Passport Verification API: A Necessity For Digital-First Businesses
Carrying out business with an enterprise requires the user’s identity to be verified for legitimacy. Prior to onboarding a new customer or allowing the user to operate, private business institutions must conduct a document verification procedure to ensure the person/user is who they claim to be. Passport verification API is a software mechanism that facilitates verifying a person’s passport for such applications.
What Is Passport Verification API?
A passport is considered one of the most reliable sources of an individual’s personal information. Passport verification API is designed to confirm the identity of an individual by verifying his/her personal information present on the passport. It does so by checking the personal information of the candidate against valid databases for accuracy.
Passport validation APIs are mostly essential for enterprises conducting business with overseas customers or those partnering with cross-border businesses. Inconsistencies in the information indicate the manipulation of personal data.
In addition, human resources departments can hugely benefit from integrating passport number verification APIs into their employee screening & onboarding process flow. This can help them verify the details of international employees or consultants through their passports.
How To Verify Passports With Passport Validation API?
Passports contain an MRZ code that spans two-three lines. MRZ or the machine-readable zone of the passport & contains the personal details of the individual in a concise form. It contains information regarding the holder’s name, nationality, date of birth, passport number, gender as well as the date of expiration of the ID.
The OCR technology used in the API uses artificial intelligence to extract data from the uploaded passport image & converts it to code to find a match in the database within minimal time.
A typical KYC verification API for validating passports works as follows:
Step 1: The user uploads a digital copy of his/her passport on the verification portal
Step 2: The passport verification API extracts the personal details present in the passport through OCR.
Step 3: The API matches the extracted data with those present on validated sources.
Step 4: If the details are a match, client KYC is accepted
Post successful completion of passport verification, businesses can get the user to authenticate contracts or sign agreements & begin operating.
How Does The Passport Verification API Work?
Like most other APIs, the passport verification API utilizes a request-response mechanism. Once integrated into a business’s onboarding process, the API will request certain information.
This information is either provided by the client being onboarded or extracted from the front and back pages of the client’s passport.
The most frequently used APIs for the passport verification process include the following:
-
Passport Verification (Only) API
This API takes the client’s Date of Birth (DOB) and passport file number as the request. These details are used to retrieve the following pre-validated information –
- Name
- Passport number
- DOB
- Gender
- Address
- Place of Birth
- Passport expiration date
-
Passport Extraction (Only) API
This API uses OCR to read the front and back of the passport and extracts the following information –
- Name
- Passport number
- DOB
- Gender
- Address
- Place of Birth
- Passport expiration date
-
Passport Extraction & Verification API
The full passport verification API extracts client details from the front and back of the passport, verifies these details against standard databases, and returns the following validated details as its response –
- Name
- Passport number
- DOB
- Gender
- Address
- Place of Birth
- Passport expiration date
The verification is performed using data aggregate match algorithms and verifies KYC data with a high success rate.
Why Is It Important To Verify Passports?
Businesses can leverage passport verification APIs to set up a seamless verification & onboarding process flow. SignDesk’s passport verification API is easy to integrate & delivers quick results with a fast verification workflow.
Some of the advantages businesses can expect from integrating passport validation API into their onboarding process are:
- Prevents Financial Fraud: Verifying a customer/client’s background is the primary step to mitigating the risk of fraud. Passport verification APIs ensure the person is claiming the right identity & help businesses stay away from fraudulent transactions.
- Assures Accurate Verification: Utilizing APIs to check customers’ passports ensures the personal information provided on the passport is not tampered with. Firms can steer clear of individuals who try to get into their systems through fraudulent activities like identity theft.
- Improves Operational Reach: Implementing a KYC process with passport verification enables businesses to expand their operations. It allows them to eliminate physical constraints & function across boundaries.
- Facilitates Remote Verification & Onboarding: Onboarding international clients or customers becomes easier through APIs designed to carry out passport verification processes remotely.
- Ensures Compliance With Regulations: Aside from the above benefits, enterprises can remain compliant with national & international regulatory authorities through accurate verification of their partner/customers’ passports.
Experience Speed & Accuracy With SignDesk’s Passport Verification API
Passport OCR API acts as an effective tool when businesses require to verify the genuineness of a person i.e., client, customer, vendor, employee, etc., for customer due diligence purposes. The API offers a quicker & more efficient method for firms to perform user verification procedures, helping them expedite onboarding.
Passport verification API offers enterprises an automated solution that can scan & verify passports with fast turnaround. SignDesk’s digital KYC software has an API developed to check passports through optical character recognition (OCR) technology.
Businesses can integrate this Indian passport verification API to expedite their onboarding & screening process flows. Get in touch with our KYC verification experts to know how video KYC integrated with APIs for passport verification can solve challenges that arrive with passport verification.