Non-document verification

Confirming an identity from bureau or government records rather than a photo of an ID.

For example, a lender might ask for a name, date of birth, and ID number, then check them against a credit bureau record. The applicant never uploads a document.

Matching submitted attributes, typically name, date of birth, and a government ID number, against records held by a credit bureau or government database, without ever capturing an image of the document itself.

A typical check follows these steps:

1. The applicant enters their details, such as name, date of birth, address, and a government ID number.
2. The service queries one or more data sources, such as credit bureaus or government databases.
3. The service compares the submitted details with the records it receives and scores how well they match.
4. A strong match approves the applicant. A weak match triggers an extra check, such as a document and selfie flow.

The records come from sources that hold reliable attribute data. Some are authoritative, meaning they are the issuer of the record or have direct access to it, such as a motor vehicle agency. Others are credible, meaning they combine data from several sources and keep it accurate and current under regulatory oversight, as credit bureaus do.

Non-document verification sits next to terms that are easy to mix up:

• Identity verification (IDV) is the broader process, and a record check is one kind of evidence it can use.
• Document verification inspects an ID image for authenticity, while non-document verification never captures one.
• Government source-of-truth validation checks a claimed identity directly against a government record, which is one form of non-document verification.
• Knowledge-based authentication draws on the same kinds of records to ask the person questions, which is a different technique.