The invention relates to an iris recognition method, comprising the steps of acquiring an image of at least one eye of a user in an infrared spectrum, and of processing said image to extract therefrom identification characteristics from the iris as defined by an outer boundary in the eye, the method comprising the steps of: acquiring an image of the eye in a visible spectrum substantially simultaneously with acquiring the image of the eye in the infrared spectrum; and prior to processing the infrared image, determining the outer boundary of the iris from the image in the visible spectrum. The invention also provides iris recognition apparatus.