Identity Verification with sajn ID

Use sajn ID to verify customer identities using Swedish BankID before granting access to services or completing transactions.

Overview

sajn ID provides two verification methods:

SSN-based: Verifies identity AND Swedish personal number
Name-based: Verifies identity and name match without requiring SSN

Quick Start

Create and send a verification request:

curl -X POST https://app.sajn.se/api/v1/sajn-id \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "fullName": "John Doe",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "channel": "EMAIL"
  }'

The user receives an email with a verification link and completes BankID authentication.

Creating a verification immediately sends it to the recipient over the chosen channel — there is no separate send step.

Use Cases

Customer Onboarding

Verify identity during account creation:

{
  "fullName": "John Doe",
  "ssn": "197001011234",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "channel": "EMAIL",
  "reference": "customer_signup_2024_001"
}

Age Verification

Verify someone is 18+ without collecting SSN:

{
  "fullName": "Jane Smith",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "channel": "EMAIL",
  "reference": "age_verification"
}

Pre-Contract Verification

Verify identity before allowing document signing:

{
  "fullName": "John Doe",
  "ssn": "197001011234",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "channel": "EMAIL",
  "contactId": "contact_123",
  "reference": "pre_contract_verification"
}

SSN-Based vs Name-Based

When to Use SSN-Based

Use SSN-based verification when you:

Need to verify the exact person (e.g., financial services)
Are legally required to collect and verify SSN
Need to match against government databases

{
  "fullName": "John Doe",
  "ssn": "197001011234",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "channel": "EMAIL"
}

When to Use Name-Based

Use name-based verification when you:

Only need to verify identity, not specific SSN
Want to respect privacy (GDPR-friendly)
Just need age verification

{
  "fullName": "John Doe",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "channel": "EMAIL"
}

Verification Flow

Create verification via API
User receives link via email or SMS
User clicks link and opens verification page
User authenticates with BankID app
Verification completes and you receive webhook notification
Retrieve results via API

Checking Verification Status

Poll for status updates:

GET /api/v1/sajn-id/{verificationId}

Response when pending:

{
  "id": "verify_123",
  "status": "SENT",
  "fullName": "John Doe",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "verifiedAt": null
}

Response when completed:

{
  "id": "verify_123",
  "status": "VERIFIED",
  "fullName": "John Doe",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "verifiedAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "completionData": {
      "user": {
        "personalNumber": "197001011234",
        "name": "John Doe",
        "givenName": "John",
        "surname": "Doe"
      }
    }
  }
}

Webhook Integration

Receive real-time notifications:

{
  "event": "SAJN_ID_VERIFIED",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "verificationId": "verify_123",
    "fullName": "John Doe",
    "status": "VERIFIED",
    "reference": "customer_signup_2024_001"
  }
}

Linking to Contacts

Link verifications to existing contacts for audit trail:

{
  "fullName": "John Doe",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "channel": "EMAIL",
  "contactId": "contact_123"
}

This creates a permanent record in the contact’s history.

Implementation Example

Complete verification workflow:

// Step 1: Create verification
const verification = await fetch('https://app.sajn.se/api/v1/sajn-id', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    fullName: 'John Doe',
    email: '[email protected]',
    channel: 'EMAIL',
    reference: 'signup_123'
  })
}).then(r => r.json());

// Step 2: Poll for completion (or use webhooks)
const checkStatus = async (verificationId) => {
  const status = await fetch(
    `https://app.sajn.se/api/v1/sajn-id/${verificationId}`,
    {
      headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}` }
    }
  ).then(r => r.json());

  if (status.status === 'VERIFIED') {
    // Verification successful
    console.log('Verified:', status.data);
    return true;
  } else if (status.status === 'FAILED' || status.status === 'EXPIRED') {
    // Verification failed or expired
    console.log('Verification not completed:', status.status);
    return false;
  }

  // Still pending, check again later
  return null;
};

Security & Privacy

SSN encryption

SSNs are encrypted at rest and only accessible to authorized users.

Single-use tokens

Verification tokens are single-use and expire after completion or timeout.

Audit logs

Complete audit trail tracks every step of the verification process.

Best Practices

Reference IDs

Always include a reference to link the verification to your workflow and trace it for compliance.

Control Expiry

Set expiresAt to control how long the verification link stays valid (defaults to 7 days).

Minimal Data

Use name-based verification when SSN isn’t legally required.

Webhooks

Use webhooks instead of polling for better user experience.

Troubleshooting

Verification Not Received

Check spam/junk folders
Verify email/phone is correct
Check verification wasn’t already used
Look for delivery failures in dashboard

BankID Failed

Common reasons:

User canceled authentication
BankID app not responding
Wrong personal number provided
BankID account issues

The user can retry by clicking the link again.

Name Mismatch

If name-based verification fails due to mismatch:

Double-check spelling in request
Ask user for their exact registered name
Consider SSN-based verification for certainty

Next Steps

sajn ID Concept

Learn more about sajn ID

API Reference

Explore the sajn ID API

​Identity Verification with sajn ID

​Overview

​Quick Start

​Use Cases

​Customer Onboarding

​Age Verification

​Pre-Contract Verification

​SSN-Based vs Name-Based

​When to Use SSN-Based

​When to Use Name-Based

​Verification Flow

​Checking Verification Status

​Webhook Integration

​Linking to Contacts

​Implementation Example

​Security & Privacy

​Best Practices

Reference IDs

Control Expiry

Minimal Data

Webhooks

​Troubleshooting

​Verification Not Received

​BankID Failed

​Name Mismatch

​Next Steps

sajn ID Concept

API Reference

Identity Verification with sajn ID

Overview

Quick Start

Use Cases

Customer Onboarding

Age Verification

Pre-Contract Verification

SSN-Based vs Name-Based

When to Use SSN-Based

When to Use Name-Based

Verification Flow

Checking Verification Status

Webhook Integration

Linking to Contacts

Implementation Example

Security & Privacy

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Verification Not Received

BankID Failed

Name Mismatch

Next Steps