Evidence of Identity (EOI) Standard

People often need to prove that they are who they say they are. The level of evidence they need to provide will vary, depending on the level of risk associated with the service they are trying to access.

The 3 components for establishing identity are:

1. Evidence that the claimed identity is valid – the person was born and, if so, is still alive.
2. Evidence that the person is linked to the claimed identity – the person claiming the identity is who they say they are and is the only claimant of the identity.
3. Evidence that the presenter uses the claimed identity – the person claiming the identity is using it in the community.

If applied as a whole to an individual case, these provide confidence that a person actually owns the identity they are claiming.

Evidence of Identity Standard

The Evidence of Identity (EOI) Standard is a good practice guide for government agencies who need to establish and subsequently confirm the identity of people accessing their services.

The Standard only applies for those services that have a degree of identity-related risk.

Considerations

You need to consider the:

• level of identity-related risk in your service
• design and operation of evidence of identity processes appropriate to that risk
• ongoing monitoring of processes to ensure they continue to meet objectives.

The standard also contains information to help you assess the usefulness of commonly held documents or records that a person may be able to use to prove their identity.

This standard sits within a set of Authentication standards.

Evidence of Identity Standard 

Authentication Standards 

Benefits

Good identification management processes will:

• reduce the risks of identity theft and fraud
• help to support better privacy and security protections.

Using the Evidence of Identity Standard to define your identity requirements will also increase trust in government services as people are only asked to provide evidence that is appropriate to the service they are trying to access.

Detailed advice

The Evidence of Identity Standard includes information sheets about commonly held documents and records that people could use to prove their identity. Each sheet gives:

• quick checks
• details about the issuance process for that document type.

Documents used to provide evidence of identity.

Related advice

Identity theft information for the public.