Identity Document (ID Document)

An identity document (ID document) is an official document, typically issued by a government agency, that serves as proof of a person's identity. These documents establish various details about an individual, including their name, date of birth, nationality, photograph, and sometimes additional information like address.

Common Examples of Identity Documents

• Passports

Issued by national governments, passports are official travel documents that facilitate international movement and confirm a person's nationality and identity.

• National ID Cards

Issued by government agencies, national ID cards verify an individual's citizenship and identity within a specific country. They are often used for domestic purposes like identification, voting, or accessing government services.

• Driver's Licenses

Issued by government agencies, driver's licenses primarily serve as permits to operate motor vehicles. However, they often include an individual's photograph and other identifying information, functioning as a secondary form of identification in many countries.

Examples of Identity Documents in Major African Countries

• North Africa

  • Algeria: Carte Nationale d'Identité (National Identity Card)
  • Egypt: National ID Card (بطاقة الرقم القومي, Buṭāqah ar-Raqam al-Qawmy)
  • Morocco: Carte d'identité Nationale (National Identity Card)
  • Tunisia: Carte d'Identité Nationale (National Identity Card)

• West Africa

  • Ghana: Ghana Card (National Identity Card)
  • Nigeria: National Identification Number (NIN) and National Identity Card
  • Senegal: Carte Nationale d'Identité (National Identity Card)
  • Côte d'Ivoire:  National Identity card

• East Africa

  • Ethiopia: National ID Card
  • Kenya: National Identification Card (Huduma Card)
  • Rwanda: National Identification Card (Carte d'Identité Nationale)
  • Tanzania: National Identification Card (NIDA)

• Central Africa

  • Cameroon: Carte Nationale d'Identité (National Identity Card)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo: Carte d'Électeur (Voter's Card)

• Southern Africa

  • South Africa: Green ID Book (Identity Document)
  • Zambia: Zambian Identity Card INational Identity Card) 

Smile ID: Verifying Identities Worldwide

Smile ID is a leading provider of digital identity verification solutions. Our advanced technology can verify over 8,500 identity documents from 226 countries and territories worldwide, including the identity documents mentioned above from various African nations.

We leverage cutting-edge document verification techniques, including:

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Extracting text data from identity documents.
• Document Authenticity Checks: Verifying the document's legitimacy to prevent fraud.
• Facial Recognition (with Liveness Detection): Matching the user's face to the photograph on the identity document and ensuring the user is a real person presenting a valid document.

More Capabilities

Biometric KYC for Identity Documents

Beyond document verification, Smile ID offers biometric authentication solutions that utilise facial recognition technology and direct data access to certain countries' databases. This allows us to perform direct lookups and verify identities with high accuracy.

Multiple Identity Verification Options

With just an ID card and a few other details, we can perform a variety of identity verification options, including:

• Document Verification: Ensuring the authenticity of the ID document.
• Biometric KYC: Matching facial features to the ID photo.
• Database Lookup: Accessing government databases for direct identity verification.

By incorporating Smile ID's solutions, organisations can

• Streamline User Onboarding: Expediting the identity verification process for users from around the globe.
• Enhance Security: Mitigating the risk of fraudulent identity usage through robust document and facial verification.
• Comply with Regulations: Supporting adherence to KYC/AML regulations in various jurisdictions.

Why Use Smile ID’s Document Verification Solution?

• Local Expertise, Global Reach

Smile ID has a strong presence across major African markets. This local understanding allows us to quickly adapt to changes in ID formats and regulations, ensuring our solutions remain effective and protect your business interests.

• Built for Africa

Our automated document verification solution is specifically designed to address the unique challenges of the African continent. It tackles issues like capturing clear images on older devices and keeping pace with frequent ID updates.

• Unmatched Coverage

Smile ID's document verification solution verifies over 8,500 ID types from 226 countries globally. We guarantee coverage of at least 3 ID types in all 52 African nations.

• Accuracy You Can Trust

Eliminate manual data entry errors with our Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology. It boasts an impressive 96% accuracy in transcribing text from ID documents.

• Human Expertise at Your Fingertips

Every document verification is backed by a real-time human review process, guaranteed within 3 minutes, and included at no additional cost.

Conclusion

Identity documents play a critical role in establishing and verifying a person's identity. Understanding the different types of ID documents used in major African countries, along with Smile ID's capabilities for verifying identities worldwide, helps businesses create secure and inclusive digital identity solutions.

Curious about our Document Verification Product? Check it out here. Looking to learn more about document verification? Speak to one of our experts here.