GuidesNationality verification
How to verify someone's nationality
Ask if someone is a citizen of a given country, or of any EU, EEA or Schengen country. 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, not a copy of their passport.
- Answered in the Prson app
- Signed by Prson
- Only the answer is shared
Citizenship 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 "EU citizen: yes" and nothing more.
What you can ask
Pick the question. Get a yes or no.
Where the answer comes from: the nationality on their passport or ID card chip, checked by Prson.
Need the nationality itself? You can ask them to share it. They see that before they agree.
Search every fact Prson can verifyNationality facts in the developer docs
Honest limits
What a yes proves, and what it doesn't.
A yes proves
- The nationality written in a genuine passport or ID card, whose chip Prson checked.
A yes doesn't prove
- That they hold no other nationality: someone with two is matched on the one in the document they verified, so a no doesn’t rule out another.
- Whether the document was later reported lost, stolen or cancelled: the chip can't tell.
- That the person holding the phone is the document's owner, unless they also did the face match (identity level 6).
- The EEA is the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
- The Schengen Area adds Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland to most EU countries, and leaves out Ireland and Cyprus.
When people ask
A few examples.
- A programme open only to EU citizens
- A competition for one country’s citizens
- A club that asks members for their citizenship
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 passport?
No. You see only the answer, for example "EU citizen: yes". Their passport details stay with them.
What if they have two nationalities?
Prson answers from the document they verified. Someone with two nationalities is matched on the one written in that document, so a no doesn't mean they hold no other.
What is the difference between EU, EEA and Schengen?
The EEA is the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The Schengen Area is most EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Ireland and Cyprus are in the EU but not in Schengen.
How do I prove my own nationality?
Install the Prson app and read your passport or ID card chip once. Then answer when someone asks, or share "EU citizen" with a link, without handing over a copy of your passport.
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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