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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dojah.io/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Government Data Lookup lets you verify a person’s identity by querying their details directly from official government and financial institution databases. When you run a lookup, Dojah sends the identifier you provide, a BVN, NIN, phone number, or other supported ID, to the relevant national database and returns whatever that record holds in real time. The result is logged to your account permanently, giving you a verified, timestamped record of every check your team has run. This is the foundation of KYC (Know Your Customer) compliance. Rather than relying on what a person tells you about themselves, a Government Data Lookup confirms their identity against the source of truth.

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Supported countries and ID types

Government Lookup is currently available across multiple African countries. The ID types available depend on which country you select. Nigeria supports a range of ID types:
  • NIN - National Identification Number, issued by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). Returns the person’s full name, gender, date of birth, phone number, and a photograph.
  • BVN Basic - Bank Verification Number issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Returns core personal data: full name, gender, date of birth, and linked phone number.
  • BVN Advance - Returns everything BVN Basic returns, plus the passport photograph registered against the BVN.
  • Basic Phone Number - Confirms the identity data linked to a Nigerian mobile number at a summary level.
  • Advance Phone Number - Returns more detailed personal data associated with the phone number from the telco database.
Other supported countries include Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Zambia, each with its own national ID types. When you select a country on the New Lookup form, only the ID types available for that country will appear.

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How to run a Government Data Lookup

  1. Go to ‘Verify’ > ‘Individual’ in the left sidebar, then click ’+ New Lookup’.
  2. On the New Lookup page, fill in the following:
  • Verification Type - The Government Lookup is pre-selected on the dropdown.
  • App Name - Choose the application this lookup should be attributed to. If your account has multiple apps configured, select the one that applies to this check.
  • Country - Select the country whose database you are querying. This determines which ID types become available in the next step.
  • Single or Batch - Select Single for a one-off check. If you need to verify multiple people at once, switch to batch.
  • Link to an existing customer - This is optional. If the person already has a profile in your Customers section, enter their name or customer ID here to attach this lookup to their existing record. If you leave it blank, Dojah creates a new customer profile automatically when the lookup completes successfully.
  • ID Type - Select the type of identifier you are providing (e.g., NIN, BVN Basic, BVN Advance).
  • ID Number - Enter the person’s identifier exactly as issued. For Nigerian IDs: NIN is an 11-digit number, BVN is also 11 digits, and phone numbers should be entered in local format starting with 0 (e.g., 08012345678). Do not include spaces, dashes, or country codes.
  1. Click Run Lookup when ready. The result is returned within a few seconds.
Once a lookup completes, the record opens automatically and shows you everything the source database returned.

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Batch lookups

When you need to verify a large number of people at once, for example, during a bulk onboarding exercise, a periodic re-verification of your existing customer base, or a compliance screening sweep, use Batch mode instead of running lookups one by one. On the New Lookup page, after selecting your Verification Type, App Name, and Country, click the Batch tab. The form changes to show a file upload area instead of the single ID number field.
  1. Select your ID type first: Before preparing your file, select the ID type you want to verify the batch against, for example, NIN, BVN Basic, or BVN Advance for Nigeria. The entire batch will be processed against that one ID type, so all records in your file must contain identifiers of the same type. If you need to verify the same group of people against multiple ID types, you will need to run separate batches for each.
  2. Download the template: Once you have selected your ID type, a download template link appears in the upload area. Always download and use this template before preparing your file. The template is formatted specifically for the selected ID type and ensures your data is structured exactly as Dojah expects. Using the wrong format or column order will cause the batch to fail or produce incorrect results.
  3. Prepare your file: Fill in the downloaded template with the identifiers you want to verify. Each row represents one person. Do not add extra columns, change the headers, or include blank rows. Ensure all ID numbers are entered exactly as issued, no spaces, dashes, or additional characters.
  4. Upload and run: Once your file is ready, either drag and drop it into the upload area or select ‘click here to select’ to browse your device. Once the file is attached, click Upload & Run to submit the batch. Dojah processes all records and logs each result individually.
  5. Tracking batch results: After submission, monitor the progress of your batch and access completed results from the Batches button on the main Individual Verification page. Each record in the batch carries its own status, USER FOUND, USER NOT FOUND or FAILED, so you can identify exactly which lookups succeeded and which need to be reviewed or retried.
Batch mode consumes the same per-lookup service charge as single checks, one credit per record processed. Check your wallet balance before submitting a large batch to ensure you have sufficient funds to cover all records.

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Understanding lookup statuses

USER FOUND - The identifier was located in the source database, and data was returned successfully. USER NOT FOUND - No record exists in the database for that identifier. This can happen if the ID has not yet been registered, if the number was entered incorrectly, or if the source database has a gap for that record. Verify the number is correct and retry. If the issue persists, consider asking the customer to provide an alternative ID type. FAILED - A technical error occurred, typically a timeout or upstream database issue. This is not a result; it means the check did not complete. Retry the lookup. If failures continue for the same ID type, check the API status page to confirm whether the data source is experiencing downtime.

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Linking a lookup to an existing customer

If a person already has a customer profile from a previous verification, link new lookups to that same profile rather than creating duplicate records. Use the Link to an existing customer field on the New Lookup form to search for their profile by name or ID. The new result will be added as an additional tab on their existing profile, giving you a complete multi-check verification history for that person in one place.