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Form S-1
              of Viisage Technology, Inc.                 Registration Statement dated November 4, 1996
                                                          (File No. 333-10649).

 4.4          By-laws                                     Filed as an exhibit to the Registrant's Form S-1
                                                          Registration Statement dated November 4, 1996
                                                          (File No. 333-10649).

 5            Opinion of Hill & Barlow, P.C. as to        Filed herewith.
              the legality of the shares being
              registered.

23.1          Consent of BDO Seidman, LLP                 Filed herewith.

23.2          Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP              Filed herewith.

23.3          Consent of Hill & Barlow, P.C.
              (included in Exhibit 5.1)

24            Power of Attorney                           Filed herewith.

99            Viisage Technology, Inc. 1997 Amended       Filed herewith.
              Employee Stock Purchase Plan