Essential ID checks help electronically verify a client’s identity by checking whether their name, date of birth, and residential address can be matched against trusted UK data sources.
These checks are designed to support your firm’s AML risk assessment. A failed result does not always mean the client has provided false information. It may simply mean their details could not be matched clearly enough against the available electronic data sources.
Firmcheck uses a third-party provider, APLYiD, to run Essential ID checks.
APLYiD uses different data providers depending on the type of check being completed:
GBG for UK identity data sources
KYC6 for PEP, sanctions, and adverse media screening
For UK identity verification, the check can use the following data sources:
UK electoral roll
National Identity Register
Equifax credit header data
Experian credit header data
Landline check
Mortality list
These sources help determine whether the client’s name, date of birth, and residential address can be electronically matched.
An Essential ID check can verify:
Name
Date of birth
Residential address
Whether the client appears on the mortality list
Whether the client appears on PEP, sanctions, or adverse media watchlists
The final result is based on whether enough information can be matched across the available data sources.
A client can fail an electronic check even if their identity documents are genuine and the information they have provided is correct.
Common reasons include:
The client has recently moved house
The client lives at a new-build address
The client is not listed on the electoral roll
The client has limited UK credit history
Their address is not yet reflected in public or credit records
Their name has been entered differently, for example a nickname, middle name, or shortened version
There is a typo in the client’s name, date of birth, or address
The available data sources do not contain enough matching information
If an Essential ID check fails, you should review the result alongside the client’s identity documents, proof of address, and your firm’s internal AML policy.
Depending on your process, you may need to request additional evidence from the client, such as:
A valid identity document
Proof of address
Additional supporting information
Manual review by the relevant person in your firm
A failed electronic check should be treated as a prompt for further review, rather than an automatic indication that the client is unsuitable.
At the moment, Firmcheck does not always surface a detailed failure reason for every failed Essential ID check.
We understand that this would be helpful, especially when explaining a failed result to a client. We are hoping to improve this in future so that failure reasons are clearer within Firmcheck.