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Real ID Shopify POS Integration

We offer two different ID verification options for Shopify POS.

  • ID photo verification - captures the details of the ID document and stores the images
  • ID barcode scanning - uses your Shopify POS barcode scanner to read the details of the U.S. drivers license from the barcode.

ID barcode scanning​

U.S. state issued driver's licenses feature a barcode on the back which stores the key information about the license holder.

Real ID can read this barcode, extract these details and apply your minimum age policy as well as check for expiration and validity of the license.

Getting started​

First, open your Shopify POS and add a new tile to your home screen:

Add a new tile in the Shopify POS

Then select the App option:

Selecting the app option from the Shopify POS Tile section

Then select the Real ID app, and choose the select the Scan a Drivers License tile:

Selecting the scanning of a drivers license tile

Then at any time before, during or after checkout you can open this tile and scan the back of the customer's drivers license, and it will display the information extracted from the license and automatically check the customer's age and expiration of the ID.

How to scan drivers licenses with the Shopify POS​

Opening the Scan as Drivers License tile, you'll see a camera view pop up. Simply move the POS camera or barcode scanner to capture the barcode on the back of the drivers license to capture it.

How to scan and verify a US drivers license with the Shopify POS device's camera or an officially supported barcode scanner

Real ID will then automatically scan the ID's details and check your age restrictions and the expiration of the ID:

A preview of the extracted drivers license details such as the name, date of birth, address, sex, hair color, weight, issue date, etc.

Scanning multiple licenses

At this time if you need to scan multiple licenses per transaction, you'll need to close the tile and reopen it to start a new ID scan.

Automatic tagging and metafields​

When you scan a customer's ID and it passes verification, Real ID can automatically:

  • Tag the customer with ID scanned (POS)
  • Tag the order with ID scanned (POS)
  • Set metafields on both the customer and order

This helps you:

  • Create automated workflows using Shopify Flow
  • Track which customers have been ID-verified
  • Segment customers based on verification status

Requirements for automatic tagging​

For automatic tagging to work, you need:

  1. After Checkout flow enabled - Go to your Real ID settings and turn on the After Checkout flow (no triggers needed)
  2. Customer attached to order - The POS order must have a customer attached to it
  3. Successful ID scan - The ID must pass age verification and not be expired

Limitations​

Here are the limitations of this ID scanning feature at this time:

  • ID scanning only supports U.S. issued drivers licenses.
  • It will not store the actual image of the license itself, it will only capture and store the data extracted from the barcode.
  • ID scanned data will not display in the Real ID dashboard at this time (coming soon)

Dual-Barcode Driver's Licenses​

Some US states (Nevada, Florida, Texas, and others) issue driver's licenses with two barcodes. The smaller barcode can be accidentally scanned instead of the main barcode that contains customer information. See our guide on scanning dual-barcode licenses for detailed instructions.

Camera Scanner Reset Issue​

If a barcode scan fails due to an incomplete or cut-off barcode, you'll need to close the scanning window and reopen it to try again. This is due to a limitation in Shopify's POS barcode scanner system where the scanner state cannot be reset after a failed scan.

When you encounter this issue:

  1. Tap the "Close" button
  2. Reopen the "Scan Drivers License" tile
  3. Try scanning the barcode again

For more technical details about this limitation, see the Shopify community discussion.

If you need to store the entire image of the ID, or verify non-US drivers license documents, consider using our ID photo verification tile instead.

ID photo verification​

The Real ID Shopify POS tile that starts a new ID check from the POS

Real ID offers an direct POS integration for Shopify merchants.

Within your Shopify POS, you can start a new ID check from a tile in your Shopify POS device. Then you can scan the customers ID in real time before or after checkout.

How does it work​

The Real ID Create ID Check POS tile will open a new browser window on your POS device, then you'll be able to scan the customer's ID and see the results in real time.

After scanning the customers ID, simply close the browser window and return to the POS to finish checkout.

Real ID will automatically read the first name, last name, date of birth and other details from the ID, and you'll be able to find the ID check from within the app's homepage.

tip

Your age restrictions and other rules will apply to ID checks from the POS tile.

Sending an ID check from the POS tile​

Add a Link tile to your Shopify POS to start an ID check in store with one tap. The tile opens the Real ID check page on your POS device, where you capture the customer's ID before, during, or after checkout.

The easiest way is to copy the ready-made link from the app. In the Real ID admin, open POS ID Verification and copy the URL shown there — no typing required.

If you'd rather build the link yourself, it follows this pattern:

https://admin.shopify.com/store/STORE/apps/realid/shopify/checks/pos/create

Replace STORE with your store's myshopify subdomain — the part before .myshopify.com. For example, a store at acme-supply.myshopify.com uses:

https://admin.shopify.com/store/acme-supply/apps/realid/shopify/checks/pos/create

Add the tile​

First, open your Shopify POS and tap Add tile:

Click the Add Tile button on the homescreen of the Shopify Point of Sale to start sending ID checks in store

  1. Choose the Link tile type.
  2. Paste your link into the tile's URL field.
  3. Name the tile Verify Customer's ID.
  4. Tap Save to create the tile, then Save on the grid to pin it.

That's it — tapping Verify Customer's ID starts a new ID check and opens the camera so you can capture the customer's ID.

note

If the tile opens the Real ID homepage instead of a new check, your Shopify POS session has expired. Close the Real ID app, then tap the tile again.

Need another Real ID tile for your workflow? Get in touch.

Limitations​

Mobile devices and tablets only​

At this time, the Real ID Create ID Check tile only supports mobile phones and tablets. The Shopify official POS systems do not offer direct camera support at this time. Real ID relies on access to the device's camera to scan the customer's ID.

Customer and order associations not supported​

While Real ID automatically reads and assigns the first and last name of the customer from their ID, this integration does not associate with the Shopify customer account nor the order after checkout at this time.

This also means that the ID verification tags and metafields will also not update automatically for ID checks created from the POS integration.