ID document verification & authentication
Authenticate South African identity documents using OCR, extracted fields, validation status and returned warnings. Verify ID books, smart ID cards, passports, and driver's licences in seconds.
See what your document review receives
The response connects the submitted image to a request reference, a document status and the identity fields the service could extract. Warnings remain visible so your team can send an exception to review.
Fictional preview
ID document result
Request reference
doc_••••••7A
Document type
Identity Card
Issuing country
ZAF
Document number
••••••••9087
Full name
•••••• ••••
Warnings
None returned
A returned status supports review. Your onboarding policy decides whether to accept, retry or escalate the document.
Document authentication evidence
OCR, returned document fields, a validation status and review warnings
OCR Data Extraction
Upload TIFF, JPG/JPEG, PNG, WEBP or PDF files, up to 5 MB per front or back file, and extract document details with OCR.
Document Risk Warnings
Review warnings returned for document quality, consistency, authenticity and presentation risk.
Document Review Signals
Use the returned status, extracted fields and warnings to route clear results or exceptions for review.
Structured Results
Receive a request reference, document status and extracted fields in one response. Your review rules decide the next step.
Multiple Document Types
Support for SA ID books, smart ID cards, passports, driver's licenses, and foreign documents.
Compliance evidence
Use the result as evidence within your own risk-based FICA controls and POPIA processing framework.
Supported document types
Authenticate all major South African and international identity documents
South African Smart ID Card
Submit front and back images of a South African smart ID card for OCR and document review.
SA Green ID Book
Submit the identity page of a South African green ID book for OCR and document review.
Passport (SA & International)
Verify South African and foreign passports with MRZ reading and document authentication.
Driver's Licence Card
Submit a South African driver's licence image for document OCR. Use the separate Driver's Licence Barcode service when you need card-sourced PDF417 fields.
How document verification works
Upload Document Image
Upload a photo or scan of the identity document straight from your VerifyNow dashboard — no code required.
Automated Analysis
OCR extracts document data while the verification result reports its status and any validation warnings.
Verification Result
Receive extracted data, authentication score, and fraud risk indicators in a structured report.
Verification Checks
Industry applications
Remote Onboarding
Verify customer documents digitally during remote KYC and account opening processes.
Loan Applications
Authenticate identity documents submitted with loan and credit applications.
Insurance Claims
Verify claimant identity documents to prevent fraudulent claims.
Employment Verification
Authenticate ID documents during hiring and employee onboarding processes.
Related document checks
Common questions
What does document verification check?
Document verification checks identity documents for data extraction, document structure, expiry details, barcode or MRZ data where available, and fraud or tampering signals.
Can VerifyNow verify South African ID documents?
VerifyNow supports document authentication workflows for South African identity documents, including ID books, smart ID cards, passports and driver licence documents where supported.
Should I use document verification or ID verification?
Use ID verification when you need to confirm an ID number against official data. Use document verification when you also need to inspect the document image or extracted document fields.
Start authenticating documents today
Protect your business from document fraud with automated identity verification