Remote hiring is prevalent, and verifying your candidate’s identity has become increasingly important. Identity verification often requires a multi-step approach. One new tool that is now available during the pre-employment screening process is Foreign and U.S. Passport Verification.
Passports are widely recognized documents that contain key personal details, making them useful for identity verification. Passport Verification involves confirming that a passport is authentic and belongs to the person presenting it. This process checks the document’s physical security features, such as holograms, watermarks, microprinting, and UV elements, which are designed to prevent counterfeiting. The information in the passport, such as the passport number, name, date of birth, nationality, and expiration date, is then extracted from the passport’s machine-readable zone (MRZ). After the data is extracted, it is compared with official government databases to ensure the passport is valid and has not been reported lost or stolen. Additionally, the name and date of birth attached to the official passport record is compared to the name and date of birth submitted for a background check.
Because passports are issued by governments and include multiple security features, they are a highly reliable tool for identity verification. Passports are also accepted worldwide, which makes them useful for verifying identities from different countries. Any passport from any country can be verified — including the United States.
