What is an IDSP? IDVT, DVS and the OfDIA register
If you’ve been asked to use a “certified IDSP” for right-to-work checks and hit a wall of acronyms — IDSP, IDVT, DVS, DVSP, OfDIA — here’s the short version of what they mean and how they fit together in 2026.
The acronyms, decoded
- IDSP — Identity Service Provider: a company that verifies identity for a relying party.
- IDVT — Identity Document Validation Technology: the tech an IDSP uses to check a document is genuine and belongs to the person.
- DVS / DVSP — Digital Verification Services (provider): the framework’s current term for these services and their providers.
- OfDIA — Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (in DSIT): owns the trust framework and the register.
Why the register matters
When an employer or landlord uses a digital identity check for Right to Work, Right to Rent or DBS, the law requires the provider to be certified against the trust framework and listed on the OfDIA register of digital verification services, with that specific service noted. The register is how a relying party confirms a provider is genuinely certified — a logo on a website isn’t enough. Beta-era certifications were time-limited as the framework moved onto its statutory footing under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Where an IDSP sits in a check
The relying party (employer, landlord, business) needs an answer: is this person who they claim to be? The IDSP does the work — captures and validates the document with IDVT, reads the chip where present, matches the face with liveness, and returns a result mapped to a GPG 45 level of confidence. For statutory checks, only a certified, registered provider’s result counts.
Sources: GOV.UK — Employer’s guide to right to work checks (2025) and digital identity certification for right to work / right to rent / criminal record checks; the Register of digital identity and attribute services (digital-identity-services-register.service.gov.uk). Educational; confirm current rules against the official guidance.
Frequently asked questions
- What does IDSP stand for?
- IDSP is an Identity Service Provider — a company that verifies someone’s identity on behalf of a relying party (an employer, landlord, or business), typically using IDVT (Identity Document Validation Technology). Under the UK’s statutory framework, these services are now referred to as Digital Verification Services (DVS), and a provider as a DVS provider (DVSP).
- What is the OfDIA register?
- It’s the government’s public register of digital verification services, maintained by OfDIA. If an employer or landlord wants to complete a prescribed digital Right to Work or Right to Rent check, they must use a provider listed on the register with the relevant service noted against them.
- Do I have to use a certified IDSP for right to work checks?
- For a digital Right to Work, Right to Rent or DBS identity check, yes — the provider must be certified against the trust framework and on the OfDIA register. Manual and Home Office online-service routes still exist alongside the certified digital route.