Custom age verification software
Appfront builds custom age verification for situations where you need to establish that someone is old enough: online sales, the till, doorstep delivery and access to age-restricted services. Demonstrably checked, with as little stored data as possible and without unnecessarily disrupting the order process. Get in touch.
What is age verification software?
Age verification software establishes that someone has reached an age threshold and records that the check took place, without storing more data than necessary. That last point is the heart of the matter: storing a copy of an identity document is both unnecessary and at odds with the principle of data minimisation.
In practice, this is a chain of moments. For an online order it is checked in advance, at delivery the driver has to confirm it again, and at the till it happens on the shop floor. Each moment involves its own trade-off between certainty, ease of use and what evidence remains.
Appfront builds this as custom software with integrations to verification services of your choice. If the requirement is identification in a financial context, KYC/AML compliance software is the related page.
Store only a yes or no
The system records that a check took place and by which method, not what was printed on the identity document. Storing less means less risk.
Multiple methods side by side
From an integrated verification service to a check by the courier, each with its own assurance level that you set yourself per product group.
No stronger than necessary
A verification step that breaks the ordering process costs revenue. We design it so that the strictest check is only requested where it is genuinely needed.
Age or identity? Defining the scope
These two are often confused, and the distinction determines how much data you need.
Age threshold only
You do not need to know who someone is, only whether they are old enough. That makes lighter methods possible and means you hardly need to store anything. Relevant for the sale of age-restricted products, games of chance and age-gated services.
Establishing who someone is
In financial services you must establish and record identity yourself, with screening against sanctions lists. For that, see KYC/AML compliance software.
Our development process for your verification
The legal question of what you must demonstrate comes before the technical question of how. Otherwise you build something heavier or lighter than needed.
We map which age thresholds apply to which products or services, at which points in the process checks must take place, and what you need to be able to demonstrate afterwards. That last point determines how much you retain, and it is almost always less than people think.
We design the verification points, the methods for each level of assurance, the recording, and fallback options for anyone who cannot use the chosen method.
We build in short iterations with automated tests, structured logging and monitoring. You see working versions along the way and steer the work based on what your team actually needs in practice, rather than on a specification written months earlier.
A controlled go-live with validation and a safety net, followed by ongoing management, monitoring and further development as your legal framework or range changes.
What custom age verification delivers in practice
What is needed varies by channel and range. These are the components that come up most often.
Verification in the ordering process
A check at the right moment in the webshop, linked to the relevant product groups, with a fallback option so nobody gets stuck.
Checks on delivery
A step in the delivery app through which the courier confirms and records that a check took place, including refusal with a reason where applicable.
Multiple methods and levels
From a light check to verification via an integrated service or digital identity, configurable per product group or risk level.
Recording without a data mountain
Logging of the fact, the time, the method and the outcome, not of identity details or document copies.
Till and entry
Support for checks on the shop floor, with the same recording so that online and offline come together in a single report.
Reporting and spot checks
Insight into the number of checks, refusals and abandoned verifications, plus the documentation you can present during an inspection or mystery shop.
Typical use cases in practice
Age thresholds apply in more sectors than just alcohol and tobacco.
Webshops selling age-restricted products
Sellers of alcohol, tobacco, fireworks or other age-restricted products, where checks must take place both at ordering and at delivery.
Retail and hospitality
Chains that want to demonstrate checks on the shop floor and see where things structurally go wrong, without holding staff accountable for a single incident.
Games of chance and online services
Operators with a strict age threshold and supervision, where the reliability of the method outweighs convenience.
Platforms and marketplaces
Parties that need to keep out providers or users who are too young, and want to do so without asking everyone for an identity document.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology we use
We leave the verification itself to specialised services; we build the logic, the recording and the connection to your channels. The exact choice depends on your processes, the systems to be integrated and your hosting preferences. We deliberately choose a stack that your own team can manage and develop further, without dependence on per-user licences.
Why choose Appfront for your age verification?
Appfront builds custom software for a wide range of organisations in the Netherlands. When it comes to verification, we start by asking what you actually need to be able to demonstrate. That answer is almost always more modest than the solution people have in mind, and that saves both risk and conversion.
We design for data minimisation: recording that a check took place, not what was seen. Data you don't keep can't leak either. That is the cheapest security measure there is.
On every project we write clear documentation and make sure your own team, or a future supplier, can understand and manage the system. No black box: transparent code and clear agreements on monitoring, alerting and maintenance. You own the solution and pay no per-user licence fee.
Also see our wider services in custom software development, KYC/AML compliance software and GDPR compliance platform. Unsure about the approach? Get in touch.
Security and privacy in your verification
Age verification is precisely the kind of topic where privacy by design makes the difference. Appfront designs things so that identity data never ends up in your systems: the verification takes place with a specialist service, and you receive an outcome, not document details. We build to the OWASP ASVS.
What we do record (timing, method, outcome) is what you need to account for your checks, and no more. We set retention periods around what you must be able to demonstrate, with automatic deletion afterwards. We document the data flows for your record of processing activities.
More on our security approach: information security policy and CVD policy.
- Encryption in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest
- Role-based access following least privilege
- Audit trail for viewing and changes
- Secrets in a secure vault, not in code
- Documented data flows for your record of processing activities
- No storage of document copies or identity data
Frequently asked questions about age verification software
Answers to the questions we are asked most often.
It establishes that someone has reached an age threshold and records that the check took place, using which method and with what result. The aim is accountability, not collecting identity data, and in practice these two are often confused.
To establish only an age, that is almost never necessary and therefore almost never permitted; it goes further than the purpose justifies and exposes you to considerable risk. We therefore design so that you record that a check took place, not what was seen. For the legal assessment in your specific situation, we refer you to a specialist.
They vary in assurance: from a self-declaration for a low threshold, through a check on the payment method used, to verification via a specialist service or a digital identity. The heavier the method, the more customers drop off. We therefore design per product group rather than applying one rule to everything.
By placing the check as late as possible in the process, only for the products where it is needed, and by offering a fallback for anyone unable to use the chosen method. A verification that every customer meets at the start of the order process costs unnecessary revenue.
Delivery is the moment when it really matters, because online someone else may have placed the order. The delivery app includes an explicit step in which the courier establishes and records that a check has been carried out, with the option to refuse and to record the reason. That record is your evidence.
Yes. The check takes place on the shop floor, but the recording can be the same as online, so you get one view across all channels. That makes it visible where things structurally go wrong, which is a better basis for training than disciplining staff over a single incident.
In that case a fallback route is needed, otherwise you exclude people who are perfectly old enough, such as someone without a smartphone or without the required payment method. We always design at least one alternative route with an equivalent level of assurance.
You buy the verification itself in; we don't build that. The custom work lies in the logic around it: which products require which checks, at what point and in which channel, what you record, what the fallback route looks like, and how online and delivery form one watertight whole. That is precisely what a standalone service doesn't arrange for you.
Ready to build your age verification?
Tell us which products or services are involved, through which channels you sell, and what you need to be able to show during a check. We are happy to help you think through scope, integrations and the first version. A no-obligation first conversation will give you a clear picture of the possibilities and whether custom software makes sense for your situation.