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API Overview

The IDnow DocIDV API is a RESTful HTTP API that accepts and returns UTF-8 encoded JSON. All requests must be made over HTTPS on port 443.

Base URLs​

The base URL structure is:

{GATEWAY_HOST}/api/v1/{CUSTOMER}/

Where {CUSTOMER} is your company shortname as provided during account setup.

EnvironmentRegionGateway Host
ProductionDE (default)https://gateway.idnow.de
ProductionCH (Switzerland)https://gateway.online-ident.ch
TestDE (default)https://gateway.test.idnow.de
TestCH (Switzerland)https://gateway.test.online-ident.ch
note

Use DE servers unless you are specifically operating in Switzerland (CH) or the UAE (AE).

Authentication​

All API requests (except the login endpoint) require a session token in the request header:

X-API-LOGIN-TOKEN: <your-auth-token>
Content-Type: application/json

Obtain the token by calling the Login endpoint. The token expires after 60 minutes of inactivity.

tip

Your server must call the API — never expose your API key or authToken in client-side code.

Request Format​

  • All request bodies must be UTF-8 encoded JSON
  • The JSON structure must be flat (no deeply nested objects in most endpoints)
  • Use Content-Type: application/json on all requests with a body

Endpoints​

PageEndpoints
AuthenticationPOST /api/v1/{customer}/login
Identification ManagementPOST, GET, DELETE on /api/v1/{customer}/identifications/{transaction-number}
WebhooksWebhook payload format, types, and retry behavior

HTTP Status Codes​

CodeMeaning
200 OKRequest succeeded
201 CreatedResource created
400 Bad RequestMalformed request or validation failure
401 UnauthorizedMissing, expired, or invalid auth token; also returned for wrong Customer/Shortname
403 ForbiddenAuthenticated but not permitted to perform this action
404 Not FoundResource not found
409 ConflictResource already exists (e.g., duplicate transaction number)
422 Unprocessable EntityRequest is well-formed but contains semantic errors
500 Internal Server ErrorIDnow server error

Error Response Format​

{
"error": "IDENTIFICATION_NOT_FOUND",
"message": "Identification with transaction number '12345' not found",
"timestamp": "2024-03-21T10:30:00Z"
}

Identification URLs​

After creating an identification, you can direct your user to the verification flow using the web url, the mobile SDK or IDnow's application

Web (IdentID)​

EnvironmentURL
Live DEhttps://go.idnow.de/docidv?identToken={identId}
Live CHhttps://go.online-ident.ch/docidv?identToken={identId}
Test DEhttps://go.test.idnow.de/docidv?identToken={identId}
Test CHhttps://go.test.online-ident.ch/docidv?identToken={identId}

The IdentID is returned in the id field of the Create Identification response. It follows the format ABC-DEFGH.