Verify a German residence permit: 4 control points

Verifying a person’s identity is necessary in many sectors to prevent fraud and identity theft.

The residence permits currently used appeared in 2020 and include several security features: so, how to verify a German residence permit online and ensure the presented document is authentic? The answer is in this article!

The first step for verifying a German residence permit online / residence card, when you have access to the original document, is the overall appearance: it must show no signs of cutting, peeling, modification or rectification.

Pay close attention especially around the photo.

The residence permit / card is in ID-1 format, the size of a credit card, similar to the new driving license.

The second step in verifying a German residence permit online is to check the consistency of the information on the document.

The document number can be found in three different places: top right on the front, left side still on the front, and in the first line of the MRZ.

All three must be identical:

The date of birth of the holder can also be found in two distinct places: center right on the front and at the start of the second MRZ line in YYMMDD format:

Similarly for names and given names, which can be found on the front of the card and in the third line of the MRZ:

The holder’s gender is indicated by “M” for male and “F” for female. This information is found on the front and in the second line of the MRZ:

The issuing country can be found in ISO 3166-1 format at the beginning of the first MRZ line:

The holder’s nationality can also be found in ISO 3166-1 format on the front of the card and in the second MRZ line:

Another element present twice on the card is the expiration date, found on the front and in the second MRZ line in YYMMDD format:

The lower part of the new German residence permit consists of three lines containing information on the card, with validation keys to prevent reading errors or falsifications.

1. Document Type: 2 characters, code indicating the document type, represented by the letters “AR”.
2. Issuing Country: 3 characters, the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the issuing country.
3. Card Number: 9 characters, unique card number.
4. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit for the unique card number.
5. End of Line: filler chevrons “<” to complete the line.

1. Date of Birth: 6 characters, year, month and day of birth in YYMMDD format.
2. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit for the date of birth.
3. Gender: 1 character, “M” or “F”.
4. Expiration Date: 6 digits, expiration date of the card in YYMMDD format.
5. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit for the expiration date.
6. Nationality: 3 characters, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code of the holder’s nationality.
7. Separator: 11 characters, “<”.
8. Check Digit: 1 character, check digit for the concatenation of characters line 1 positions 6-15, line 2 positions 1-7, line 2 positions 9-15.

1. Holder’s Name and Given Names: holder’s last name followed by first name(s). The last name and first name are separated by two “<” characters. In case of compound last names, compound first names or multiple first names, they are separated by the “<” character. Spaces and apostrophes are replaced by “<” and the name is truncated to 30 characters if necessary, with accents removed. The line is then completed by the “<” character.

A German residence permit has 4 check digits (or security keys) that validate the preceding information.

They help prevent transcription errors or intentional/unintentional modifications.

The algorithm used to create and validate check digits is common to all identity documents: characters have a value which is multiplied by a factor depending on their position in the string (7, 3, and 1).

Digits have their numeric value (“0” = 0, “1” = 1, up to “9” = 9), the chevron “<” has a value of 0, while letters are valued starting from 10 for “A”, 11 for “B” up to 35 for “Z”.

Let’s take the check digit of the date of birth from the above specimen as an example.

The string to validate is: “640812”.

To calculate the check digit, proceed as follows:

– “6” has a value of 6 and is in the first position, so multiply by 7: 6 * 7 = 42

– “4” has a value of 4 and is in the second position, multiply by 3: 4 * 3 = 12, add to 42 = 54.

– “0” has a value of 0 and is in the third position, multiply by 1: 0 * 1 = 0, add to 54 = 54.

– 8 * 7 = 56 and 56 + 54 = 110

– 1 * 3 = 3 and 3 + 110 = 113

– 2 * 1 = 2 and 2 + 113 = 115

The total is 115, from which we take modulo 10 (the remainder of the division by 10), keeping only the last digit, which is “5”.

Our check digit is therefore valid because the document shows “5”!

An identity document contains various features that help validate its authenticity.

This is the final step in verifying a German residence permit online, as it is the most time-consuming.

The security printing consists of complex patterns, multicolored guilloches and anti-copy structures, and includes national design elements.

Positive and negative microprinting elements of different sizes are incorporated into the security printing design.

Under ultraviolet light, a pattern conforming to European standards, printed with the rainbow (split-duct) technique, reveals shifting colors.

Depending on the viewing angle, the ink of the ICAO logo “chip inside” changes color from blue to green.

The document number repeated, the expiration date, and the six-digit card access number (CAN) are laser engraved and tactile.

Tactile embossing with microprinting and a map of Germany integrated on the back of the card.

Depending on the viewing angle, the expiration date or the holder’s portrait becomes visible.

Transparent fluorescent fibers are embedded in the layers on the back of the card.

A machine-verifiable security thread is embedded on the back of the card, personalized with the document number and the cardholder’s name.

The logo identifies applications and readers that support the eID function.

Subsequent address changes will be indicated on a paper label that may be protected by a transparent film.

You now have all the keys to verify a German residence permit online and ensure it is authentic!

No specialized equipment is needed: just some vigilance, time, and you can avoid most of the frauds encountered daily!

You can also use our service which performs the checks in a few seconds via our web application: results are available directly in the app and in PDF report format!

[1] : Image from the Bundesministerium des Innern — Public Domain — Source: Wikimedia Commons and Wikimedia Commons