eKYC

Electronic ID (eKYC) is an automated verification check that instantly confirms a user's identity by cross-referencing their provided information (e.g., name, DOB, national ID number) against official government authorities, credit bureaus and telco databases.

This check is designed to meet strict regulatory requirements and prevent fraud by validating that a user's data (e.g., name, DOB, national ID number) matches what is on file with government authorities, credit bureaus and telco databases. By combining eKYC checks with SEON’s 900+ unique fraud signals, you can not only fulfill compliance obligations but also gain deeper insights into the user's true intent and risk profile.

eKYC checks are performed in real time by making a secure call to the relevant government database API.

1. Data collection: Your application collects the user's personal information, such as their full name, date of birth and the relevant national ID number (e.g., SSN, CPF, BVN).

2. API request: The collected data is sent to SEON, which securely submits it to the official government database for the selected country and ID type.

3. Database verification: The government database attempts to match the provided data against its official records.

4. Unified verification results: A final result (SUCCESS or FAILED) is returned in real time and is available in the unified verification results via webhook and in SEON.

SEON supports eKYC checks across a growing number of countries and ID types.

• Instant customer onboarding: Onboard users in seconds by instantly verifying their identity against government records, creating a frictionless and secure sign-up experience.
• Financial services compliance: Meet stringent KYC and AML requirements for opening bank accounts, crypto wallets or other financial products by using official database checks.
• High-assurance identity proofing: Use eKYC as a high-assurance verification step for users in supported countries, providing the strongest level of identity confirmation.
• Data pre-fill and error correction: Use the data returned from a successful eKYC check to automatically pre-fill or correct user information in your system, ensuring data accuracy.

To ensure the highest possible match rates and a smooth user experience, follow these best practices:

• Collect full name and DOB: Always collect the user's full name and date of birth before sending their ID number. Partial data significantly reduces match rates.
• Sanitize input: Before submitting data to the API, strip any special characters, dashes or spaces from the ID number and validate that it conforms to the expected format.
• Handle timeouts gracefully: In the rare event that a government database service is down or times out, have a fallback process in place, such as prompting the user to try again later or escalating the case for manual review.

eKYC checks are initiated via the SEON API. You will send a request containing the user's data and the desired eKYC check type.

The results are returned in the API response and are also available via webhooks, allowing you to automate your decisioning workflows.

For detailed instructions on how to call the eKYC API, please refer to the API Reference documentation.