Identity verification in New Zealand
Document verification, biometric liveness and AML screening for businesses operating in New Zealand — at $0.30 per verification.
Documents supported
(Government IDs from 220+ countries)
Average verification time
Countries covered
(Government-issued IDs validated)
Market overview
New Zealand's regulated-entity population is small by European standards but dense per capita. The core universe that needs production-grade KYC includes: - Registered banks and D-SIBs supervised by RBNZ: ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Westpac NZ, Kiwibank, TSB, SBS, Heartland, Co-operative Bank, plus branches of Rabobank, HSBC, ICBC, Bank of China, and China Construction Bank - Non-bank deposit takers (NBDTs) and life insurers - FMA-licensed investment firms, fund managers, custodians, financial advice providers, DIMS operators and licensed derivatives issuers (~900 entities) - DIA-supervised money remitters, money changers, non-bank non-deposit-taking lenders (NBLIs including crypto exchanges), casinos (SkyCity Auckland/Hamilton/Queenstown, Christchurch Casinos, Dunedin Casinos), TAB NZ, trust and compa
Supported documents
Didit templates cover national IDs, passports, residence permits and regional documents — plus 14,000+ documents globally for cross-border flows.
Regulators
AML supervisor
DIA
regulated
Electronic Identity Verification (EIV) service. Verifies identity against passport, driver licence, and birth certificate databases. API available for authorized entities.
DIA
regulated
Government digital identity service. RealMe Login and RealMe Verified Identity. Provides verified identity assertions to commercial and government services. OpenID Connect based.
MBIE
open
Business register. Free API and online search.
Government & regulated databases
Compliance framework
AML framework
Supervised by Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act
The cornerstone statute is the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 ("AML/CFT Act"), enacted in 2009 and fully in force for Phase 1 reporting entities from 30 June 2013 and for Phase 2 DNFBPs from 2018–2019. The Act imposes customer due diligence (standard, simplified and enhanced), ongoing monitoring, suspicious activity reporting and prescribed transaction reporting obligations on every reporting entity.
Data protection
Supervised by National DPA
Penalties for non-compliance
Didit's competitive wedge in NZ: (a) $0.30/verification vs typical NZD $1.50–3.50 local pricing, (b) trans-Tasman coverage (NZ + AU documents) in a single contract, (c) ISO 30107-3 PAD L2 liveness, (d) explicit BPPC 2025 alignment, and (e) readiness for DIA single-supervisor era including updated go
Use cases
Neobanks, EMIs, payment institutions, lenders, brokerages.
- DIA Identity Verification Service (Identity Check / DVS) — DIA operates an online identity verification service that confirms name, date of birth, passport number and (optionally) facial image against the NZ passport database. Access is restricted to reporting entities and authorised resellers; it
Exchanges, custodians, wallets, on/off-ramps.
The single most important operational document for KYC in New Zealand is the Amended Identity Verification Code of Practice 2013 (IVCOP), issued jointly by RBNZ, FMA and DIA and published in the New Zealand Gazette on 10 October 2013. IVCOP is issued under section 64 of the AML/CFT Act and operates
Sports betting, online casinos, age-gated platforms.
Under sections 14–20 of the AML/CFT Act and IVCOP, a bank, NBDT, life insurer or fintech must:
Gig platforms, delivery, creator economy, e-commerce.
Crypto exchanges and brokers are DIA reporting entities. The onboarding flow is identical in structure to banking but the risk calibration is different: almost every crypto customer is assessed as at least medium risk, and EDD is routinely triggered for wire transfers above NZD $1,000, for PEP match
Biometric liveness
The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act 2023 (in force 1 July 2024) creates a voluntary accreditation regime for digital identity service providers, regulated by the Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Authority inside DIA. Accreditation is valid for three years and signals compliance with binding Trust Framework Rules covering identification management, credential issuance, authentication, facilitation and information security. The Act was designed to give private-sector identit
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. New Zealand 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 New Zealand, 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 New Zealand.
Most regulated sectors in New Zealand 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 New Zealand’s crypto regulatory framework, including EU Travel Rule compliance where applicable.
Yes. Didit provides document-based age verification and identity confirmation suitable for New Zealand’s iGaming regulatory requirements.
500 free verifications per month. No contracts, no minimums. $0.30 per verification after the free tier.
