Making Sure Professionals Are Who They Claim to Be

A recent online article from Maryia Valchanina, Head of Data Processing at Regula, sheds light on one of the lesser-discussed challenges in the field of document authentication: the verification of professional identity documents.

Unlike conventional passports or national ID cards, which benefit from widespread standardisation and well-established verification protocols, these specialised documents often exist in a fragmented regulatory landscape.

Issued to individuals whose professions demand more than mere identification – such as seafarers, aircrew, military personnel, and licensed professionals – these credentials serve a dual function. They simultaneously confirm personal identity and validate the bearer’s qualifications, authorisations, or legal status.

While they are far less common than mainstream ID documents, protecting these professional IDs remains paramount. However, their rarity, coupled with evolving security technologies and inconsistent global recognition, creates a verification dilemma – one that traditional document checks are ill-prepared to resolve.