What Online Face Verification Does in KYC
Online face verification can compare a live selfie with the portrait on a photo ID. FACEIO ID Match provides this 1:1 comparison in a browser widget, along with liveness results and optional document-field extraction through PixLab DOCSCAN.
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 Capture
Capture the photo ID and extract its portrait or requested fields. Scanning reads the document; it does not verify that the document is genuine or that its contents are valid.
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 portrait extracted from the photo ID. Your backend determines how the face-match 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 ID Match Flow Within Onboarding
These steps describe selfie-to-ID matching with FACEIO ID Match, not a complete KYC process. Document authentication, identity checks, and compliance screening are separate:
- 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.ID scanning. 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 ID Match compares a live selfie with the portrait on a photo ID. PixLab's ID Scan API ↗ and DOCSCAN endpoint power document scanning, portrait extraction, and optional field extraction. FACEIO handles face detection, liveness checks, and the 1:1 face comparison. Extracting document data does not validate it.
- 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 face-matching guide.
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 Selfie-to-ID Matching
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 non-match or capture failure?
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 a successful ID Match result mean KYC is complete?
No. A matching result indicates facial similarity between the selfie and the ID portrait. It does not prove document authenticity, document ownership, or legal identity, and it does not complete KYC or AML checks. Your organization selects separate checks and makes the final decision. See the fintech face-matching guide for integration scope.
Related Guides
Add Face Matching to Your Onboarding Flow
Read the fintech face-matching guide for integration scope and the PixLab ID Scan API for document-scanning capabilities. Create an application in the FACEIO Console, then integrate ID Match to compare a live selfie with an ID portrait in your website or web app.