GuidesAge verification
How to verify someone's age online
Ask if someone is over 18, over 21 or any age you need. They prove it from the chip in their passport or ID card, in the Prson app. You get a yes or no signed by Prson, never their date of birth.
- Answered in the Prson app
- Signed by Prson
- Only the answer is shared
Age 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 hold their passport or ID card to their phone so the Prson app can read its chip, and Prson checks it. 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 "18 or older: yes" and nothing more.
What you can ask
Pick the question. Get a yes or no.
Where the answer comes from: the date of birth on their passport or ID card chip, checked by Prson.
Search every fact Prson can verifyAge facts in the developer docs
Honest limits
What a yes proves, and what it doesn't.
A yes proves
- The date of birth on their passport or ID card chip puts them at that age, or in that range.
- The age is worked out at the moment Prson signs the answer, so it is up to date that day.
A yes doesn't prove
- Their date of birth: you never see it.
- That the person holding the phone is the document's owner, unless they also did the face match (identity level 6). Ask for that too if it matters.
- Anything when the chip has only a birth year and they could be on either side of the age: Prson gives no answer rather than guess.
When people ask
A few examples.
- Selling wine or other age-restricted goods online
- An adults-only community or event
- Making sure a buyer is over 21
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.
Will I see their date of birth?
No. You see only the answer to what you asked, for example "18 or older: yes". Their date of birth stays with them.
Can I ask for an age other than 18?
Yes. Any age from 0 to 130 works, as "at least" or "at most", and you can ask for a range such as 18 to 25. "Under 18" is "at most 17".
Can someone fake their age with a photo of an ID?
No. The date of birth has to match what Prson read from the document's chip, which carries the issuing country's signature. A photo of a document can't give that.
How do I prove my own age?
Install the Prson app and read your passport or ID card chip once. Then answer when someone asks, or share "18 or older" with a link. They see the answer, not your birth date.
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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