AI-Based ID Verification Equivalent to Face-to-Face Authentication

As more business transactions occur online, secure signing is more important than ever. A simple electronic signature is sufficient for many scenarios, but sometimes you need signatures with added identity verification. Usually that extra layer of security comes with agreements that are extremely valuable, deal with sensitive information or need to meet certain regulations.  Digital signatures, a type of electronic signature that offers heightened identity assurance and tamperproofing, are used around the world to make agreements more secure.

In the European Union (EU), for example, the most secure digital signature is a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES). This type of signature requires face-to-face identification (or the equivalent) and is the only form of electronic signature that’s considered equivalent to a handwritten signature under EU law.

Today, to sign a QES, signers have to provide their physical ID in person or set up a video appointment with a certified agent. While QES provides higher identity assurance and risk mitigation, that extra step makes it cumbersome. Without a digital identity verification that matches or exceeds a face-to-face experience, signers have a poorer user experience, agreements take longer to sign and business transactions are delayed. 

Introducing DocuSign ID Verification for Qualified Electronic Signatures 

To deliver the highest levels of trust and security, you need remote identification that is equivalent to face-to-face identity verification. That’s why we’re excited to introduce ID Verification Premier, our tier of ID solutions that meets the highest levels of trust, security, and compliance. Our first offering within this tier is DocuSign ID Verification for EU Qualified.

Through AI technology—including advanced liveness detection and selfie videos—ID Verification for EU Qualified lets organisations securely and remotely verify signer identity in minutes. It’s like meeting face to face, but without the inconveniences of in-person or video appointments.  

ID Verification for EU Qualified is built directly into the eSignature workflow and meets QES identification requirements in the EU and the UK. Signers enjoy a streamlined identification process, and organisations achieve faster completions for their most important documents. With DocuSign ID Verification for EU Qualified, you can: 

• Streamline identification with mobile-first self-service: Signers can complete identity verification on their own time in an intuitive, mobile-friendly interface without waiting for an appointment with a live agent 
• Mitigate business risk: AI-enabled liveness detection and selfie comparison help organisations reduce the chance of fraud from deep fakes or identity spoofing 
• Comply with QES requirements in the EU and the UK: Digital certificates are attached to every signature, and verification status is recorded in the eSignature Certificate of Completion for audit purposes

Here’s how it works

Prior to accessing an agreement for signature, the signer is asked to perform three simple steps on their preferred mobile device:

1. Show their identification document
2. Take a selfie video
3. Engage in guided movements

A signer can typically perform these identification steps in a few minutes. The identification package is sent to a certified agent, who reviews and approves asynchronously, typically in less than 15 minutes. Once successfully approved, the signer is prompted to access their DocuSign envelope and complete the process for a QES.

Check out the signer's experience in action:

ID Verification for EU Qualified has many uses across industries, including financial services, insurance, legal services, government, healthcare and life sciences. The combination of DocuSign eSignature and IDV for EU Qualified can be used to comply with QES requirements for a variety of scenarios, including:

• Cross-border agreements
• HR work agreements
• Consumer loans
• Lease agreements
• Clinical trials
• Life insurance agreements
• Documents that must be in writing by Scot’s law (UK)

"Our signers don't need to wait in a queue for a person to be verified and they can decide when they want to go through the verification themselves." - Staffing & Recruitment Firm

We’ve also made it easier for you to comply with country-specific standards and regulations that fall outside eIDAS regulation. For example, through our tightly-integrated partnership with Swisscom, DocuSign customers based in Switzerland that need to achieve compliance with ZertES (Switzerland’s federal law on Electronic Signatures) don’t need to manage separate contracts. They can simply purchase IDV Premier to do so.

Learn more about ID Verification for EU Qualified.

Ready to get started? To learn more about how DocuSign can support your organisation's most rigorous security and compliance needs with ID Verification Premier and eSignature - the world's #1 way to sign electronically - contact your DocuSign sales representative today.