Identity Verification for Minors Without Compromising Trust or Compliance

Guardian consent is a step that allows a parent or legal guardian to consent to identity verification on behalf of a minor. Since minors cannot enter legally binding agreements, such as terms of use or a consent, this protects them and our businesses by obtaining consent from someone who can enter into those agreements on behalf of a minor.

“Guardian” includes any adult who has legal responsibility for a minor. It’s not just parents who can agree for a minor to use DocV; any legal guardian can do it.

Minors often have less established identity data than adults. They may have shorter histories with financial institutions, fewer long-standing records, or fewer sources of information that can be used to corroborate their identity. This makes document-based identity verification especially important for minors, providing a direct way to verify their identity using a government-issued ID and biometric comparison rather than relying as heavily on established identity history.

Since minors cannot enter legally binding agreements, such as terms of use or a consent, this protects them and our businesses by obtaining consent from someone who can enter into those agreements on behalf of a minor.
Guardian consent provides a structured way for a business to obtain that approval before continuing with a minor’s verification.

No. Age assurance answers an age-related question, while identity verification answers an identity-related question.
Age assurance determines whether someone falls within a particular age range or meets a minimum-age requirement. Depending on the method used, performing the age-assurance check itself may require parental or guardian consent, particularly when the check involves collecting personal or biometric information.
Identity verification goes further by establishing the individual’s identity. A business may use age assurance to determine whether a minor-specific verification or consent flow is required, or may incorporate guardian consent as part of the age-assurance process itself.

Yes. These checks serve different purposes. Verifying the minor establishes the minor’s identity, while verifying the guardian can help confirm the identity of the adult providing consent. Whether both are required, and how they are performed, depends on the business’s requirements, risk tolerance, and applicable regulations.

Yes. Guardian consent can be incorporated into an adaptive verification flow. For example, a business may determine during the verification process that a user is a minor based on age assurance, document information, or another signal, and then trigger the guardian-consent step rather than requiring every user to complete it.
This allows businesses to apply additional requirements when they are relevant without adding the same steps to every verification.

No. They address different needs, but they can be connected depending on the age-assurance method. Age assurance helps determine whether a user falls within a particular age range, while guardian consent may be required to perform that age-assurance check or to proceed with the subsequent collection or processing of the minor’s information.
The specific requirements depend on the age-assurance method, the information being collected, and the applicable regulations.