AusweisIDent Online

Online identification (referred to in legal terms as ‘electronic proof of identity’) refers to the process by which a user identifies him or herself to another user or system via digital media using suitable hardware and software, so that the other party has reliable information about the person identifying him or herself.

With AusweisIDent Online you can identify your customers easily, quickly and in a legally recognized manner. AusweisIDent Online provides electronic proof of identity within the meaning of the German Identity Card Act (Personalausweisgesetz) and has the highest level of security according to the eIDAS Regulation. This means that AusweisIDent can be used for identification in all legal contexts without additional certification, for instance, for services in the context of the eIDAS Regulation, the German Telecommunications Act and the Money Laundering Act, where other identification procedures are often only used to a limited extent or where additional certification is required for legal recognition.

AusweisIDent Online is interesting if you:

Offer a service where you wish to identify your own customers or are legally obliged to do so, and if you would like to handle the identification process online. This is usually useful when starting a new business relationship with a customer, for instance, when customers sign up to use your service.

AusweisIDent Online offers advantages for you as a service provider and for your customers:

With AusweisIDent Online, the customer can be identified within a matter of minutes, without having to go to the nearest post office or make a video call.

This offers several advantages for you as a service provider:

• You receive immediate feedback on the success of identification verification and therefore the requested data needed to use your service.
• You can ensure high data quality, as the data in the ID card matches the data from the citizens’ registration authorities.
• Compared to other identification processes, you can cut personnel costs since the identification process is entirely digital.
• You can be sure that your customers are identified in a legally secure way, because AusweisIDent Online offers the highest level of security.
• You offer your customers a seamless and innovative customer experience.

With AusweisIDent Online, you can offer your customers the following:

1. A seamless customer journey that saves time compared to other identification processes.
2. Identification that is possible even from the comfort of home.
3. A secure identification procedure that is certified by BSI and data minimization as contemplated by the GDPR is ensured.

Your customer will need the following for secure online identification using AusweisIDent Online:

• An NFC-enabled smart phone or card reader for the ID card
• ID card with the online ID function activated and knowledge of the PIN, OR an electronic residence permit, OR a European Union citizen card
• AusweisApp on a PC or smartphone (if this is not integrated into your app)

The AusweisIDent service is started using the AusweisApp app. This app must already be installed on the user’s smartphone or PC or in your application. AusweisApp is not part of the AusweisIDent service, but is a solution developed and certified on behalf of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community for using the online ID function provided on the German ID card and electronic residence permit. AusweisApp will guide your customer through the identification process and all the necessary steps.

With full integration of AusweisApp as a mobile SDK in your app, your customer will not be redirected to AusweisApp, but instead will be taken through all the necessary steps in your app environment.

In addition to AusweisIDent Online and OnSite, D-Trust also offers you as a service provider or identification service provider the option of connecting to the eID Service. Service providers are defined as companies that enable their customers to use the online ID card to conduct business matters. Identification service providers are companies that provide a case-by-case identification service to a third party using the online ID function.

If you want to become a service provider or identification service provider in the sense of the German Identity Card Act (Personalausweisgesetz), you will need an authorization certificate. This makes the onboarding process more complicated.

• You can find a step-by-step guide on how to become a service provider here.
• A step-by-step guide on how to become an identification service provider can be found here.

You do not need an authorization certificate to use AusweisIDent, because D‑Trust holds the required authorization certificates for the AusweisIDent service. This makes the onboarding process easier.

In addition, AusweisIDent is the less expensive option for identification procedures, as it offers different pricing models and transaction-based billing.

The user experience for end users is always the same. The only difference is that the systems are connected at different interfaces. AusweisIDent is integrated into your service via an OpenID Connect interface (open web standard based on OAuth2), whereas the eID Service is connected via a SOAP/SAML interface.

Your customer must be identified in line with the legal requirements of section 18 of the German Identity Card Act (PAuswG, Personalausweisgesetz). The ID card holder must, for instance, be at least 16 years old and the service reading the card must take steps to ensure data protection and data security. It is imperative that the confidentiality and integrity of the data be guaranteed.

The service provider (in this case AusweisIDent Online) must also have an authorization certificate and transmit it to the ID card holder before the card holder enters their secret PIN. The authorization certificate restricts the categories of data to be read.