Identity documents may contain standardized personal information, machine-readable zones, barcodes, electronic chips, and other security elements. Also, many identity documents have special security properties that can only be recognized and verified under special light sources and equipment. These security elements help to establish the authenticity of a document and link it to its owner. However, with the thousands of diverse documents and corresponding security elements, manual checks may lose in quality when a document is verified with the naked eye.
Automatic Identity Document Authentication
For decades, Regula has been researching forensics and enriching its knowledge about diverse ID documents. Regula’s forensics experts thoroughly examine security elements with the help of Regula professional devices.
Regula has an extensive knowledge of what security elements should look like, based not only on new shiny samples, but also on real, even frayed documents, so that all possible IDs can be easily verified, and even the most sophisticated fraud can be promptly detected.
To streamline the verification process, Regula Document Reader SDK automatically configures a set of necessary checks, depending on the type of identity document being examined, and the security features in it. During the verification process, the solution:
- Checks document liveness including hologram verification, screenshot detection, MLI (Multiple Laser Image) and OVI (Optical Variable Ink) via mobile applications
- Automatically detects the document type using the database of supported IDs
- Reads and verifies MRZ/CAN
- Performs lexical analysis of the obtained information
- Verifies country codes for existence and correctness
- Validates dates for correctness (expiry date, validity, format, age check, DOI vs DOE relation etc.)
- Detects deprecated documents
- Validates static text
- Validates document number format
- Verifies perforated text fields
- Reads and verifies quantity of barcodes in a document, format, and size
- Reads and verifies embedded RFID chip via smartphones and passport readers with NFC module
- Checks data presence in the mandatory fields on the data page
- Checks the presence and position of the main and secondary photo
- Checks LASINK portrait printing technology
- Cross-compares data from MRZ vs. Viz OCR vs. Barcode vs. RFID chip to ensure data integrity and consistency
- Automatically performs cross-comparison and lexical analysis of the obtained information. The technology immediately detects if there are a Zero (0) passport number or stop-words SPECIMEN, MUSTERMAN, etc.
- Validates check digits of document number(personal number) calculated by specific algorithms
Exceed Authentication with Extra Automatic Checks
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Hologram detection
Check whether an identity document has a hologram and if it’s in the proper place in the document and matches reference images under different angles.
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IPI presence check
Easily detect counterfeit documents with automatic validation of Invisible Personal Information (IPI), which detects the presence of IPI in the image in a specific area: the portrait.
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Photo check
Automatically verify the number of faces (portraits), including ghost and UV visible portraits present on the document and their exact position via specific face landmarks where applicable. Face absence is verified in specific places of the document where it should not be present.
Portrait comparison
Ensure the person is the same in different photos. Compare a portrait to another reference photo from the printed portrait, RFID chip, selfie from web or mobile device, and/or an external portrait from your database.
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Extended validation of MRZ
Extended checks of the MRZ based on the world’s largest database of identity document templates allows validation of background, resolution, size, font spacing, line position, and more parameters
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Extended validation of textual data
Check size, lines and character positions, alignment, background, and other elements of textual information to ensure a document is genuine.
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Barcode format check
Ensure a barcode (1D/2D) is inherent to a specific document, has proper technical and physical parameters, is correctly located in the document, and contains the correct data. The solution knows what barcode type should be present, what data it should include and how barcode data should be recorded in every single identity document. Thus, if there are any inconsistencies (wrong type of barcode in a particular passport, incorrect date, invalid country code, etc.), the solution notifies about it.
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Document pattern check
Run an image pattern presence/absence check (e.g., position, shape, color) for documents that have this security feature. Compare it to the reference pattern image from Regula’s reference database.
Authenticity Checks Under Light Sources
When document verification is performed by special devices (readers), additional light sources allow the AAC to incorporate a more in-depth set of checks: additional cross check of a luminescent text with the data from the MRZ, barcode and visual zone, and an additional document pattern check under ultraviolet (UV) and infrared lights (IR).
Using Regula hardware, you can perform extra document authentication with precise optical checks. The passport readers and forensic devices allow you to capture document images in a controlled environment in high resolution and in different light sources (such as IR, UV, coaxial light, etc.), and help you to authenticate as many security elements as possible to ensure that the ID is authentic.
Checks available for passport readers and forensic devices:
- UV dull paper check
- Checking MRZ print contrast in compliance with IR B900 ink
- Checking image patterns visible in normal, IR and UV light
- Checking luminescence of UV security fibers
- Detection of false luminescence
- Detection of OVD and OVI
- Checking photo embedding type
- Checking IR visibility and transparency of specific elements
- Reading luminescent text
- Checking retroreflective protection
BSI TR-03135 and ICAO 9303 Compliant
Normally, the document authentication process is automated and expected to be done under guidelines that include requirements for document inspection and describe the procedures for a full-featured check on modern machine-readable (electronic) identity and travel documents.
There are two core documents that regulate the process. One is the Technical Guideline BSI TR-03135, which was formulated by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in collaboration with the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Federal Police (BPOL).
This guideline is considered to be the first document of its kind, and is reflected in ICAO Document 9303 about machine-readable travel documents (MRTDs) as the basis of document authenticity check routines. Both guides cover all types of passports and IDs, but they are applicable only for travel documents and do not regulate other identity documents such as domestic passports, various ID cards, driver’s licenses or, for example, voter cards. However, these guidelines are widely used in other industries where identity document authentications are required but not regulated. Moreover, BSI TR-03135 Part 1 defines the logging format for the document authentication process, and should be implemented by an IDV vendor.
Regula Technology Highlights
With Regula’s extensive expertise in forensics, as well as cooperation with border controls, security agencies such as Interpol, Europol, ICAO, and businesses, Regula Document Reader SDK delivers deep identity document analysis.
The detailed knowledge and detailed descriptions of diverse identity documents and their security parameters makes it possible to execute advanced authenticity checks in addition to basic verification.
- ICAO 9303 and BSI TR-03135 compliant
- Fully automated technology with a set of thorough ID legitimacy checks, such as data cross-check from visual zone, MRZ, barcode, as well as static pattern and dynamic content check under UV, IR and white lights, photo replacement detection, and more
- Customization of the necessary checks depending on the type of identity document being examined and the security features in it
- Support of AAMVA, the North American standard for driver’s licenses and ID cards
- Conversion of dates into local formats and transliteration of names, if needed
- Backed up by the world’s largest document template database—over 12,500 templates of IDs issued in 247 countries and territories
- On-premises / on-device solution—data is never transferred to third-party services
- Works offline—document authentication can be performed even with no internet access
- Strict compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and other regulations regarding personal data
Areas of Application
More Regula Technologies
One check is never enough when it comes to identity document authentication. Interconnected Regula in-house technologies and 30-year forensic expertise come together to ensure a high level of speed and accuracy when it comes to identity document authentication. They thoroughly examine every detail in every ID, cross-checking all the data to spot any illegal alterations. Learn more about what’s under the hood of the comprehensive identity verification that Regula solutions provide.
Barcode reading
Face matching
Document liveness detection
Face liveness detection
MRZ reading
OCR
Document type identification
Active authenticity control
