A Nigerian fintech expanding into Ghana discovers that its BVN and NIN verification setup does not work for Ghanaian users. A Kenyan platform onboarding South African customers finds that its document verification flow was never built to query the South African national ID database. The pattern repeats across African markets: the ID infrastructure is different in every country, the issuing authorities are different, and the verification flow that works in one market needs to be rebuilt for the next.

Dojah's Government Data Lookup solves that problem at the integration level. One API connection gives businesses access to official government and national databases across multiple African markets, returning verified identity information in real time without requiring a separate vendor or integration for each country.

This guide explains how the Data lookup works, what it returns and how to decide which integration path fits your platform.

Why Government Data Lookup Is Different From Document Verification

There are two ways to verify a government-issued ID. The first is document verification, which checks whether an uploaded image of the document appears genuine, looking at print quality, security features, and formatting. The second is a government database lookup, which takes the submitted ID number and queries the issuing authority's own records to confirm the identity exists and the details match.

The difference matters because a convincing document fake can pass a visual check. It cannot pass a database query that returns no matching record.

Government Data Lookup confirms three things that document verification alone cannot:

• That the ID number is real:  If the submitted number does not exist in the issuing authority's database, the check fails regardless of how genuine the document appears.
• That the details match the record: The name, date of birth, and other submitted details are compared against the official record. A mismatch flags a discrepancy that the business can act on.
• That the identity exists in the system at all: For markets where fabricated or synthetic identities are an active fraud pattern, a database query that returns no matching record is a stronger signal than a document that looks right.

For platforms running KYC in regulated African markets, a government database lookup is typically the required verification method, not an optional addition to document checks.

What Government Data Lookup Covers

Dojah connects to official government and national databases across multiple African markets. The ID types supported in each market reflect what is actually in use for identity verification in that country.

• Nigeria: NIN, BVN, Driver's Licence, Voter's Card, International Passport, Phone Number, and NUBAN KYC lookup. For business verification, CAC lookups are also supported to verify registered entities with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
• Ghana: International Passport, Driver's Licence, Voter ID, and SSNIT.
• Kenya: National ID, International Passport, and KRA PIN.
• South Africa: National ID.

Additional markets including Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola are also supported for selected identity checks.

The breadth of coverage matters for platforms operating across more than one market. Rather than building a separate verification integration for each country, a single Dojah integration covers the ID rails across all supported markets via a single connection.

How the Lookup Works

The verification process follows three steps regardless of the ID type or market.

Step 1: The user submits their identity information

 The customer enters the required details, typically their ID number and, depending on the ID type, additional information such as date of birth. This can happen through your own onboarding flow if you are integrating via API, or through a Dojah-hosted interface if you are using the dashboard or a widget.

Step 2: Dojah queries the official database

The submitted information is sent securely to the relevant government or national database. The query happens in real time. Most lookups return a result within seconds, fast enough to sit inside an onboarding flow without adding noticeable delay.

Step 3: The result is returned

The API returns the identity information held against the submitted ID number in the official database. Your platform compares what was returned against what the user submitted and determines the next step based on that comparison.

For a full video walkthrough of how the lookup works in practice, see the Complete Government Lookup Walkthrough on Dojah Learning.

What the Lookup Returns

The exact response depends on the ID type and the issuing authority. Not every database returns the same fields, and some return more than others.

For NIN, BVN, and Phone Number lookups in Nigeria, the response typically includes:

• First name, last name, and middle name
• Date of birth
• Gender
• Phone number
• A captured image where available

For Driver's Licence, Voter's Card, and International Passport lookups, the response varies by document type but generally includes name, date of birth, and where available, a photo.

For Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, the response includes the core identity fields held in each country's national database against the submitted ID number.

Two things worth noting for developers building onboarding flows:

• Not every record includes a photo: Where the database does not return an image, face match needs to use a document capture rather than the database photo. Your flow should handle both cases.
• The response is the basis for comparison: The lookup tells you what the official record says. Your platform decides what to do with that information based on your risk threshold and onboarding rules.

Handling Failed and Incomplete Lookups

Not every lookup returns a clean result, and that does not automatically mean the user is fraudulent. Knowing what each outcome means and how to respond is what separates a well-built verification flow from one that rejects legitimate users or passes fraudulent ones.

Invalid ID number: The submitted ID number does not match the expected format for that document type. This is usually a data entry error rather than fraud. The recommended response is to ask the user to re-enter their ID number before treating it as a verification failure.

User not found: The submitted ID number is in the correct format but returns no matching record in the database. This can mean the ID does not exist, has not yet been registered in the database, or was submitted incorrectly. For higher-risk onboarding flows, a not-found result should route to manual review rather than automatic rejection. For lower-risk flows, a retry with an alternative ID type may be appropriate.

User found with mismatched details: The ID number returns a record, but the details submitted by the user do not match the official record. A name mismatch is the most common scenario, often caused by variations in how names are recorded across different systems. A single-field mismatch warrants review. Multiple mismatches across name, date of birth, and other fields are a stronger fraud signal.

Timeout or database unavailability: Government databases are not always available with the same uptime as commercial systems. A lookup that times out or returns an error may simply reflect a temporary database issue rather than a problem with the user's identity. Your flow should include retry logic and a fallback route for these cases rather than treating a timeout as a verification failure.

Integration Options

Dojah supports three ways to access Government Data Lookup, each suited to a different implementation context.

API integration: For teams building custom onboarding flows within their own mobile or web applications. The API gives full control over the verification experience and allows the result to be processed programmatically within your own logic. Full reference at docs.dojah.io.

Dashboard: For compliance teams or operations staff running individual identity checks without a developer involved. Lookups can be run directly from the Dojah dashboard by selecting the country, ID type, and entering the ID number.

SDKs: For teams building native mobile or web experiences who want to embed the verification flow without building the full UI from scratch. Dojah provides SDKs for React, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin, React Native, and JavaScript.

Ready to add government ID verification to your onboarding flow? Explore the Dojah docs to see the full API reference and integration guides, or sign up to get started. 

FAQs

1. What is the difference between Government Data Lookup and document verification? Document verification checks whether an uploaded image of an ID appears genuine. Government Data Lookup queries the issuing authority's own database to confirm the identity exists and the details match. A convincing document fake can pass a visual check. It cannot pass a database query that returns no matching record.

2. How long does a Government Data Lookup take? Most lookups return a result within seconds. The exact response time depends on the ID type and the issuing database, but the process is fast enough to sit inside an onboarding flow without adding noticeable delay.

3. What happens if the database returns no matching record? A not-found result does not automatically mean fraud. The ID may not yet be registered in the database, or the details may have been entered incorrectly. The recommended response is to route the case for manual review or offer the user an alternative verification method rather than rejecting them automatically.

4. Can I verify identities across multiple African markets from one integration? Yes. A single Dojah integration covers government ID verification across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola without requiring a separate vendor or integration per country.

5. Which integration method should I use? API integration gives the most control and is best for teams building custom flows. The dashboard is best for compliance or operations teams running individual checks without developer involvement. SDKs sit in between, offering a pre-built interface that can be embedded without building the full UI from scratch.