Stay compliant and onboard customers faster in Benin

Country overview
Country overview
Benin is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA). Companies looking to digitally onboard customers and verify identities in Benin are expected to adhere to local and international KYC regulations.
- Official language
- French
- Population with ID
- 46%
- Currency
- West African CFA Franc
Regulatory overview
Regulatory overview
KYC/AML regulations
AML/KYC regulations in Benin are enforced by a number of regulators including the
- Cellule Nationale de Traitement des Informations Financières (CENTIF), and the
- Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO)
The primary KYC/AML regulation in Benin is the Law on the Prevention and Repression of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism in Benin (Law No. 2018-04).
Data protection regulations
The Autorité de Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel (APDP) enforces Benin’s data protection laws which are encoded in Law No. 2017-20.
Data controllers and processors must obtain customers’ consent before processing and transferring personal data. Users also have a right to request the deletion of their personal data which must be done within 45 days of the user’s request.

Accurately verify users in Benin
Stay compliant, prevent fraud and streamline your user verification process for customers across Africa with Smile ID. Verify users with confidence with:
The most extensive ID coverage on the continent
99.8% recognition accuracy for faces of all skin tones
A solution that is compatible with any device
Verify Beninese using ID documents
Verifying users with ID documents and biometric face matching is one of the most reliable ways to determine a user's true identity. Our ID document verification solution checks that an ID document is authentic, accurately transcribes the text on the document and compares a user-submitted selfie to the document image.
Transcribes document text with 96% accuracy
Checks for accurate format
Identifies tampered and forged documents
Verifies security features

Scan your document
Our image capture tool guides users to take clear photos even with older devices.

Smile for a selfie
We ensure a real user is behind the camera by asking them to smile to test for liveness.

Get real-time results
In a few seconds, we will confirm the document is authentic and belongs to the user.

Documents we verify in Benin
Give users the flexibility to verify their identity using any of the following ID documents. All we need is a document photo and a selfie.
Benin National Identity Card
The Benin National ID, issued by the Agence Nationale de la Identification (ANI), is the most popular ID type in the country. All adult citizens are expected to have it.
Benin Voter Identity Card
The Benin Voter Identity Card, issued by the Commission Électorale Nationale Autonome (CENA), is used as a form of identification during elections and can be used for identity verification.
Benin Passport
Passports issued by the Benin Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation can be used to verify local identities.
Benin Driver’s License
Although not a popular ID type, driver’s licenses issued by the Centre Nationale de Securite Routiere (CNSR) can also be used for identity verification purposes.
Benin Resident Card
Resident cards are issued by Direction Générale de la Police Républicaine (DPAF) to legal non-citizen residents in the country and can be used to verify their identities.
Benin ECOWAS ID
The Ecowas ID can be used as an ID document by citizens of ECOWAS member states that are residents or traveling through Benin.
All-in-one KYC/AML provider
Our identity verification solutions cater to various use cases, ensuring secure and compliant onboarding processes for businesses across industries.
Document Verification
Accurately verify customers anywhere
AML Check
Automated screening for AML compliance
Government Check
Access 20 government ID databases.
Biometric Authentication
Safeguard your users at key points of transactions.
Business Verification
Find reliable business records in seconds
Fraud Prevention
Automatically spot anomalies to prevent fraud on your platform.
Bank Account Verification
Easily confirm bank account ownership
Phone Number Verification
Verify over 140 million phone number records
Ready to get started?
We are equipped to help you level up your KYC/AML compliance stack. Our team is ready to understand your needs, answer questions, and set up your account.