Frequently Asked Questions

SA ID Checker is an online tool that validates the structure of South African ID numbers. It checks the format and date validity, verifies the Luhn algorithm checksum, and decodes the date of birth, age, gender, and citizenship status that are encoded in the number itself.

No. Our service validates the mathematical structure of ID numbers using the Luhn algorithm. It does not connect to the Department of Home Affairs or any government database, so it cannot verify if an ID number has been officially issued or belongs to a real person. It checks the structure of the number only.

A valid SA ID number contains: date of birth (first 6 digits), gender (digits 7-10), citizenship status (digit 11), and a checksum digit (digit 13). Our tool decodes and displays this information directly from the number. It does not look anyone up in an external database.

If an ID number passes our checks, it has a mathematically valid structure: a valid format, a valid encoded date, and a correct Luhn checksum. This confirms the number is well-formed, but it does not guarantee the number was officially issued or that it belongs to a particular person.

No. We never store the ID numbers you submit, and we do not store the decoded personal details (date of birth, age, gender, or citizenship). We do keep privacy-safe usage metadata for each check — such as whether the check passed, the time it happened, which feature was used, and your account ID — so we can power rate limiting, billing, and your validation history. That metadata contains no ID number and no demographic information.

We designed the service with privacy as a core principle: we never store ID numbers or decoded personal details, only privacy-safe usage metadata. We also publish general guidance on POPIA so businesses understand their own obligations. Note that using our tool does not, on its own, make your wider process POPIA compliant — that remains your responsibility.

Yes. All connections use TLS/SSL encryption. We never store the ID numbers you submit or their decoded details, and any account data is stored with industry-standard security measures.

We offer 5 free validations for anonymous users. Create a free account to get 5 validations per month. Paid plans offer higher limits, downloadable validation certificates, bulk validation and API access.

Free accounts get 5 validations per month using the single-validation web tool. Bulk CSV validation, downloadable validation certificates and API access are available on paid plans.

Yes. API access is available on Business and Enterprise plans. This allows you to integrate ID number validation into your own applications.

Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time. You'll retain access until the end of your billing period, then your account reverts to the free tier.

The Luhn algorithm (also called the modulus 10 algorithm) is a checksum formula used to validate ID numbers, credit card numbers, and other identification numbers. SA ID numbers use this algorithm for their final digit.

After subscribing to a Business or Enterprise plan, generate an API key from your dashboard. Include this key in the X-API-Key header of your requests. See our API documentation for full details.

Business plans allow 100 requests per minute. Enterprise plans have custom limits based on your needs. Contact us for high-volume requirements.

Yes. All plans include bulk validation through our web interface. API users can also submit multiple ID numbers in a single request (up to 1000 per request).