40 Identity Verification Terms You Need to Know – IDV Glossary 

Whether you’re onboarding customers, checking documents in the front or back office, or building secure platforms, understanding the key identity verification (IDV) terms is important. The field is filled with specialised terminologies and fast-evolving technologies. Staying informed with this IDV glossary helps you follow conversations, work more smoothly with other teams, and make sense of new approaches faster.  

That’s why we’ve created this list of 40 must-know IDV terms to help you speak the language of identity, no matter your role or industry. From basics like KYC and MRZ to biometric verification, compliance, and technical terms, this glossary will give you more clarity.  

Core Identity Verification Terms  

1. Identity Verification (IDV) – The process of confirming that a person is who they claim to be.  

2. KYC (Know Your Customer) – A regulatory requirement to verify the identity of clients, especially in financial services. 

3. AML (Anti-Money Laundering) – Laws and procedures to prevent criminals from disguising illicit funds; IDV is a key component.  

4. CIP (Customer Identification Program) – A U.S. requirement for financial institutions to collect and verify customer identity.  

5. CDD (Customer Due Diligence) – Assessing the risk associated with a customer and performing appropriate ID checks.  

6. Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) – A more detailed investigation for high-risk customers.  

7. Identity Fraud – When someone uses a stolen or fake identity for personal gain.  

8. Face-to-face verification – In-person identity verification conducted by a human agent through direct inspection of documents and the individual.  

9. Remote verification – Identity verification performed without physical presence, using digital methods, and copies of documents.  

Document-Related Terms  

10. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) – Technology used to extract text from documents.  

11. MRZ (Machine Readable Zone) – The section of passports and ID cards with standardised, scannable information.  

12. VIZ (Visual Inspection Zone) – The part of an ID document (usually the front) that shows human-readable information like name, date of birth, and document number. 

13. Document Verification – Checking the authenticity and validity of a government-issued identity document.  

14. ID Template Matching – Comparing submitted documents to known genuine formats for validation.  

15. Security Features – Elements like microtext, UV ink, or guilloche patterns are used to protect against forgery.  

Biometric & AI Terms  

16. Biometric Verification – Using unique biological traits (like facial recognition or fingerprints) to confirm identity.  

17. Liveness Detection – Ensures the biometric data comes from a live person, not a spoof (like a photo or mask). 

18. Face Matching – Comparing a selfie to a photo in an ID document.  

19. 3D Face Mapping – Creating a three-dimensional model of a face for accurate and secure matching.  

20. Deepfake Detection – Identifying AI-generated or manipulated videos/images used to spoof identity.  

21. Passive vs. Active Liveness – Passive uses background AI; active requires user actions (e.g., blinking).  

Security & Compliance Terms  

22. Authentication – Confirming that an identity or credential is valid.  

23. PII (Personally Identifiable Information) – Data that can identify a person (e.g., name, passport number).  

24. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) – EU law governing the collection and use of personal data.  

25. eIDAS – EU regulation on electronic identification, electronic signatures and trust services.  

26. FATF (Financial Action Task Force) – Sets international standards for anti-money laundering and IDV.  

27. Step up verification – A secondary identity check is triggered when risk levels increase.  

Technical & Operational Terms  

28. API (Application Programming Interface) – Used to integrate IDV solutions into apps and systems. 

29. SDK (Software Development Kit) – A package developers use to build features like ID scanning into apps.  

30. On-Premises vs. Cloud-Based IDV – Where IDV processing happens locally on servers or remotely in the cloud. 

31. False Positive/Negative – When a system incorrectly approves or rejects an identity check.  

• False Positive: When a system incorrectly approves a fraudulent identity (security risk).    

• False Negative: When a system wrongly rejects a legitimate user (UX risk).  

32. Confidence Score – A numerical rating of how likely a document or biometric match is genuine.  

33. Spoofing – Attempting to fool an IDV system with fake input (e.g., a printed photo).  

34. NFC (Near Field Communication) – A short-range wireless tech used to read data from biometric ID chips, like ePassports, by holding a device close to the document.  

Other Industry Terms  

35. Synthetic Identity – A fake identity made from real and fabricated data. 

36. Document Forgery – The act of creating or altering identity documents fraudulently.  

37. Onboarding – The process of registering and verifying a new user or customer.  

38. Continuous Identity Verification – Monitoring identity over time, rather than just during account creation.  

39. Data Residency – Where customer data is stored, often important for legal compliance.  

40. Watchlist – A list of individuals or entities flagged for risks like sanctions, criminal activity, or terrorism. IDV systems screen users against watchlists, such as PEP (Politically Exposed Persons) or sanctions lists (e.g., OFAC, EU).  

Want to see how these terms apply in real-world verification?  

These terms aren’t just definitions, they’re the building blocks of real-world identity verification workflows. At Keesing Technologies, we put them into action every day, helping businesses across industries onboard users, detect fraud, and stay compliant with global standards.  

Our DocumentChecker database gives users access to the world’s most comprehensive reference library of identity documents, ensuring high-quality manual checking. Meanwhile, our automated ID verification solution, AuthentiScan, uses advanced technologies such as OCR, biometric verification, and multispectral scanning to provide secure, and compliant ID verification. You will also come across these terminologies when doing an E-Learning or ID Workshop developed by Keesing ID Academy. 

Want to see how it all works in practice? Talk to us to learn how we help organizations across industries verify identities with accuracy, global coverage, and the trust we’ve built since 1911. Contact us below or email us at sales@keesingtechnologies.com.