Residence Permit Verification 101: All You Need To Know To Detect Fraud

A residence permit is a document that allows a non-citizen to live in a country either for a fixed or an indefinite length of time. 

Regardless of their country of origin, there are temporary and permanent residence permits.

The definitive trait of this type of document is that it can only be granted for a limited period of time, normally up to 3 years. It is also almost always tied to a specific purpose of stay, which could be employment, education, family reunion, or even humanitarian reasons.

On the contrary, a permanent residence permit, such as the famous United States Green Card, grants indefinite residency rights. Holders of these permits can live and work in the issuing country without needing periodic renewals. That said, there are certain conditions, such as maintaining residence, that must be met to avoid revocation.

Many associate residence permits with something that resembles an identification card, and they are not wrong. However, this is just one of a few possible forms they can take.

Let’s break down the most common forms of residence permits:

Also referred to as an electronic residence permit, this is the most common form of residence permit in developed countries. They come in the form of an ID-like document and are typically made of polycarbonate or PVC for durability. On top of that, they boast a wide range of security features like RFID chips, holograms, microtext, UV features, and more.

Some nations still issue paper-based permits, typically in the form of booklets or large certificates. What makes them somewhat appealing, especially in regions like Africa, is their cost-effectiveness and suitability for low-tech environments. They do still have some security features like watermarks, embossed stamps, or ink seals.

At the same time, unsurprisingly, the lack of biometric integration makes them more susceptible to fraud.

Some countries opt for visa-style stickers affixed to passport pages to act as residence permits. And the similarities don’t end there—all the security elements used for visa verification (like OVI or government stamps) are also often found in such residence permits.

Now considered a mostly obsolete form, countries like Germany used to have it in circulation all the way until 2021, but they eventually made a step towards a biometric residence permit.

There are many scenarios, from travel to work, in which local authorities or other authorized persons may need to verify a residence permit. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones:

• Crossing international borders: Similarly to visa verification, border services routinely inspect residence permits for authenticity to prevent illegal entry into the country.

• Employee and student vetting: Employers and universities also check a candidate’s residency permit against government databases. Otherwise, they may face heavy fines and legal repercussions for accepting people with questionable immigration status.

• Opening a bank account: Financial institutions are legally required to verify residence permits when opening accounts for foreigners as part of AML and KYC protocols.

• Handling taxation: Tax authorities may require proof of residency to determine tax obligations and eligibility for certain deductions or credits.

• Renting accommodation: Landlords now more and more often verify residence permits before signing rental agreements with a foreigner.

• Accessing various social services: When foreign nationals apply for access to public healthcare systems, for example, their residence permit may also see a verification check.

• Being randomly inspected: An immigration officer may occasionally verify residence permits as part of selected checking procedures.

What makes forging a residency permit very difficult are the countless security elements the document is equipped with. What’s more, governments and manufacturers are always adding new ones—and verification experts are there to keep track of every one of them. 

The exact combination of these elements varies from country to country. In this section, we’ll take a look at some of the most common layers of security—and, for a more comprehensive list, feel free to visit our glossary.

This type of fluorescent ink comes alive under ultraviolet (UV) light—most commonly, it’s used to create hidden texts, symbols, or patterns. For accurate residence permit verification, UV elements should appear crisp, and their intensity should match across the document. Overly bright or dim fluorescence can indicate forgery.

OVI is a type of high-security ink that changes color (e.g., green to gold or green to purple) when viewed from different angles; it is often used to highlight critical symbols or text. Just like many other protection methods on this list, OVI is patented and virtually inaccessible to counterfeiters who rely on commercially available inks.

Similarly to OVI, holograms are designed to exhibit smooth, multi-color transitions that shift as the angle of view changes. There are multiple variants of holograms: 

• 2D/3D holograms: These create a three-dimensional appearance using two-dimensional layers—a common example is having a holographic reproduction of the cardholder’s photo.

• Kinetic holograms: These produce a motion-like effect when tilted; for example, a kinetic hologram might show a government seal that seems to rotate or morph into another image depending on the angle.

• Rainbow holograms: These display extremely specific, multi-colored effects when exposed to light.

• Hidden image holograms: These contain images or patterns visible only under specific conditions, e.g., magnification.

MRZ is a standardized text area printed at the bottom of a residency permit or a passport, designed to be read by optical scanners. It encodes key information about the holder and the document, such as name, nationality, date of birth, document number, and expiry date in a specific format.

RFID chips serve as secure storage of vital data when scanned by a compatible reader. As an overall technological improvement over magnetic strips or barcodes, they boast higher data capacity and tamper resistance. Not to mention, they make biometric residence permit verification much easier.

Similar to biometric passports, the chips in electronic residence permits follow a structured logic, storing various data types—such as basic personal information, fingerprints, and facial images—in separate files. 

However, the Document Signer (DS) certificate, which digitally signs the chip's data files, is specifically tailored for residence permits. This also requires specific Country Signing Certificate Authority (CSCA) certificates for verification—a challenge your IDV solution must address. By the way, Regula Document Reader SDK fully supports the authentication of electronic residence permits using CSCA and DS certificates.

Microprinting means embedding text so small that it can appear as a solid line to the naked eye instead of text. To verify documents with microprinting, experts would use at least 10x magnification and check the uniformity of the text. Fakes, on the other hand, often show breaks or blurring under close inspection.

There are some scenarios where residence permit verification gets borderline impossible without proper equipment or an up-to-date database. Be wary of the following:

Some residence permits, when issued by less centralized systems, may have no standardized template available for reference. This can make even experienced verifiers struggle to confirm the authenticity of certain design elements.

For such cases, there are extensive databases like Regula’s database with over 14,600 document templates covering 251 countries and territories. Checking against this registry will help you find fakes.

The evolution of official documents is a natural and neverending process. This means there may always be different series of the same document circulating at the same time—another challenge. 

Criminals may exploit this by forging a more outdated and primitive version of a residence permit, knowing that it may be harder to cross-reference. To battle this, you should take the guesswork out of the verification process and make use of advanced document readers with access to an updated database.

Many residence permits across the world boast unique scripture (e.g., non-Latin alphabets) that can easily be misinterpreted during verification. 

This is another reason why you should consider using automated document readers or ID verification software—even the most experienced human verifiers cannot be expected to read in all existing writing systems.

Lastly, expired or revoked permits are not always physically retrieved from the holder. As long as they appear valid upon visual inspection, there’s room for fraudulent usage.

This can present a problem even in areas with high mutual integration like the EU. At the moment, there are not many universal live databases that would track such nuanced status changes.

With so many security elements to keep track of, it may seem as though residence permit verification is an overwhelmingly complex procedure. However, with the right equipment by your side, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

For on-site verification at places like customs or bank offices, there are advanced document readers that can handle authentication, verification, and validation of residence permits under different light modes. They can come in all shapes and sizes—kiosks, desktop workstations, portable handheld devices, and more.

As for remote residence permit verification, make use of innovative software solutions such as Regula Document Reader SDK. It can easily integrate with your existing mobile or web applications and process images of residence permits, verifying their real presence (liveness) and authenticity. More specifically, the software identifies the document type, extracts all the necessary information, and confirms whether the document is genuine.

Regardless of the format, you will need a document template database to read and validate residence permits from almost any country of origin. For instance, Regula’s database boasts over 14,600 document templates covering 251 countries and territories.