The Department of Internal Affairs

Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs

Building a safe, prosperous and respected nation



 

Identity Check

Updated: 20 November 2023

What is Identity Check?

Identity Check is a safe and secure online identity verification service, developed by Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs.

Identity Check works by confirming the identity information provided by a user online against the New Zealand Passport or Driver Licence databases.

Hospitality New Zealand and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) are currently using the service.

Hospitality New Zealand is using Identity Check to help applicants confirm their identity when they apply online for Hospitality New Zealand’s Kiwi Access Card.

MSD is using Identity Check as a method new clients can opt to use to confirm their identity when they apply online for financial assistance.

Why was it developed?

Identity Check has been developed to make it easier for people to safely verify their identity online, often a first step in accessing a service.

The benefits of Identity Check include improved access to services and protection against fraud and identity theft.

How does it work?

  1. On websites where Identity Check is available, people can log in, apply to access an online service or start an application as normal.
  2. They will be redirected to the Identity Check secure page, where they'll be guided through entering their details and having a live photo taken using the camera on their phone or computer.
  3. The information and images are then compared against the person’s New Zealand Passport or New Zealand Driver Licence information.
  4. If the identity check is successful, that person will receive a notification stating that their identity has been verified.

Our Department is constantly monitoring the performance of the service and making improvements as needed. Recent data from users of Identity Check in the Hospitality New Zealand website show the service has a success rate of over 90%.

How does Identity Check protect the private information of its users?

The service protects the private information of its users in several ways.

The service is designed to automatically compare an image provided against the relevant image held in the New Zealand Passport or Driver Licence databases.

Neither Hospitality New Zealand nor MSD are permitted access to the user’s passport or driver licence information.

Instead, the organisations receive a confirmation that the information provided matches the information held in the passport or driver licence database.

Using Identity Check also means people no longer need to carry around physical copies of important identity documents, which can get lost or stored in a way make them vulnerable to theft and misuse.

For more information on how Identity Check works and how it keeps your information safe, read the Identity Check Privacy Impact Assessment below:

Go to Identity Policy