Yoti launches ID Checker app for age verification by UK pubs and retailers

With the UK government set to introduce legislation to allow digital ID to be used for proof of age for alcohol purchases, Yoti has introduced a free app for relying parties.

The new ID Checker app will allow pubs, other hospitality businesses and retailers to verify digital IDs certified to the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF) for regulatory compliance. The app is provided for free to single-location businesses to help small enterprises complete age verification checks with digital ID without adding cost. Yoti is also launching enterprise versions for larger organizations with comprehensive reporting and APIs for simple integration with hardware and software already in place, according to the announcement.

The digital IDs will return only a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) – confirmation that the person is old enough or not – to preserve the privacy of the bearer. Age checks include on-device liveness detection and face biometrics to prevent spoofing.

Age verification with the app does not require an internet connection.

The ID Checker app works with any of the more than 7 million digital IDs downloaded from the digital ID wallet network that includes Yoti, Post Office EasyID and Luciditi, as well as other DIATF-certified credentials and government-issued mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and digital IDs as they come available, the company says.

The promise of using digital ID as proof of age for pints in the pub by next Christmas was made by former Technology Secretary Peter Kyle at the very end of 2024. As it became clear the legal change to allow digital verification services (DVSs) for alcohol purchases would not be made in time, Yoti CEO Robin Tombs pegged the odds of a statutory change at near 50 percent each for the first and second quarter of 2026.

“The UK Government is updating legislation so that people can use digital IDs instead of physical documents such as driving licences and passports for purchasing alcohol,” says Tombs in the company announcement. “Our ID Checker app gives businesses a simple, secure way to check digital IDs now for other age-restricted purchases such as energy drinks, vapes or tobacco, and prepare for when the law is updated to include alcohol.”

Yoti plans to add support identity verification for Right to Work and Right to Rent checks with the app in the future.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometric liveness detection  |  DIATF certification  |  digital ID  |  face biometrics  |  UK digital ID  |  Yoti  |  Yoti ID Checker