The General Services Administration’s (GSA) digital identity verification service Login.gov will now support the use of U.S. passports to verify identities, the agency said today.
The new method supported by Login.gov – GSA’s secure sign-in service to access multiple federal websites and services with one account – was the result of a collaboration between GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) group and the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to bolster agencies’ fraud protection.
“This is a major milestone for GSA and the federal government’s digital service ecosystem,” said Deputy Secretary of State for Management and GSA Acting Administrator Michael Rigas in a statement. “Login.gov is at the forefront of the Administration’s efforts to create efficiencies and combat fraud, and initiatives like this are a great example of doing both.”
To use a passport to verify their identity, Login.gov users can take a picture of their passport’s biographical data page during the identity proofing flow, GSA said, saying that the service will then check passport records through a secure application programming interface operated by the Department of State.
The option to use a U.S. passport on Login.gov is rolling out in phases, starting with passport books, GSA said, adding that “Through the remainder of this year, it will expand to include passport cards and in-person identity verification at participating U.S. post office locations.”
Integrating passports into the verification process also aims to expand access for Americans who lack other forms of identity verification and “provide an additional option to reduce friction for users,” said GSA.
“Using passport records to support secure identity verification is a commonsense way to improve access for the public,” said Ryan Dooley, acting deputy assistant secretary for passport services as the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.
Documents previously accepted by Login.gov for verification included driver’s licenses from all 50 states and U.S. territories and non-driver’s license state-issued ID cards. Methods still not accepted include paper or temporary IDs, expired IDs, or military IDs.
GSA said that today’s announcement is meant to build on its statement last fall that Login.gov meets standards set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Identity Assurance Level 2 requirements.