NFC-Based Identity Verification in Shared Mobility

ID verification in the mobility sector is designed to deliver a speedy onboarding experience to genuine users. NFC-based ID Verification delivers on its promises, boosting security while also improving user experience.

Want to talk to our Mobility experts?

All you need to know
about NFC-based ID Verification in Shared Mobility


NFC-Based ID Verification helps Mobility operators getting their drivers faster on their way.

The undeniable rise of NFC technology in the Shared Mobility sector. 

Two billion NFC devices are in use today. More than 20% of the world’s population has access to these NFC devices.

Contactless ID cards are powered by Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology — an innovation that readily identifies the encrypted data in the chip to verify the user.

NFC technology is beneficial for mobility industry players for completing the user onboarding process in real-time.



The potential of NFC-based Identity Verification for Mobility operators.

NFC-based identification for shared mobility is basically 100% accurate and removes any room for error.

NFC technology is currently thriving because of its high adoption rate. Projections are slating the number of NFC-enabled devices to reach 1.6 billion within two years. That’s more than enough devices to enable wireless and contactless ID verification.

With many more variants of Covid-19 popping up, there’s no telling how valuable a contactless approach to IDV can become.

Automated Identity Verification in Shared Mobility

Learn more how Driver Licence Verification can be fully automated, getting drivers faster on their way.
Get a free copy
IDnow trend report mobility EN FINAL
NFC-Based ID Verification has many use cases in the shared mobility economy.

How does NFC work with digitally-enabled shared mobility? 

NFC technology allows two electronic devices (including an electronic ID card) to communicate when they’re both within close range.

For ID verification in digital mobility products, the likely devices that communicate via NFC will be smartphones and electronic ID cards.

As a verification tool in shared mobility, NFC technology uses an active device (like a smartphone) to receive and send security data to a passive device (like the RFID chip on an electronic ID card).

The entire process lasts a few seconds, but that’s all it needs to exchange the necessary security data stored in the chip to identify drivers or riders validly.

Where NFC-based identity verification can help out.

Ride-Hailing
Easily verify drivers signing up to use your ride-hailing services without fear of error. Signing up takes a short time, and within minutes, both driver and passenger are onboarded and can start enjoying your service.

Car Sharing
ID verification in car sharing is necessary to mitigate the risks involved. Using e.g. AutoIdent, parties looking to share a car will swipe chip-based ID cards through their smartphones. The NFC tech will handle everything else.

Car Rental/Leasing
Easy and secure identification for people looking to lease cars speedily and conveniently. The Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) can be combined with NFC to electronically sign rental agreements (only possible with German eID functionality).

Shared Micro-mobility
E-scooters and bikes are fast becoming the trend in ultra-modern cities. With NFC-based IDV, riders can take their smartphones to the parking location and get verified and onboarded within minutes.

Benefits of NFC as an ID Verification tool in Shared Mobility. 

NFC technology is a handy tool for ID verification for the many faces of shared mobility — ride-sharing, e-hailing, and micro-mobility. Here is why:

Stronger Security 
NFC technology is entirely secure. The RFID chip on national ID cards is virtually impossible to tamper with, and the information stored in them can only be accessed with NFC technology. There’s almost zero chance of forged documents bypassing the watchful eyes of NFC tech.

Accurate Data. Efficient Data Extraction.
NFC services access, read and transmit data without leaving any margin for error. Other services like OCR don’t always read data correctly and are not as accurate as NFC. Since essential information like biometric data will be required in ID verification, it is best to adopt a solution that makes zero mistakes. 

Automated processes 
The actual transmission of security data is entirely automated and takes a life of its own once there’s communication between the RFID chip and the smartphone.  

Communication is made simple, and all that is necessary is that both devices are within the desired range—no need for several adjustments and readjustments.  

Better user experience. Higher conversion rates. 
ID verification with NFC technology only requires two things — an eID (German national ID card or another identity document with an RFID-chip) and a smartphone. Users only have to hit the two together, and all the encrypted information passes in that one swipe.

More questions about NFC in mobility?

All the important FAQ
about KYC

How can NFT-based ID Verification prevent fraud in Shared Mobility?

Fraudsters are always a threat to all companies, emerging or not. Once there’s a crack in the wall, you can trust that certain people will be encouraged to carry out nefarious activities. 

In shared mobility, industry players struggle with fraud on several fronts, including:

Fake Users: Drivers signing up with fake profiles to be untraceable after successful fraud execution.  

False declarations: Some users rely on defrauding other users by breaching contract terms without consequences. Car rental scenarios are often more susceptible to false declarations. 

Identity theft: One common threat lurking in car-sharing mobile apps is identity theft by hackers who penetrate the real users’ mobile devices.

Card-not-present fraud (CNP): Technically a credit card scam, where a bad actor makes unauthorized purchases using stolen credit card information. Discover more about the steps that companies are taking to safeguard themselves against CNP fraud here.

How does NFC actually verify the identity of the end-user?  

NFC enables two devices to communicate with each other and exchange data. As a tool for IDV, NFC facilitates communication between a smartphone and a chip-enabled ID document. The RFID chip on the ID document is a device too. 

Once the two devices are within range, the biometric information stored on the chip is immediately transferred to the smartphone.  AutoIdent enriched by NFC then cross-references the information with the government’s database to verify its accuracy. 

Information stored in NFC chips includes MRZ data, biometric photos and fingerprint data. 

What documents are supported by NFC? 

ID documents with an RFID chip are supported by NFC and can have their data read and extracted by any smartphone with NFC features. Examples of these documents include passports, ID cards and drivers licenses. 

Because of the ICAO 9303 global standard for government-issued IDs, more than 188 countries read out ID documents with NFC-enabled chips. More than 1 billion people own at least one government-issued chip-enabled ID. 

What’s the best advantage of NFC verification? 

Ultra-fast customer onboarding. The whole KYC process can be completed in seconds with NFC technology. 

This doesn’t get mentioned enough, but customers actually have fun swiping their ID cards through their smartphones. It’s super fun and easy. 

What are the requirements for using the NFT-based ID Verification by IDnow?

For the NFC-read out the Document must support ICAO 9303 standard and the smartphone is NFC-enabled.

IDnow & KYC

The IDnow Identity Proofing Platform

Learn more about the IDnow identity verification and document signing platform that is truly flexible, secure, and optimized for conversion.

Talk to us about your KYC process

NFC in Shared Mobility

Level up your KYC process with NFC-powered ID verification

As shared mobility evolves into the new “standard” for everyday transport, adequate ID verification for every stakeholder grows in importance, too. There’s no better time to invest in strengthening ID verification systems.

At IDnow, our job is to keep your company safe and secure, one successful ID verification at a time.

Get in touch with us

Our Products

VideoIdent

Digital verification via video-chat, backed by AI-technology. Our AML-compliant solution meets high security requirements.

Learn more

AutoIdent

Automated, AI-powered identity verification for users all over the world – anytime, anywhere. And AML-compliant.

Learn more

IDCheck.io

Our automated instant identity verification is based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. It’s simple, secure, and available anywhere, at any time.

Learn more

IDCheck.io PVID

Identity verification is in the process of being certified by the ANSSI and complies with the Anti-Money Laundering Directives (AML-CFT) and meets high security requirements.

Learn more

eID

NFC-based solution for the electronic German identification card. Our identity verification solution with easy data scanning via smartphone. AML-compliant.

Learn more
Learn about our platform and the other great add-ons & services.
Play