What Online Face Verification Does in KYC
Online face verification compares a live selfie with the portrait from an ID document or another reference image. FACEIO returns face-match and liveness results that your backend can evaluate with the other checks in your onboarding policy.
The comparison answers a narrow technical question: whether the two face images appear to show the same person. It does not authenticate the document, establish legal identity, screen sanctions lists, or complete KYC or AML checks.
Requirements differ by jurisdiction, industry, and use case. Your organization remains responsible for selecting the required document, database, consent, retention, review, and compliance controls.
Checks in a Customer-Managed KYC Workflow
A customer-managed KYC workflow may combine several independent checks. FACEIO supplies face-match and liveness results for the facial comparison step:
Document Check
Capture the identity document and extract supported fields. Use a separate document-authentication process when your policy requires authenticity checks.
Live Selfie
Ask the applicant for a live facial capture and evaluate liveness and presentation-attack indicators. No detection layer identifies every spoof attempt.
Face Match
Compare the live selfie with the document portrait or another reference image. Your backend determines how the result is used.
Your organization selects any additional document, database, device, network, and manual-review checks required by its policy. FACEIO supplies the face-match and liveness results only.
The KYC Verification Flow
A typical browser-based KYC face verification flow with FACEIO looks like this:
- 1.Consent and capture. After your application presents the required notices and obtains consent, FACEIO ID Match guides the user through supported ID document capture and a live selfie.
- 2.Document intelligence. The document scan is powered by PixLab's DOCSCAN API endpoint ↗, which supports 11K+ ID document types from over 197 countries and territories.
- 3.Face match. FACEIO compares the live selfie with the portrait extracted from the document and returns face-match and liveness results.
- 4.Customer decision. Your backend combines the technical result with the checks and review rules required by your organization.
- 5.Optional enrollment. If your flow separately enrolls the user with consent, future logins can use fio.js facial authentication without repeating the ID Match step.
Where FACEIO Fits
FACEIO supports online face verification and facial authentication workflows. For ID document capture and document intelligence, FACEIO ID Match is powered by PixLab's ID Scan API ↗ and DOCSCAN endpoint, while FACEIO handles face detection, liveness checks, and selfie-to-document face matching.
- Use FACEIO ID Match for browser-based ID capture, live selfie capture, liveness checks, and selfie-to-ID portrait matching.
- Use the online face verification API for backend-driven image comparison workflows.
- Use the online face verification overview to compare verification and returning-user authentication workflows.
- For customer-controlled fintech onboarding patterns and scope limits, see the fintech eKYC face verification solution.
What the Results Can and Cannot Indicate
- Portrait mismatch: the face-match result indicates whether the live selfie appears to match the portrait extracted from the presented ID.
- Document authenticity: ID Match does not determine whether an ID document is genuine, altered, expired, or issued to a legally established identity.
- Presentation attempts: liveness checks provide signals for the live capture, but no detection system identifies every spoofing or injection attempt.
- Separate meeting protection: Meeting Shield is a separate Chrome extension that reports deepfake risk signals during supported web meetings.
Developer Resources for KYC Face Verification
Use these resources to create a FACEIO application, add the browser widget, handle results in your backend, and configure related facial authentication controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is face verification the same as face authentication?
No. Face verification compares a live selfie with a document portrait or other reference image. Face authentication matches a returning enrolled user for login. A customer may use face verification as one signal in a wider KYC workflow, but FACEIO does not perform KYC or AML checks.
What documents does FACEIO ID Match support?
PixLab DOCSCAN supports more than 11,000 ID document formats from over 197 countries and territories. ID Match uses DOCSCAN to capture the document, extract its portrait, and optionally return supported fields. It does not authenticate the document.
Does face verification work in a browser without a mobile app?
Yes. ID Match runs in modern desktop and mobile browsers. The applicant captures their document and selfie using the device camera. No native app is required.
How should I handle a failed verification?
Provide a retry with clear guidance on lighting, glare, face position, and document placement. Your organization decides when to stop retries, request another method, or begin manual review. FACEIO does not approve or reject the applicant.
Does FACEIO complete KYC or AML checks?
No. FACEIO returns face-match and liveness results. Your organization remains responsible for document authentication, KYC and AML checks, legal requirements, review rules, and final decisions. See the fintech eKYC solution for integration scope.
Related Guides
Add Face Matching to Your Onboarding Flow
Review the fintech eKYC face verification page for integration scope and customer responsibilities. For document scan capabilities, review the PixLab ID Scan API. Create an application in the FACEIO Console, then evaluate ID Match for your onboarding flow.