Smile Identity API
Identity & KYC · Data Validation · Nigeria
Smile Identity (also known as SmileID) is Africa's leading identity verification company, providing KYC, biometric authentication, document verification, and AML compliance infrastructure to businesses across 52 African countries. Founded with a specific focus on the African market, Smile Identity has built its technology to address a challenge that global identity verification providers consistently fail at: accurately verifying African identities using AI and biometrics trained on African faces.
Smile Identity API Highlights
Smile Identity API is verified for developer integrations in Nigeria and across African markets, providing documented endpoints, sandbox testing, and developer support.
API Key + Partner ID both required in all requests; issued after account registration at portal.usesmileid.com
Not publicly documented enterprise SLA-based
Nigeria
Ghana
Kenya
AWSSmile Identity API is best for:
African fintechs, banks, and regulated businesses needing best-in-class biometric KYC tuned specifically for African faces with 52-country coverage, 9 Nigerian government databases, 132M+ Nigeria records, and ISO/IEC 30107-3 Level 2 certified facial recognition at 0% attack penetration.
- Per-verification pricing
- Tiered plans based on volume contact Smile Identity for current pricing schedule
- Enterprise plans available
- Sandbox free
Smile Identity API Core Features & Capabilities
Features Included
Required Access Documents for Smile Identity API
- Account RegistrationOptionalRegister at portal.usesmileid.com with business email to access sandbox credentials immediately no documents required.
- CAC Registration (Production)RequiredCertificate of Incorporation required to activate production API access.
- Director Government IDRequiredValid government-issued ID for company director or account owner during business KYC.
- Use Case DocumentationRequiredDescription of how identity verification will be used reviewed by Smile Identity for NIMC and CBN compliance.
Different Smile Identity API use cases
- African-Optimized Biometric KYC:Nigerian fintechs and banks use Smile Identity's SmartSelfie trained specifically on African faces for selfie-based customer onboarding with 99.8% accuracy, reducing false rejections that plague non-African-trained models.
- Multi-source Nigerian ID Verification:Lenders and digital banks integrate Smile Identity to verify customers against all 9 Nigerian government databases (NIN, BVN, Voter ID, Driver's License, Passport) in a single integration getting the widest data coverage available.
- Pan-African KYC for Scale-ups:Nigerian startups expanding across Africa use Smile Identity's 52-country coverage to onboard customers in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and 48 more countries using the same API integration.
- Document + Selfie Fraud Prevention:E-commerce platforms, gig economy apps, and marketplaces combine Smile Identity's document OCR with SmartSelfie liveness detection to prevent synthetic identity fraud during seller and driver onboarding.
- KYB Business Verification for Lending:B2B lenders use Smile Identity's business verification module to confirm company registration, directors, and ultimate beneficial ownership before approving commercial loans or merchant accounts.