Once and for all
Four ways to prove your age. Only one to do.
Traditional systems ask for ID with every purchase. VerifAge is built on one-time validation: the customer validates their account once, using the method that suits them, and that account stays valid for life, at every tobacconist, every vending machine and every partner website.
Method 1Video + ID documentRemote, instant AI decision, followed by an operator review. Under a minute.
Method 2Approved operatorIn store, the retailer scans the QR code. No photos, no video.
Method 3Email or SMSCustomers you already know to be adults are recognised as soon as they sign up.
Method 4Digital identityFrance Identité and the European age verification wallet.
1Live video + ID document
Validated instantly by AI, then reviewed by an operator.
The customer validates their account from home or standing outside your shop, in under a minute, with no wait for a human operator. A human review follows afterwards as a second line of defence, without ever holding the customer up.
- Step 1: live video capture of the face. The user films themselves alone in the frame. To rule out printed photos or videos replayed on a screen, the app asks them to move the camera slightly and say a few words shown on screen, in their own language.
- Real-time visual guidance. A green indicator confirms each successful action; a red indicator flags one that needs correcting. As soon as three different actions turn green, the video step is complete.
- The role of AI age estimation. The video proves real presence, detects fraud attempts and only screens out obvious minors. In every other case, including young adults close to 18, the user moves straight on to the ID document. No file is ever left waiting for human processing.
- Step 2: check of the original ID document. The customer holds it up to the camera, moving it slightly as instructed to avoid glare.
- Instant decision. The AI checks the document’s authenticity (photocopies and screen photos are rejected outright), biometrically matches the filmed face to the ID photo and reads the date of birth by OCR. All checks passed: account validated automatically.
- Then an operator review. Every automatic validation is then reviewed by a human operator, as a second line of defence. The customer waits for nothing: their account is active as soon as the AI decides.
- The video and photos are then deleted. Once the check is done, they are erased within 15 days at most. Only proof of age is kept, never the images.
National identity cardPassportDriving licenceResidence permitOfficial foreign documents with photo and date of birth
Expired documents accepted. An expired document still proves its holder’s date of birth with certainty. And a simple technical issue (blurry image, backlighting, lost connection) means an immediate retake, without ever penalising the user.
2Validation by an approved operator
In store, without photographing a single document.
The ideal method for customers who won’t photograph their papers with their phone, and a way for you to remain their point of reference.
- After signing up, the customer chooses “Validation by an authorised operator” in the app.
- Temporary sign-up QR code: the screen shows a code valid for 15 minutes and refreshed every 5 seconds.
- Only the customer's nickname is displayed. The merchant scans the code with their own phone, checks the identity document once, visually, ticks the sworn statement and presses “Validate the account”.
- No photos, no video are taken. The customer’s screen refreshes instantly: their account is validated for life and usable everywhere: every tobacconist, every vending machine, every partner website.
“I solemnly confirm that this person is 18 or over.” The statement ticked by the merchant is explicit. It is timestamped and attached to the operator account.
3Email or SMS
Your loyal customers have nothing to prove.
You already know your regulars and you know they are adults. Spare them any ID check: they are recognised as soon as they sign up.
- Import the contacts of your known adult customers. From a dedicated web interface, the authorised operator (tobacconist, vape shop, online retailer) enters e-mail addresses and mobile numbers by hand or by CSV / Excel import, with a sworn statement of adulthood.
- The system recognises them immediately when the customer signs up to VerifAge with that e-mail or number.
- By SMS: a 4-digit code, valid for 10 minutes. The app detects it and fills it in automatically: the account is validated without the customer having to type a thing.
- By email: a 6-digit code, valid for 15 minutes. As soon as it is entered, adult status is activated.
It applies across the entire VerifAge network: The recognition is vouched for by the operator who declared it. A customer validated at your shop then unlocks any partner machine.
4Digital identity wallets
France Identité and the European wallet.
Direct remote validation via the State’s official digital identity app, with forward compatibility with the upcoming European age verification wallet.
- France Identité. The customer opens the State app, authorises sharing, and returns to VerifAge with a validated account. Nothing is filmed, nothing is photographed.
- Only one attribute requested. VerifAge only asks for the proof of adulthood, a boolean age_over_18. No name, no date of birth, no address is transmitted.
- EU Age Verification Wallet. The architecture is ready for the European wallet provided for by the eIDAS 2 regulation, as well as for FranceConnect journeys.
- Double anonymity. The retailer knows nothing about the customer beyond their being of age; the State knows nothing about the purchase.
VerifAge is registered as a relying party with ANTS / France Identité. The request covers the adulthood attribute only.
Comparison
Which one to choose?
The customer decides, not you. All four methods lead to the same account, with the same level of proof.
| Method | Where | Time | What is shared | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Video + ID document | Remotely, from the phone | Under a minute, automatic decision, operator review afterwards | Video and document analysed, then deleted within 15 days at most; only proof of age is kept | Customers in a hurry, at any hour, without travelling |
| 2Approved operator | In store | The time it takes to scan | The customer’s username and the retailer’s sworn declaration | Those who don’t want to photograph any papers |
| 3Email or SMS | Remotely, after the operator’s declaration | The time it takes to receive a code | A one-time code sent to a known contact | Loyal customers already recognised as adults |
| 4Digital identity | Remotely, via the State app | A few seconds | A single boolean: 18+ or not | Those who want to share as little data as possible |