How identity verification works
Overview. An IdentityCheck verification asks your client to photograph a government-issued ID and take a live selfie. The platform confirms the document is genuine, matches the selfie to the photo on the document, and checks that a real, live person is present. You then see a clear outcome along with the client's identity details and the captured images. It is the core step for meeting your initial customer-due-diligence obligation.
How does the ID check actually work?
The check has two parts, and your client does both from their own phone or computer in a few minutes.
First, the document. Your client photographs a government-issued photo ID, front and back where needed. The platform checks that the document is authentic and reads the details from it, so you receive the person's name and date of birth, and the document's type, issuing country, number and validity dates. It also detects whether the image is a photo of an original document rather than the document itself, and looks for signs of fakeness or tampering, drawing on a significant sample data set built from millions of transactions.
Second, the biometric step. Your client takes a live selfie. The platform performs a face-match, comparing the selfie to the photo printed on the document, and a liveness check that confirms a real person is present in the moment rather than a held-up photo or a screen. Together these steps make it much harder for someone to use a stolen or forged document.
When both parts are done, the check resolves to a clear outcome and you see the identity details, the document details and the captured images on a single verification screen. You do not re-key anything. If you have optional screening switched on, a passed verification also kicks that off automatically. To understand each possible result, see Understanding verification outcomes.
What ID can my client use?
Your client can use a government-issued photo document. In practice that means one of:
- A passport
- A driver's licence
- A national ID card
They photograph it with the camera on their phone or computer, so there is nothing to post, scan or certify, and no app to install. The platform reads the document and extracts the key fields for you, which means you are not manually typing names, numbers or dates from a photocopy.
This matters for record keeping: because the identity and document details are captured and stored against the verification, you have a consistent, structured record of what was checked, rather than a folder of loose scans.
Do they need a selfie, and what will they experience?
Yes, a selfie is part of every identity verification, and for most clients it is the quickest part. From your client's point of view the whole journey is simple:
- They receive a link from your firm, by email and by SMS if a mobile number is on file.
- They open it on their phone or computer. There is no account to create and no password.
- They photograph their chosen ID document.
- They take a live selfie when prompted.
- They are finished. The result comes back to your firm.
Behind that simple experience, the selfie is doing real work: the face-match confirms the person holding the ID is the person pictured on it, and the liveness check confirms they are genuinely present. Your client does not see the technical checks, only a short, guided flow. If something is unclear in a photo, they may be asked to try again before the check completes, which is normal and keeps the evidence clean.
Frequently asked
What ID can my client use? A government-issued photo document: a passport, a driver's licence or a national ID card. Your client photographs the document with their phone or computer camera, so there is nothing to post or scan and no app to install.
Does my client need to take a selfie? Yes. Alongside the ID photo, your client takes a live selfie. The platform matches that selfie to the photo on the document and runs a liveness check to confirm it is a real, present person, not a photo of a photo.
How long does a verification take my client? For most clients it is a few minutes on their phone: open the link, photograph the ID, take a selfie, done. There is nothing to download, and they do not need an account or a password to complete it.
Do I have to type in my client's details afterwards? No. The platform reads the name, date of birth and document details from the ID and stores them against the verification, so you review a structured record rather than re-keying from a scan.
Can an uploaded image of the document be used? No. It is relatively fast and cheap to create convincing-looking images of ID documents, so uploaded images should not be trusted. IdentityCheck detects when an image is a photo of a document rather than the original, which is part of how it keeps the check secure.
Do you support DVS lookups? We do not use DVS as standard, as it is not required in most circumstances and is undermined by the amount of data theft. A DVS check only works in Australia, and it does not verify that the person providing the details is actually the same person represented by the document. IdentityCheck confirms the document is genuine and matches the live person in front of it, which addresses both gaps.