What Is GPG45?
GPG45 is guidance published by the UK Government Digital Service (GDS) for organisations that need to prove and verify an individual’s identity.
It provides a structured framework to confirm that a claimed identity genuinely belongs to the person asserting it and establishes consistent confidence levels across different services.
🧩 The GPG45 Identity Verification Process
An identity is a set of personal attributes that uniquely identify someone (e.g. name, date of birth, address).
GPG45 defines five key steps to check a claimed identity:
Obtain evidence of the claimed identity
→ e.g. passport, driving licence, or utility bill.Validate the evidence
→ check if the document is genuine and unaltered.Confirm the identity has existed over time
→ ensure there’s a history behind the claimed identity.Assess the risk of identity fraud
→ evaluate whether the identity might be fabricated or stolen.Confirm the identity belongs to the claimant
→ match the evidence to the person presenting it (for example, through biometric or photo verification).
Each step contributes to the overall confidence level in the identity.
📊 Confidence Levels
Each part of the process is scored from 1 (low) to 4 (very strong). These scores are not added together - instead, they are compared against thresholds defined in an identity profile.
To achieve a confidence level, all required checks must meet or exceed that profile’s minimum thresholds.
Confidence Level | Description |
Low | Reduces the risk of accepting fabricated or synthetic identities, or basic impersonation attempts. |
Medium | Further reduces the risk of impersonators who may have some private but limited information about the identity. |
High | Protects against impostors familiar with the claimed identity (e.g. friends) and those not matching biometric or photo data. |
Very High | Provides the strongest assurance, guarding against sophisticated impersonation attempts (e.g. disguise or alteration). |
🎯 Why Confidence Levels Matter
These levels give organisations a standardised way to describe how thoroughly an identity has been verified.
They help you:
Choose appropriate verification methods for your risk level.
Understand and explain the rigour of your identity verification process.
⚙️ Legl Identity Profiles Under GPG45
Legl uses GPG45-compliant identity profiles to support customer due diligence.
Each profile defines the required strength and validity of checks across evidence, activity history, fraud, and verification.
Profile | Strength | Validity | Activity History | Identity Fraud | Verification |
M1A | 4 | 2 | N/A | 1 | 2 |
H1A | 4 | 3 | N/A | 1 | 3 |
H1B | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
H2A | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
H2B | 4 | 2 | N/A | 2 | 3 |
You can view detailed information on how these scores are calculated here (insert internal link to scoring documentation).
✅ Summary
GPG45 defines a trusted framework for digital identity verification.
It ensures consistency, transparency, and proportionality in how identities are verified.
Legl applies these standards to all identity checks to help firms meet compliance and risk requirements confidently.