₦airaland Forum

Every Nigerian startup that handles money, sellers, riders or credit hits the same wall: fake IDs, borrowed BVNs, people who vanish after taking a loan or stock on credit. The big KYC providers are built for banks, with prices and contracts that a small team cannot carry. So many startups end up checking IDs by hand on WhatsApp, or skipping the check and hoping for the best.

Here is the problem as I see it
- Checking by hand is slow, and a tired person approves fake documents.
- A number check alone (BVN or NIN) does not prove the person typing it is the owner.
- Building your own KYC screens, camera step, retries and review page takes weeks, and it is not your product.
- Many providers want a monthly fee or a big top-up before you have a single customer.

What we built at IdentifyOrg
Pay-as-you-go identity checks, with a free test mode, so you can build and test before you spend a kobo. You only pay when a check is actually completed. If the check could not run (for example the data source was down or the photo was unreadable), it is refunded automatically.

Prices at the time of writing (check the live pricing page, they can change):
- BVN check: ₦100
- NIN check: ₦100
- Selfie compared with the ID card photo: ₦80
- Liveness test (live person, not a photo): ₦80
- Bank account name check: ₦30
- Address check (map, location and a utility bill): ₦150
So a full "NIN + selfie to ID + liveness" check on an applicant comes to ₦260.

No developer? You do not need one
This is the part I think small businesses will like. In the dashboard you tick the checks you want, then send each applicant a link on WhatsApp. They finish on their phone in a few minutes, with no app and no sign up. You see their results, the selfie next to the ID card, the address on a map, and you approve or reject. Developers can also put the same form on a website with one iframe, or create sessions through an API.

Being honest about limits
- A face match compares the selfie with the photo on the ID card the person uploads. It does not prove the card is real. The NIN lookup returns no photo, so there is no government photo to compare with.
- The NIN, BVN, bank account and company checks work for Nigeria only. Phone, ID card reading, selfie match, liveness and address checks work in the other countries we serve.
- Nothing replaces your own judgement. We give you the signals and the evidence, you make the call.

Safety
ID numbers are stored encrypted and shown only as the last four digits until you choose to reveal them (and that is logged). Pictures are visible only to your account. You choose how long data is kept, and you can delete a person's data on request.

How to try it
Open an account, switch on test mode and run a full check with sample results. When you are happy, switch your flow to live, top up your wallet and send your first real link.

Verification link for businesses (no code)
NIN verification
BVN verification
Pricing

I would like to hear from other founders: how are you handling ID checks today, and what is your biggest headache? Ask me anything below.

Many Nigerian businesses ask customers for a "BVN or NIN" without being clear on what each one is for. If you run an online shop, a lending app, a delivery company or you hire remotely, this will save you from asking for the wrong number.

BVN (Bank Verification Number)
- It comes through the banking system, when you register your biometrics with a bank.
- It identifies you across all your bank accounts.
- Anyone with a bank account normally has one. Someone with no bank account normally does not.
- Best for: lending, wallets, payouts, opening accounts, anything involving money.

NIN (National Identification Number)
- It is issued by NIMC to citizens and legal residents.
- It is not tied to a bank account, so people who are not banked can have one.
- Best for: staff and HR checks, resellers and agents, riders and sellers, telecom and utility sign-ups.

So which one do you ask for?
- Lending or wallets for people with bank accounts: BVN.
- Onboarding sellers, riders, resellers or staff: NIN (or let the person choose which one they have).
- Higher risk: both, plus a selfie and a liveness test.
- People with no bank account: NIN.

Important: a number check does not prove the person typing it is the owner
A check tells you that the number exists and that the name and details match the record. But anyone who knows or has found someone's number can type it in. To tie the number to a real person, add:
- a selfie compared with the photo on the person's ID card,
- a "liveness" test, so you know it is a live person and not a photo of a photo,
- details only the owner would know, like date of birth and phone number.

One more thing worth knowing: some NIN lookups give only text details and no photo. So in that case your selfie comparison is with the ID card photo the person uploads, not a government photo. Be honest about that in your own process.

Handle these numbers carefully (the law treats them as personal data)
1. Store them encrypted and show only the last four digits by default.
2. Keep a record of who looked at the full number.
3. Get the person's consent and keep proof of it.
4. Delete the data after the time you promised, and when someone asks you to.
5. Tell people why you need it.

A tip for everyone reading: never send your BVN or NIN to strangers on WhatsApp or social media. Only give it to businesses you trust, through a proper form.

If you build apps or run a business that needs to verify people
I work with IdentifyOrg. We offer NIN and BVN checks through an API, and also a no-code option: you choose the checks (NIN or BVN, selfie against ID card, liveness, address), send each person a link on WhatsApp or put the form on your website, and you see the results and approve or reject. You only pay for checks that are completed, and there is a free test mode to try it first.

Verification link (no code)
NIN verification
BVN verification

Questions about which check fits your business? Ask below and I will help where I can.