AVPA, PASS Partner for In-Person Age Verification Using Digital IDs

Published Date : 7/29/2025 

The UK government aims to allow digital age verification in pubs by Christmas 2025. AVPA and PASS are working together to make this a reality, enabling the use of digital proofs of age across the UK. 

A marquee promise accompanied the UK government’s late 2024 announcement on its digital ID scheme: by Christmas 2025, revelers would be able to go to the pub, order a pint, and prove their age in person using digital identity. The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) is working to help make that a reality, collaborating with the non-profit Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) to enable the use of digital proofs of age in person across the UK.

PASS issues physical proof of age cards that can be used to buy age-restricted goods or for identity verification when voting. As such, says a blog from AVPA, “it was natural for the Home Office, in 2021, to invite PASS to explore options for a digital version of their card,” challenging the organization to “ensure that a card provided by any approved issuer can be accepted by any shop, bar, club, casino, or cinema in the country.”

The solution was required to enable any approved Digital Proof of Age (DPoA) systems issued under PASS to be validated by any relying party, using existing or low-cost technology without the need for new hardware or extensive staff retraining. It had to meet strict security, privacy, and resilience standards, ensure no additional personal data is stored or shared, and offer high uptime (99.9 percent) with minimal disruption.

The resulting system, developed by AVPA and PASS in partnership with the UK retail and hospitality industry, aims to create the infrastructure required to “enable universal acceptance of digital proof of age (‘dPASS’) from multiple issuers by any licensee,” both face-to-face in store or via delivery, and at self-service tills. AVPA says “this works by users first proving their age to a certified digital verification service, then, at the moment they want to make an age-restricted purchase, authenticating themselves biometrically to their proof of age app to generate a QR code on their phone. These codes will be signed so the licensee can use their till or a reader app to validate the code – if the code is valid, then only a person who meets the age requirement can have created it in front of you.”

The system uses public key cryptography, generating a DPoA credential which is then signed using a private key. “This signature can then be verified by anyone who has the matching public key, proving that the credential is genuine and hasn’t been tampered with.” The software uses public keys of trusted issuers to check the signature on the QR code generated by an age assurance provider’s app.

“The consumer can only create that QR code if they have properly proven their age to the issuer, and they then use a biometric password – their face or fingerprint – to prove they are the rightful user of that proof of age.” The relying party needs no personal information, only the QR code.

A “modest license fee per point of sale” at casinos, bars, clubs, and shops will help cover costs of the ecosystem, and revenues raised will “cover the costs of governing and operating the network and also be shared with the issuers in proportion to the volume of use of the dPASS they issue.”

A post on AVPA’s LinkedIn explains the final changes happening on the legislative end to make age verification with digital ID possible. “By the end of 2025, the UK government is committed to have amended the Mandatory Licensing Conditions (MLCs) to remove the requirement for an ultraviolet mark or a hologram when proving your age to buy alcohol, opening the way – finally – for digital proofs.”

Because PASS is a non-profit, AVPA says, “it can safely be trusted to sit at the centre of this national infrastructure and act as an honest broker, maintaining standards, and facilitating the growing market in digital proof of age – and indeed identity.” And it can do so now. The QR-code based in-person age verification tool is ready to go – well ahead of the holidays, and, according to AVPA, “the only option that can allow the Secretary of State to meet his goal of buying alcohol with digital proof of age by Christmas 2025.” 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the goal of the AVPA and PASS collaboration?

A: The goal is to enable the use of digital proofs of age for in-person age verification in the UK by Christmas 2025, allowing people to prove their age using their smartphones.

Q: How does the digital proof of age (DPoA) system work?

A: Users first prove their age to a certified digital verification service, then use biometric authentication (face or fingerprint) to generate a QR code on their phone. This code is validated by a retailer or venue using existing technology.

Q: What technology is used to ensure the security of the DPoA system?

A: The system uses public key cryptography to generate and verify a signed QR code, ensuring the credential is genuine and hasn't been tampered with.

Q: How will the costs of the DPoA system be covered?

A: A modest license fee per point of sale at casinos, bars, clubs, and shops will help cover the costs of the ecosystem, with revenues shared among issuers based on usage.

Q: What legislative changes are needed for digital age verification?

A: The UK government is committed to amending the Mandatory Licensing Conditions (MLCs) to remove the requirement for an ultraviolet mark or hologram when proving age to buy alcohol, allowing for digital proofs. 

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