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Name and ID searches

Can you find an ID number from a name?

No public CheckID search can reveal someone's South African ID number from their name, surname, or date of birth.

Published 1 August 2026Updated 1 August 2026Expectation-setting guide

Written and maintained by the CheckID / Seal Labs engineering team

Why there is no name-to-ID lookup here

An ID number is sensitive personal information. CheckID does not hold a people database, search government records, or reverse-search names and dates of birth.

If you need to verify someone's details

Ask the person to provide their details directly, explain why you need them, obtain appropriate consent, and collect only what the purpose requires. CheckID can then catch typing and checksum errors in an ID number they supplied, but it cannot prove ownership.

Once you have the number and a name, you can check that they go together. Verify an ID number and name against Home Affairs records for R39.90, refunded in full if the name does not match.

Use the right official or consent-based service

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