GuidesResidence permit verification
How to verify a residence permit
Ask if someone holds a residence permit issued by a given country, or by any EU, EEA or Schengen country. They prove it from the permit's chip, in the Prson app. You get a yes or no signed by Prson, not a copy of the card.
- Answered in the Prson app
- Signed by Prson
- Only the answer is shared
Residence permit 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 residence permit 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 "Residence permit from Portugal: yes" and nothing more.
What you can ask
Pick the question. Get a yes or no.
Where the answer comes from: the chip of a residence permit they verified in the Prson app, checked by Prson.
Search every fact Prson can verifyResidence permit facts in the developer docs
Honest limits
What a yes proves, and what it doesn't.
A yes proves
- They verified a residence permit with a genuine chip, checked by Prson, and which country issued it.
A yes doesn't prove
- What the permit allows: work, study, family or anything else.
- Whether it was revoked, or reported lost or stolen. Ask for "not expired" too, to know at least that it hasn't expired.
- That someone has no permit when they answer no: a person who verified a passport or ID card instead answers no.
- The residence permit answer says only which country issued it. Add "not expired" when you need it to be current.
When people ask
A few examples.
- A local service for people who hold a permit there
- An offer for people living in one country
- Checking a permit is still in date
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 it show whether they are allowed to work?
No. It says which country issued the permit, and, if you ask, that it hasn't expired. It says nothing about what the permit allows, or whether it was revoked.
Why did someone with a permit answer no?
Prson answers from the document they verified. If they verified their passport or ID card instead of their permit, the answer is no. A no isn't proof they have no permit: they can verify the permit in the Prson app, and you can ask again.
How do I know the permit is still valid?
Ask for "not expired" as well, or for a permit valid for at least a few more months. The expiry is the date on the chip: it can't show a permit that was revoked, lost or stolen.
Will I see the permit card?
No. You see only the yes or no you asked for. The card and its details stay with them.
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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