Tēnei Au - RealMe verified

RealMe verified identity

With a RealMe verified identity it's easy for someone to prove who they are to lots of New Zealand businesses and government departments so they can do things online.

Valid for 10 years (and easy to renew online), a RealMe verified identity can be used across nearly 200 government and commercial services whenever and how often it is needed.

Just like RealMe login, it’s been designed as a reusable digital component for government, but has wider application in that it can be used by organisations and businesses so they don’t have to invest in the same service themselves.

Identity assurance rating

This service offers DIA's highest level of identity assurance.

How the service protects personal data

Each verified identity can include someone’s full name, date of birth, place of birth, gender and photo.

To share a verified identity, a user visits the website they want to share their details with, logs in, reviews the personal details asked for, provides consent (only for those details), then continues to carry out the online task requiring identity verification.

Behind-the-scenes, RealMe connects users to personal data held in secure databases across DIA. It doesn’t share data with third parties or rely on a central data source. Instead it pulls data from that data source in real time with the user’s consent.

This means a user is always in control of their information, including how and when it is shared.

A lot of work goes into making sure DIA digital identity services meet New Zealand’s data protection and security requirements, including having service models reviewed by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Use  of the service

Figures show there are nearly 1 million RealMe verified identities in use today.

The service is the only legally accepted method to identify a customer through the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-terrorism Financing requirements for electronic verification.

Creating a RealMe verified  identity

Creating a RealMe verified identity is more involved than creating a login.

Applying requires logging into a RealMe account, adding identity information (from official documentation such as a New Zealand passport) and taking or getting a photo. Application approval takes around five working days.

Facial recognition, through photographs or video, is the biometric information we use to verify a person’s identity. 

Anyone with a New Zealand passport or citizenship certificate issued within the last 12 years and a device with a camera can complete the application online. Some users may need to visit a participating photo store.