Customer Identity Verification
A mandatory compliance step on certain Ozow payment methods, which require a customer's identity to be verified before they can complete a payment.
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Only mandatory for high-risk merchants.
If Ozow hasn't classified your business as high-risk, you don't need to implement this.
Customer Identity VerificationCustomer Identity Verification Checking that the payment instrument belongs to the natural person making the payment. Ozow requires it for merchants it has classified as high-risk, on Pay by Bank, Absa Pay, Capitec Pay, Nedbank Direct EFT, FNB Payment Requests and PayShap Request, and can disable those methods where it is not implemented correctly. is a mandatory compliance requirement for merchants using specific Ozow payment methods. It requires that a customer's identity is verified before they can complete a payment. It must be in place before you go live with the payment methods below, and it must stay in place for as long as you offer them.
Does this apply to you?
It applies if Ozow has classified your business as high-risk. Ozow tells you your classification during onboarding. For the list of high-risk industries and the documents they need, see Bank API onboarding and compliance.
Which payment methods require it?
Customer Identity Verification is mandatory for the following payment methods:
- Pay by BankPay by Bank The payer authorises the payment inside their own banking app or online banking, and the funds move from their bank account. No card is involved and no card details are entered. (all banks)
- Absa PayAbsa Pay Absa's own payment method, which the customer authorises in their Absa banking app. It gets its own button at checkout rather than sitting inside the bank list, and it requires Customer Identity Verification.Absa
- Capitec PayCapitec Pay Capitec's own payment method. The payer gives a cellphone, account or ID number rather than card details, and approves the payment in the Capitec app, so no card number and no banking login is ever entered at checkout. It gets its own button rather than sitting inside the bank list, and it requires Customer Identity Verification.Capitec
- Nedbank Direct EFTNedbank Direct EFT Nedbank's own payment method. Like the other bank APIs it gets its own button at checkout rather than sitting inside the bank list, and it requires Customer Identity Verification.Nedbank
- FNB Payment Requests
- PayShap RequestPayShap Request The request side of PayShap. Rather than the payer pushing money, the payee asks for it: the payer receives a request and approves it in their own banking app, and the funds move once they do. Enabled by Ozow on request rather than by default.payshap.co.za
Ozow reserves the right to disable these payment methods if Customer Identity Verification is not correctly implemented.
When must verification happen?
The standard requirement is that a customer's identity is verified at the point of signup or account creation on the merchant's platform, before any payment is made. Any deviation from this standard must be discussed with and approved by Ozow before implementation. Contact support@ozow.com or your account manager to discuss your specific requirements.
How verification works
Your platform is responsible for verifying the customer's identity. You must use a trusted third-party KYC provider of your choice to complete the verification. Once verified, the customer's South African ID number or foreign passport number must be:
- Saved securely on your platform
- Passed to Ozow as part of every payment request
- Treated as non-editable, the customer must not be able to change their verified ID number on your platform. Any change to the ID number must trigger a full re-KYC process before payments can resume.
Accepted identity documents
| Document | Who it's for | Where to find the number |
|---|---|---|
| South African ID number | South African citizens and permanent residents | The 13-digit number on the front of the Smart ID card, or at the top of the first page of the green ID book, above the barcode |
| Foreign passport number | Customers without a South African ID | The passport number on the data page of the passport |
How Ozow enforces it
Ozow uses the verified number to decide which payment methods and banks each customer sees. Methods linked to the customer's identity are shown. Methods that aren't linked, or need an ID that wasn't sent, are hidden at checkout.
For exactly what customers see in each case, see the integration guide for your API.
Go-live and ongoing obligations
| When | What's required |
|---|---|
| Before go-live | Verification is fully and correctly implemented. Ozow checks this during go-live. |
| While you offer these methods | Verification stays active for every customer and every payment. |
| If your business becomes high-risk | Tell Ozow straight away and implement verification before you keep using the affected methods. |
Important
Ozow can disable the payment methods above if verification isn't implemented correctly or stops being applied.
Integration guides
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