Frequently asked questions
Don't see an answer to your question? Please ask us!
How does it work?
Real ID uses computer vision and A.I. technologies to identify the authenticity of your customer's IDs based on several proprietary models.
Your customers are sent a unique URL to their mobile device by email or SMS. This link opens a secure connection to allow the customer to upload a photo of their ID.
Once we receive the image, our combination of OCR (optical recognition technology), and A.I. models will score the photos. If the score of confidence is above your accepted threshold, as well as pass any additional rules set up for your account, the overall result is considered a "pass".
While Real ID is designed to help verify that a user is physically present in front of a camera with a valid ID and detect spoof attacks, including those presented via images or videos, it's not infallible and may not detect all spoof attempts. Real ID provides a score of confidence of the likelihood of a valid ID and biometrics, with a pass or fail overall result based on a confidence threshold controlled by your and your staff within the app.
What kind of ID documents can Real ID recognize?
Real ID supports dozens of ID documents from hundreds of different countries. Supported documents include:
- Driver's Licenses
- Passports
- Residence Cards
- Commerically and nationally issued Health Insurance Cards
- Concealed Carry Licenses
Please see our supported documents page for a full list of all documents that Real ID can instantly recognize.
Don't see the card or country you need to verify? Let us know. We'd be happy to help.
How long does verification take?
The entire process can be completed in less than 30 seconds, assuming you have your ID on hand.
Real ID is built for eCommerce specifically, where speed is paramount especially if ID verification is required before or during checkout.
Real ID gives you and your team the ability to override ID verification results at any time as well.
How can I tell when a customer has completed or failed ID verification?
On Shopify, Real ID will automatically leave tags on customers and orders during the ID verification process. It will also update metafields on customers and orders as well to allow theme customizations in liquid depending on the customer's verification status.
On WooCommerce, Real ID will automatically update the customer's and order's meta as they progress through verification. Real ID will also create an ID verification column in your orders page for easy reference.
I don't want Real ID to send any ID checks automatically, can I choose which orders have ID verification?
Yes, all triggers are completely optional.
If you prefer to manually send out ID checks, just open the New ID Check page and select or manually type in the customer and their order.
Why would I want my customer to submit a headshot with their ID photo?
Real ID gives you the choice to enable facial recognition scanning in addition to the ID document photo.
It's an option for higher risk transactions to protect against the possibility of using a phyiscally stolen ID. By requiring a headshot of the ID document owner with the ID document, we can verify the photos match.
For example, even if a bad actor had possession of a stolen credit card and matching license - they would not be able to trick face matching to identify them.
It also helps prevent fraudlent chargebacks (a.k.a. "friendly fraud") by giving you even more hard evidence showing the customer intended to make the purchase.
How are the IDs and photos secured?
Real ID encrypts the connection from your customers mobile devices. This protects their data from being intercepted by bad actors.
You don't have to think about compliance, Real ID stores your customer's securely in our database in transit and at rest, and not on your own infrastructure.
You're always in control over what data you'd like to keep. Delete your customer's ID or headshot photos at any time in the app.
Are ID photos & data stored on my Shopify or WooCommerce store?
No, all customer data including photos & extracted details from the IDs are stored on Real ID's secure cloud. No PII (Personally Identifable Data) data is stored on your Shopify or WooCommerce store whatsoever. The only data stored on your store directly are the ID check statuses of each check, and the unique token that represents the customer's ID check. Please see the tags, metafields, notes & metadata to understand this data looks like.
When viewing ID data in the Real ID dashboard, you're only viewing short lived photos that are directly from the Real ID secure cloud, and not from Shopify or WooCommerce. Please see our Security & Privacy policies for more details.
You can also restrict ID check access to specific staff members by limiting the permissions of who can view ID check data.
If I receive a chargeback can I have a detailed report of an ID check for the dispute?
Yes, of course. Please contact us if you have a chargeback from a customer with an ID verified by Real ID.
