Identity verification in Bhutan
Executive summary. Bhutan is a small, well-governed Himalayan kingdom of approximately 780,000 people with a banking sector supervised by the Royal Monetary Authority (RMA). The AML/CFT framework is anchored in the AML/CFT Act, with Bhutan as a member of the APG (Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering). The RMA issued updated Prudential Regulations, 2024 and AML/CFT Regulations 2025 establishing c
Documents supported
(Government IDs from 220+ countries)
Average verification time
Countries covered
(Government-issued IDs validated)
Market overview
Bhutan has a population of approximately 780,000 and a GDP of roughly USD 3 billion, driven by hydroelectric power, agriculture, and tourism. Thimphu is the capital and commercial centre. Three verticals drive KYC demand:
Supported documents
Didit templates cover national IDs, passports, residence permits and regional documents — plus 14,000+ documents globally for cross-border flows.
Regulators
defines obliged entities, CDD, PEP screening, STR filing
under the RMA, receiving STRs and coordinating AML enforcement
Department of Civil Registration and Census (DCRC)
regulated
Citizenship Identity Card issued to all Bhutanese citizens. 11-digit CID number. Census-based registration system. High coverage due to small population. Digital government initiatives advancing.
Department of Civil Registration and Census (DCRC)
regulated
Birth, death, marriage registration. Integrated with CID system. Rural coverage improving.
Government & regulated databases
Compliance framework
AML framework
Supervised by AML/CFT Act
- AML/CFT Act — defines obliged entities, CDD, PEP screening, STR filing. - AML/CFT Regulations 2025 — detailed CDD procedures including thresholds (Nu. 300,000 for transaction-based CDD), EDD for PEPs, record retention (minimum 10 years), and compliance-officer requirements. - Prudential Regulations 2024 — RMA-issued prudential standards for supervised entities. - Information, Communications and Media Act — includes data protection provisions.
Data protection
Supervised by National DPA
The Information, Communications and Media Act includes data protection provisions but does not establish a comprehensive framework. The CID database is domestically hosted. Cross-border data transfers are not formally regulated under a comprehensive privacy law.
Use cases
Neobanks, EMIs, payment institutions, lenders, brokerages.
1. Document capture. Scan or photograph of the CID card or passport. 2. Liveness and biometric match. Selfie with liveness detection, matched against document portrait. 3. Data extraction. CID number, full name (Dzongkha and English), date of birth, document expiry. 4. PEP and sanctions screening. A
Exchanges, custodians, wallets, on/off-ramps.
Under the AML/CFT Regulations 2025 and the RMA's phased regulatory strategy:
Sports betting, online casinos, age-gated platforms.
Gambling is largely prohibited in Bhutan. No domestic iGaming market exists.
Gig platforms, delivery, creator economy, e-commerce.
Marketplace operators face CDD obligations through payment-service integration:
Biometric liveness
The CID card's biometric features are limited. Bhutanese passports follow standard specifications. Liveness detection (ISO 30107-3 compliant) paired with document-portrait matching is the standard approach for remote verification. The small population and good civil registration coverage support reliable identity matching. ---
CERTIFICATIONS
Our platform meets the highest international standards for information security, data privacy, and biometric accuracy.
Full EU data protection compliance
Information security management
PAD (liveness + face match)
TRUSTED WORLDWIDE
Join thousands of companies that trust Didit for their verification needs
Didit’s NFC + active biometrics technology blocks the most advanced fraud scenarios, offering a level of security equivalent to or superior to in-person verification.
Spanish Financial Sandbox
CNMV, SEPBLAC & Spanish Treasury — Conclusions Report
Didit is an exceptionally valuable partner, delivering a stable and highly adaptable solution”.
Vuk Adžić
Head of the E-Business Department at Crnogorski Telekom
Didit offered us a robust technology with a simple implementation and adaptability to different markets”.
Fernando Pinto
CEO & CoFounder at TucanPay
Thanks to Didit we have been able to reduce manual processes and improve data extraction accuracy”.
Diana Garcia
Trust & Safety Executive at Shiply
Didit’s integration slashed verification times and costs, freeing resources for other projects”.
Guillem Medina
COO at GBTC Finance
Didit removed KYC costs, enabling faster scaling with high verification standards and less fraud.”
Paul Martin
VP Marketing & Growth at Bondex
Didit’s secure, user-friendly verification boosts customer trust and optimizes our process.”
Cristofer Montenegro
Executive assistant to the CEO at Adelantos
Didit ensures a precise, secure digital onboarding without slowing negotiations or client time.”
Ernesto Betancourth
Gerente de riesgos at CrediDemo
FAQ
Yes. Bhutan permits remote KYC onboarding under its national AML framework, including document verification, biometric liveness and video identification where required by regulation.
Didit verifies all major national IDs, passports and residence permits issued in Bhutan, plus 14,000+ document types globally for cross-border flows.
Didit charges $0.30 per verification with 500 free checks per month. No contracts, no minimums. Competitors typically charge $1.00–$2.50+ per verification.
Yes. Didit screens against 1,000+ global watchlists including PEP databases, sanctions lists (EU, UN, OFAC, OFSI), and adverse media — covering all AML obligations in Bhutan.
Most regulated sectors in Bhutan require or strongly recommend biometric liveness detection for remote onboarding. Didit provides ISO 30107-3 PAD Level 2 certified liveness.
Yes. Didit supports document verification, liveness, AML screening and ongoing monitoring aligned with Bhutan’s crypto regulatory framework, including EU Travel Rule compliance where applicable.
Yes. Didit provides document-based age verification and identity confirmation suitable for Bhutan’s iGaming regulatory requirements.
500 free verifications per month. No contracts, no minimums. $0.30 per verification after the free tier.
