Authenticate Any ID Document, Instantly

Document verification is the process of confirming that an identity document is authentic, unaltered and belongs to the person presenting it. It is the bedrock of identity verification and KYC — if the document is forged, every downstream check is built on sand.

One Constellation inspects each document in real time for the security features genuine IDs carry — fonts, layouts, holograms, microprint, and the machine-readable zone (MRZ) — and flags tampering, photo substitution and template forgeries. Data is extracted with OCR and cross-checked for internal consistency, then passed straight into biometric and screening steps.

No major AML regime prescribes a particular technology, but they converge on the same test. FATF Recommendation 10 requires firms to verify a customer's identity using reliable, independent source documents, data or information. The UK Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (regulation 28) and Singapore's MAS Notice 626 apply the same standard, and the US Customer Identification Program rule lets banks verify identity through documents, non-documentary methods or both — see database verification.

Where onboarding happens remotely, regulators also expect firms to manage the higher risk of non-face-to-face relationships, typically by pairing document authentication with biometric checks or an additional independent data source. FATF's 2020 Guidance on Digital Identity explains how the assurance levels of digital identity systems map to these customer due diligence requirements.

Two practical consequences follow. First, a firm must be able to show how a document was judged genuine, not just that it was accepted, so check results and images belong in the customer record — kept for at least five years under FATF Recommendation 11, longer where local law requires. Second, a document check is one control within customer due diligence, not the whole of it: screening, risk assessment and ongoing monitoring still apply.