Chargebacks from ID verified orders are extremely rare. ID verification alone is a strong deterrent for both real and fraudulent chargebacks.
In the unlikely event you'll still receive a chargeback from an ID verified customer, we'll generate a detailed report for you to include in your evidence for the chargeback dispute.
If your store is especially targeted by real of fraudulent chargebacks, we highly recommend enabling biometric (selfie) verification. Additionally you can also enable Proof of Address documentation as part of the customer ID check for additional evidence.
Why are customers emailed sent a link to a site idv.link?
idv.link is a shortened link for customers to submit their ID photos to. This shortened URL is designed specifically for SMS messages, because of the short character limit per message.
idv.link is associated with Real ID, it's just the default link for ID checks.
These links can be customized to match your website. For example, Real ID could verify your customers IDs at verify.yoursite.com, please contact us to get assistance setting up a white labeled link for better association with your brand.
How much does it cost?
We offer several different plans to meet your needs. See the pricing page for more details.
There are two parts to each plan, the monthly fee and the usage fees.
The monthly fee is a base flat amount that doesn't change from month to month. The usage fees are incurred per ID check.
The higher monthly plans unlock more features, as well as reduce the per ID check usage fees.
Both fees are listed for each plan on the pricing page.
Can I get a refund on completed or in progress ID checks?
Once a customer has submitted at least one photo for the ID check, it becomes non-refundable.
This still applies if the customer's photos are deleted after they've been submitted in the app.
My customer says they can't open their ID check. What should I do? We're happy to troubleshoot. Please contact us, or email us or chat with us in-app for support.
Can I get a refund on my monthly subscription fee?
We cannot refund monthly subscriptions outside of a billing period (30) window.
Can I delete my customers photos after they have been verified?
Protecting your customers privacy is very important to us. That's why we offer an option in any ID check to delete your customer's photos safely and permanently.
You can reassure your customers that their IDs will be wiped after they've verified their ID.
What kind of information can I see in the dashboard?
Real ID automatically reads the text on any given document. Depending on the level of detail the document provides you can expect to read data such as:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Address
- Age
- City
- State
- Issuing Country of the ID
- Issuing State of the ID
- Unique License or Document ID
Additionally you can use these pieces of information to verify that the customer is qualified for the purchase. Or that their billing & shipping information matches their ID.
Can I automatically require ID verification only on high risk orders?
Real ID offers a "sit and forget" customer verification process so you can require ID verification automatically on high risk orders.
You can enable rules to automatically trigger ID verification checks to your customers.
Total Order Price - depending on the amount of the total price of the order, you can trigger an ID check. Mistmatching Shipping to Billing Address - if an order's shipping and billing address do not match, it's a sign of potential credit card fraud. Real ID can automatically verify these orders. High risk - if an order is detected as medium or high risk by Shopify or other 3rd party anti-fraud apps, trigger an ID verification check. And many more options. Learn more here.
When is an ID check charged for?
ID checks are charged when the customer submits an ID photo and that ID is processed. The final automatic decision does not affect the charge.
If you have sent an ID check by mistake, you can approve or reject it manually to prevent the customer from uploading photos and incurring a charge.
If you have remember repeat customers enabled, then only ID checks will be sent to customers without the the ID verification completed or ID check manually approved tag.
To help prevent bad quality photos and failed checks, the customer must pass the ID and selfie autocapture. This helps guide the customer to taking a quality in focus photo of their ID.
If I turn on automatic ID checking, will repeat customers receive ID checks twice?
There's an additional setting in the dashboard that allows you to only require ID verification once from your repeat customers.
That way you can reduce friction even further and keep your trusted customers from having to do multiple ID checks.
I need to require my customer's signature for orders in addition to ID verification - can Real ID help?
Yes, easy & intuitive electronic signatures are available in Real ID. You can enable signature captures for ID verification checks. You'll be able to view and download your customers signatures right in the dashboard.
No code required to turn on or disable this feature.