With document verification, an entity confirms the validity of an official document, often as part of identity verification processes.
Document verification practices are not a new security measure, though they continue to evolve for the digital age with the help of automated identify verification solutions that work much more quickly and efficiently than manual checks.
What is Document Verification?
Document verification is the process of confirming the validity of an official document. This process can be used to verify birth certificates, insurance agreements, passwords, driver’s licenses, and other types of contracts or certificates.
The person or system responsible for viewing the document will ensure it meets the right guidelines and has the proper formatting as set by the relevant authorities. The reviewer will compare the document presented to them with a stored reference to look for any inconsistencies.
For example, all driver’s licenses for a given state will have consistent design and formatting, and anything that deviates from the expected layout and contents may not be validated.
Purpose of Document Verification
The main purpose of document verification is to prevent fraud and identity theft. Organizations rely on stringent document verification to support identity verification practices, ensuring people are who they claim to be when signing up for a new account, attending an appointment, making a large purchase, etc.
Types of Document Verification
The document verification process can occur over a few different formats. Whether in-person or online, the general steps of the verification process are the same, as we’ll cover below. Here is a quick overview of the different types of document verification, including the pros and cons of each method.
In-person verification
Documents may be verified in person, where a human reviewer collects a person’s physical ID, passport, etc. and scans it to verify its authenticity. Depending on the purpose for the verification, the reviewer may compare the photo shown in the document with the person presenting it to confirm their identity.
This is the traditional method for verifying documents which relies on the reviewer’s expertise and familiarity with the document’s security features.
Pros
The benefit of this method is that the reviewer can physically inspect the document in person. This makes it easier to spot formatting errors or missing security features when a fraudster attempts to replicate or spoof the document.
Additionally, this method is not dependent on technology like some of the other approaches. This means it’s highly accessible for teams that may not have secure technology or the appropriate systems to collect and inspect digital copies of documents with high levels of accuracy.
Cons
Despite being the traditional approach, there are a few drawbacks to in-person document verification checks. For starters, it’s heavily reliant on human expertise, bias, and judgement and more prone to errors if the reviewer misses a red flag or is unaware of what to look for.
It’s also quite resource intensive, as the organization’s ability to process document verifications depends on the reviewer’s availability and processing speed. This means it’s not a very scalable practice, which may be a hindrance to organizations as they grow.
Digital verification
There’s also a method organizations can use where individuals upload digital copies of their documents for a reviewer to assess, possibly at a different time and location. This is similar to the above method, except that the documents are presented in a digital format rather than in person.
To verify the person’s identity, the individual may need to upload a selfie or short video of their face for the reviewer to compare agains the uploaded document.
Pros
Organizations using this method like that it gives reviewers and customers or account holders the flexibility to upload and review documents at their convenience. Individuals don’t need to visit a physical location during regular business hours to present their documents.
At the same time, it still relies on the human reviewer’s unique experience and knowledge, without being fully reliant on digital technology.
Cons
Digital verifications, while more convenient than doing so in person, are still completed with manual checks. So, it’s still not as efficient or boasts the same accuracy as an automated system.
This method may also be more costly for teams to implement, as they must adopt a secure platform where users can submit their documents. Plus, not all users feel comfortable uploading their documents to a digital platform.
Automated verification
Rather than manually reviewing and verifying documents, either online or in person, organizations might implement an automated document verification system to handle the process.
This way, individuals who need to submit documents for verification can upload a copy to the system as prompted, which will then scan the file and compare it against a stored database of reference documents to assess its validity.
Such solutions rely on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to verify documents without human involvement.
Pros
Reviewing organizations might like this method for both efficiency benefits and higher accuracy rates. This is especially the case for those that need to process a large volume of documents.
These systems give teams the freedom to focus on more strategic work, and less on routine document processing taks.
Plus, individuals who are having their documents verified can enjoy a much quicker process, as they don’t have to wait for a human reviewer to become available.
Cons
Automated systems can be cost-prohibitive, depending on the specific platform and the organization’s budgetary requirements.
While these platforms can be quite accurate at standard document checks, they’re not completely perfect, and there is a margin of error that’s to be expected.
Common Document Verification Use Cases
As discussed throughout, document verification practices are commonplace across all industries and in both personal and professional settings. Here are some of the common use cases you may come across:
- Travel: A traveler’s passport, visa, or ID card will be verified when going through airport security or checking into a hotel.
- Workplace: When being hired for a new job, candidates may need to present identity documents during the background check process.
- Financial Services: New customers will need to present their ID or passport to comply with KYC and AML regulations.
- Healthcare: When checking in for a doctor’s appointment, patients will present their insurance card and/or ID card for verification.
- Government Services: Those who are registering to vote may need to present their government-issued ID online or in person.