International age assurance standard to be open, free of charge

The international standard for age assurance technologies, ISO/IEC 27566-1, is free of charge.

The European Commission, International Telecommunication Union and the Age Verification Providers Association have successfully petitioned the ISO and IEC to make the standard, formally titled ISO/IEC 27566-1:2025 Age Assurance Systems – Part 1: Framework, freely available.

Standards are typically offered at a cost. Per the ISO’s website, “charging for standards allows us to ensure that they are developed in an impartial environment and therefore meet the needs of all stakeholders for which the standard is relevant. This is essential if standards are to remain effective in the real world.”

But in the case of 27566-1, being effective also means being accessible. Posting on LinkedIn, Tony Allen, who helped author the standard, says making it free and open “ensures that organisations of all sizes can adopt consistent, responsible approaches to age assurance.”

He calls it “a real milestone for the sector.”

The standard saw publication in December 2025, following preparatory work at the 2025 Global Age Assurance Standards Summit. The 2026 Summit, set to take place in Manchester this April, aims to focus on relying parties, and making age assurance accessible and workable for the use cases they bring to the table.

The schedule promises innovative pitch pods, mini theatres, and the inaugural industry awards ceremony celebrating the sector. It also features, as a complementary event held in tandem, the ISO 27566 Advanced Practitioner Masterclass, billed as “an advanced, practitioner-level programme for people responsible for preparing and supporting certification against ISO/IEC 27566-1.”

Article Topics

Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS)  |  age verification  |  AVPA  |  biometrics  |  ISO 27566-1  |  ISO standards