Verifies a Nigerian National Identification Number (NIN) against the National Identity Management Commission register. Requires a selfie: the enrolment portrait held against the NIN is face-matched with it, and the record is only returned when the two are the same person. Didit exposes this service through `POST /v3/database-validation/` so you can verify the submitted data against the authoritative source and receive normalized match results. ## Coverage * **Coverage:** \~ 100% * **Country:** Nigeria * **Service ID:** `nga_national_id_facial` * **Data domain:** Identity * **Category:** NationalIDRegistry ## Inputs | Field | Required | Example | | - | -: | - | | `national_id` | Yes | `11111111111` | | `selfie` | Yes | `@./selfie.jpg` | | `first_name` | No | `John` | | `last_name` | No | `Doe` | | `date_of_birth` | No | `1990-01-01` | | `vendor_data` | No | `user-1234` | * **Required inputs:** `national_id`, `selfie` * **Optional inputs:** `first_name`, `last_name`, `date_of_birth`, `vendor_data` * **Consent:** Not required * **Workflow availability:** Available in workflow * **Coverage:** \~ 100% * **Price:** \$0.35 per successful query Not every document this service accepts carries the identifier it queries by. When the identifier is not extracted from the document the check is recorded as **not applicable** - no database is queried and you are not charged - which for some countries is a large share of real users. To cover them, also collect the identifier from a Questionnaire answer, a Document AI extraction field, or a value you send when you create the session, and map it on the Database Validation step. ## Body parameters ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code for this database service. Example: `NGA` Array containing this service ID. Pinning the service keeps the request scoped to this exact database. Example: `nga_national_id_facial` National identity number for this service. Example: `11111111111` Selfie image file to upload for biometric database validation. Accepted formats: JPEG, PNG, or WebP. Example: `@./selfie.jpg` Given name to validate. Example: `John` Family name to validate. Example: `Doe` Date of birth in `YYYY-MM-DD` format. Example: `1990-01-01` Your stable user reference for this person, such as your internal user ID. Didit uses it to link standalone checks to the same end user and reduce duplicate-detection noise. Example: `user-1234` ## Input rules & validation notes * `first_name` must match `[A-Za-zÀ-ÖØ-öø-ÿ .'-]+`. * `national_id` must contain digits only; remove spaces, hyphens, and punctuation before sending the request. * `national_id` must be exactly 11 characters long. ## How to call it ```bash cURL theme={null} curl -X POST "https://verification.didit.me/v3/database-validation/" \ -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \ -F "issuing_state=NGA" \ -F "services=nga_national_id_facial" \ -F "vendor_data=user-1234" \ -F "national_id=11111111111" \ -F "selfie=@./selfie.jpg" ``` Every successful call returns HTTP `200`. The **`outcome_code`** field tells you what actually happened — distinguishing, for example, a real biometric mismatch (`BIOMETRIC_NO_MATCH`) from a selfie that could not be read (`BIOMETRIC_IMAGE_UNUSABLE`). The `status` shown is the default feature status; your configured [Partial Match / No Match actions](/core-technology/database-validation/database-validation-warnings) can override it. **`MATCH`** — The registry confirmed the identity and every checked field matched. ```json 200 OK — MATCH theme={null} { "request_id": "req_01H…", "status": "Approved", "issuing_state": "NGA", "match_type": "full_match", "validations": [ { "outcome_code": "MATCH", "service_id": "nga_national_id_facial", "service_name": "Nigeria National ID + Selfie (NIMC)", "source_data": { "address": "1 SAMPLE STREET", "birth_country": "nigeria", "birth_lga": "Ikeja", "birth_state": "Lagos", "date_of_birth": "1990-01-01", "face_match_score": 92.4, "first_name": "JOHN", "gender": "Male", "identification_number": "11111111111", "last_name": "DOE", "marital_status": "single", "middle_name": "SAMUEL", "phone_number": "08000000000", "photo_available": true, "residence_lga": "Ikeja", "residence_state": "Lagos", "residence_town": "IKEJA" }, "validation": { "date_of_birth": "full_match", "full_name": "full_match", "identification_number": "full_match" } } ] } ``` **`PARTIAL_MATCH`** — The selfie matched the registered photo and the NIN is on record, but a name or date of birth you sent differs from the NIMC record. The record is returned so you can see which field differs. ```json 200 OK — PARTIAL_MATCH theme={null} { "request_id": "req_01H…", "status": "In Review", "issuing_state": "NGA", "match_type": "partial_match", "validations": [ { "outcome_code": "PARTIAL_MATCH", "service_id": "nga_national_id_facial", "service_name": "Nigeria National ID + Selfie (NIMC)", "source_data": { "address": "1 SAMPLE STREET", "birth_country": "nigeria", "birth_lga": "Ikeja", "birth_state": "Lagos", "date_of_birth": "1990-02-01", "face_match_score": 92.4, "first_name": "JOHN", "gender": "Male", "identification_number": "11111111111", "last_name": "DOE", "marital_status": "single", "middle_name": "SAMUEL", "phone_number": "08000000000", "photo_available": true, "residence_lga": "Ikeja", "residence_state": "Lagos", "residence_town": "IKEJA" }, "validation": { "date_of_birth": "no_match", "full_name": "full_match", "identification_number": "full_match" } } ] } ``` **`BIOMETRIC_NO_MATCH`** — The NIN is on record, but the selfie is not the same person as the NIMC enrolment photo (face-match score below the acceptance threshold). Nothing from the record is returned - only the score. ```json 200 OK — BIOMETRIC_NO_MATCH theme={null} { "request_id": "req_01H…", "status": "Declined", "issuing_state": "NGA", "match_type": "no_match", "validations": [ { "outcome_code": "BIOMETRIC_NO_MATCH", "service_id": "nga_national_id_facial", "service_name": "Nigeria National ID + Selfie (NIMC)", "source_data": { "face_match_score": 12.5, "identification_number": "NO_MATCH" }, "validation": { "identification_number": "no_match" } } ] } ``` **`INCONCLUSIVE`** — The NIN is on record, but the face match could not be made - no enrolment photo on file, or no face detected. Nothing from the record is returned, `match_type` is null and the check is sent to review. ```json 200 OK — INCONCLUSIVE theme={null} { "request_id": "req_01H…", "status": "In Review", "issuing_state": "NGA", "match_type": null, "validations": [ { "outcome_code": "INCONCLUSIVE", "service_id": "nga_national_id_facial", "service_name": "Nigeria National ID + Selfie (NIMC)", "source_data": {}, "validation": {} } ] } ``` **`DOCUMENT_NOT_FOUND`** — The NIN is well formed but the NIMC register holds no record for it. The lookup is charged. ```json 200 OK — DOCUMENT_NOT_FOUND theme={null} { "request_id": "req_01H…", "status": "Declined", "issuing_state": "NGA", "match_type": "no_match", "validations": [ { "outcome_code": "DOCUMENT_NOT_FOUND", "service_id": "nga_national_id_facial", "service_name": "Nigeria National ID + Selfie (NIMC)", "source_data": { "identification_number": "NO_MATCH" }, "validation": { "identification_number": "no_match" } } ] } ``` ## Returned data The exact fields surfaced in `source_data` depend on what the registry returns. The generated example for `nga_national_id_facial` currently documents this normalized shape: * `address` * `birth_country` * `birth_lga` * `birth_state` * `date_of_birth` * `face_match_score` * `first_name` * `gender` * `identification_number` * `last_name` * `marital_status` * `middle_name` * `phone_number` * `photo_available` * `residence_lga` * `residence_state` * `residence_town` ## Pricing & SLAs Nigeria National ID + Selfie (NIMC) queries are billed only when Didit receives a conclusive result from the validation source. * **Per-call price:** \$0.35 USD. * **Billing:** per successful query. You are not charged when the registry is unreachable, when required fields are missing, or when the request is rejected before reaching the source. * **Latency:** typical p95 \< 2 s. * **Availability:** 99.9% per quarter on Didit's side; downstream source availability varies by country and dataset. ## Selfie and face match The NIMC register answers a valid NIN with the holder's full record, so knowing a number is not proof of being its owner. Every lookup is therefore tied to a selfie: it is face-matched against the enrolment photo NIMC holds for that NIN, and the record is returned only when both are the same person. * **Match:** `source_data` carries the NIMC record and `face_match_score`. Names and date of birth you send are compared against it and reported in `validation`; send them to get a name and date-of-birth verdict, or omit them and read the registry's values from `source_data`. * **Different person:** `BIOMETRIC_NO_MATCH`. Only `face_match_score` is returned - no personal data. * **Match not possible:** `INCONCLUSIVE` when NIMC holds no photo for the NIN or no face could be found. Nothing is returned and the check is sent to review. * **Unknown NIN:** `DOCUMENT_NOT_FOUND`. The lookup is charged. In a workflow the selfie is taken from the liveness or face-match step, or from the portrait on the uploaded document when the workflow has no face step. A request without a selfie, or with a NIN that is not 11 digits, is rejected before anything is charged. ## Continue reading * [Nigeria Database Validation overview](/api-reference/database-validation/nigeria) * [Database Validation overview](/core-technology/database-validation/overview) * [Outcome Codes](/core-technology/database-validation/database-validation-outcome-codes) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.