GPG 45 identity profiles, in plain English
GPG 45 (“Good Practice Guide 45: How to prove and verify someone’s identity”, last updated November 2024) is the UK government’s method for identity checking. It doesn’t hand you a pass/fail — it scores five separate elements and combines them into a profile that reaches a defined level of confidence. Here’s how that works, and how each element maps to a real check.
The five elements
1. Strength
How hard the evidence is to forge or obtain fraudulently (a chipped passport scores higher than a utility bill).
2. Validity
Is the evidence genuine and still current — confirmed against the issuer or its security features.
3. Activity
Evidence the identity has existed and been used over time (financial, telco or public records).
4. Fraud
Checks against known fraud, sanctions/PEP and other risk signals.
5. Verification
Proof the identity belongs to the person in front of you — biometric match + liveness.
Why it’s a profile, not a total
The scores are never summed. Instead, GPG 45 defines identity profiles — named combinations of element scores — and each profile maps to Low, Medium, High or Very High confidence. The practical consequence: you can’t buy your way to “High” by over-investing in one element. A weak validity or verification score caps the whole result, which is exactly the point — it forces genuinely multi-signal checking.
How Zanyara’s checks map to the five elements
| GPG 45 element | Zanyara check |
|---|---|
| Strength | Government document capture (passport, driving licence, BRP); chip-bearing documents rate higher |
| Validity | Document authentication, MRZ + NFC/eMRTD chip passive authentication |
| Activity | Supported via AML/watchlist and configurable data signals |
| Fraud | Sanctions, PEP and adverse-media screening + device intelligence |
| Verification | Face match + active/passive liveness binding the document to a live person |
Mapping is indicative — the confidence level you can evidence depends on the exact documents and data sources used in your flow. Confirm your target profile against your own obligations.
Source: GOV.UK, “Good Practice Guide 45 (GPG 45): How to prove and verify someone’s identity” (updated 14 November 2024). This article is educational; confirm current requirements against the official guidance.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the five elements of GPG 45?
- Strength of the evidence, validity of the evidence (is it genuine and current), activity history (has this identity been used over time), identity fraud checks, and verification that the identity belongs to the person claiming it. Each is scored separately.
- How do the scores combine into low, medium or high confidence?
- They are not added into a single total. A GPG 45 identity profile is a specific combination of element scores that maps to a level of confidence — Low, Medium, High or Very High. Because it’s a profile rather than a sum, a weak score in one element can hold back the whole result even when the others are strong.
- What is 'medium' level of confidence used for?
- Medium confidence is a common bar for many onboarding, right-to-work/rent and financial-services use cases, but the required level is set by your regulator or policy, not by the vendor. Always confirm the target profile against your specific obligations.