How to Verify Refugee and Asylum IDs in South Africa

A refugee or asylum document contains details that a business may need to check before opening an account, hiring someone or giving access to a service. In South Africa, the identity lookup starts with the NIIS file number printed on the person’s document. That number is the lookup key. VerifyNow returns a full identity verification report built from the source response and the available identity record.

Run a refugee or asylum ID verification from your VerifyNow dashboard. You can also view the service and sample report before running a check.

What the full VerifyNow report contains

The service accepts a South African refugee or asylum NIIS file number. Its format contains 3 to 6 letters followed by 9 to 12 digits. Enter the number exactly as it appears on the document because a missing letter or transposed digit changes the lookup.

Every completed VerifyNow report carries the verification outcome, request status, source result code and text, service, issuing state, report reference and check time. A successful lookup can also include the verified NIIS file number, the person’s names, date of birth, gender and nationality. Some records return an expiry date, a secondary identity number and a photograph. The identity fields shown depend on the information available in the source record at the time of the check.

The authenticated PDF presents this information as a structured identity verification report that the reviewer can download for the organisation’s records.

A practical verification workflow

1. Read the file number from the original document

Ask the person for the current document that carries their NIIS file number. Type the value into VerifyNow without spaces or punctuation. The form checks the expected pattern before submitting it.

2. Run the ID verification

VerifyNow sends the file number to the identity source and receives the verification response. The platform turns that response into the full report, including its result fields and any available identity details. A successful response means the source found that NIIS number.

3. Compare the result with the document

Read the name, birth date, nationality, expiry date and secondary number shown in the report. Compare each available field with the original document supplied by the person. Record any difference in your review process and ask for supporting material where your policy requires it.

4. Connect the person to the identity record

A remote process can add a selfie and passive liveness check to establish that a live person is completing the session. Face match can compare a selfie with an available record photograph or another accepted reference image. This step gives the business evidence about the person presenting the identity.

5. Read the person’s current status document

Identity details and immigration status answer separate parts of the review. The original Section 22 or Section 24 document carries the status information that the business needs to inspect. Check its expiry date and any written conditions as part of the same case file.

Employment checks for refugees and asylum seekers

A recognised refugee has the right to seek employment under section 27(f) of the Refugees Act 130 of 1998. The person’s current refugee document supports the status review.

An asylum seeker’s right to work appears on the current Section 22 visa as an endorsement with any applicable conditions. The Refugees Regulations set out the related process. Employers should read the endorsement on the original visa and keep the evidence required by their hiring process.

The VerifyNow report supports the identity part of this review. It records the identity information returned for the NIIS number at the time of the check. The current original document supplies the status and work-condition evidence.

How to read common results

An identity record found result means the source located the submitted NIIS number and returned the fields available for it. Review those fields against the document and continue with any selfie or liveness step required by your process.

A record not found result asks for a careful check of the number entered. Compare it character by character with the document before running another verification.

A format error points to a NIIS number that falls outside the accepted letter and digit pattern. Correct the entry from the original document.

A source unavailable result means the identity service could not complete the request at that time. Keep the case open and retry after the service is available.

Keep the report with the review evidence

Download the full authenticated report when the check completes. Store it with access controls that suit identity data, along with the document review notes and any selfie or liveness result used for the case. The VerifyNow activity reference makes it easier to trace the lookup inside the dashboard.

Teams can start with a single dashboard check and add verification steps as the customer journey develops. VerifyNow also supports API-based identity checks for web and mobile onboarding where the service fits the approved workflow.

Run a refugee or asylum ID verification, or open the service page to review the sample report.