GuidesAddress verification
How to verify someone's address
Ask if someone has a verified postal address, or if it's in a country, region, city or postcode area. They prove it with a code from a letter posted to that address. You get a yes or no signed by Prson, not the address.
- Answered in the Prson app
- Signed by Prson
- Only the answer is shared
Address check
How it works
Three steps, on their phone.
Ask
Pick what you need to know in the Prson app and send it as a link, by WhatsApp, email or wherever you talk. Organisations can ask from their own website or app, or through an AI agent.
They prove it on their phone
If they haven't yet, they verify their address: Prson posts a letter with a one-time code to it, and they type the code in the Prson app. Then they see who is asking and what, and choose to answer or decline.
Get a yes or no
The answer comes back signed by Prson, so it can't be edited, and it's valid for a limited time. You learn "Address in Lisboa: yes" and nothing more.
What you can ask
Pick the question. Get a yes or no.
Where the answer comes from: a code in a letter posted to their address.
Need the address itself? You can ask them to share it. They see that before they agree.
Search every fact Prson can verifyAddress facts in the developer docs
Honest limits
What a yes proves, and what it doesn't.
A yes proves
- A letter posted to that address reached them, on the day they verified it.
- The address they verified is in the country, region, city or postcode area you asked about.
A yes doesn't prove
- That they still live there today.
- That they own the place, or that they're the only person there.
- Anything about a region or city their address doesn't name: if it has no region, there's no answer.
- Cities and regions are compared with how the person wrote their address, so use the local spelling: "Lisboa", not "Lisbon". When unsure, a postcode area or the country is more reliable.
- An address in another country is a no.
- An address verification lasts 365 days.
- Address verification has to be switched on where the person lives, and works where Prson can post the letter. See coverage by country
When people ask
A few examples.
- A neighbourhood group or a residents’ offer
- A seller who says they’re local
- A service only for people in one country
For organisations
Ask from your website, app or AI agent.
The same questions work through the Prson API: send the request, the person answers in the Prson app, and you get the answer signed by Prson.
Questions
Questions, answered.
Does this prove they live at the address?
No. It proves a letter with a one-time code reached them there on the day they verified. It doesn't prove they still live there, own it, or are the only person there.
Will I see their address?
No, only the yes or no you asked for. If you need the address itself, you can ask them to share it, and they see that before they agree.
Why should I write "Lisboa" and not "Lisbon"?
Prson compares the city or region you ask about with what the person wrote on their address, ignoring capitals and accents. People write their address in the local language, so ask with the local spelling, or use a postcode area or the country.
How long does an address verification last?
365 days. After that the person verifies their address again.
Does it work in every country?
Address verification has to be switched on where the person lives. The coverage page on prson.net lists where it works.
Does the other person need the Prson app?
Yes, to answer. The Prson app is free on iPhone and Android, and in private beta now. You don't need anything to ask but the app or a link from an organisation that uses Prson.
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