This guide sits under our main article, Philippine ID Verification: How Lenders Verify IDs Online, which covers every ID type.
In this piece. A customer applies with a UMID. As far as we found, your team can't type the number into a government website and get a yes or no. This guide explains what has changed with the UMID since 2024, what the BSP now requires for the National ID, and a step-by-step way to verify a UMID that holds up.
The short answer
As of November 2026, we found no government service that lets a bank check a UMID online. The National ID is different: the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) lets institutions authenticate it for free through National ID Check. So a UMID is verified by checking the card and the person holding it, and, when the risk calls for it, by stepping up to the National ID.
What a UMID is
The Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) came out of the unified ID system ordered by Executive Order No. 420, signed on April 13, 2005. The order requires government agencies that issue IDs to adopt one multi-purpose ID system, with each card carrying the agency's ID number and a common reference number (CRN). SSS has described the UMID as the single ID card for SSS, GSIS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG members.
What has changed since 2024
| What changed | What it means for lenders | |
|---|---|---|
| GSIS | In April 2024, GSIS announced it would stop producing UMID cards and eCards (Memorandum Circular No. 054-2024). It launched the GSIS Digital ID in the GSIS Touch app on May 31, 2024. GSIS says existing UMID cards and eCards are not affected. | New GSIS members no longer get a UMID card. |
| SSS | Began accepting applications for the MySSS Card on October 1, 2025. SSS says it replaces the old UMID card, and that all previously issued SSS cards, including the UMID, are still valid. | You will keep seeing UMIDs, and more MySSS Cards over time. |
| How SSS checks identity | MySSS Card applicants are verified through National ID eVerify, and their National ID photo is used for the card. | SSS itself anchors identity to the National ID. |
| Acceptance | SSS says other government agencies and private institutions are not mandated to accept the MySSS Card, as the National ID now serves as the primary official ID. | Whether you accept the MySSS Card is your institution's policy decision. |
What the BSP requires for the National ID
In BSP Memorandum No. M-2025-012 (April 2025), the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reminded all BSP-supervised financial institutions to:
- accept the National ID in all its recognized formats (the National ID card, the National ID in paper form and the Digital National ID) as a valid and sufficient proof of identity, without requiring another ID;
- use National ID Check (everify.gov.ph/check) to verify the National ID, and onboard to the National ID Authentication Services through National ID eVerify;
- prioritize the National ID in the list of acceptable IDs in all branches.
The PSA adds one practical point in its June 2024 advisory: National ID Check is recommended for low-risk transactions. For higher assurance, institutions are encouraged to onboard to the National ID Authentication Services.
How to verify a UMID, step by step
1. Get a usable image. Blur, glare and tilt cause many onboarding failures. Tell the customer exactly what to fix ("too much glare, try again") instead of declining them.
2. Read it and cross-check. Extract the name, birth date and CRN, and compare them with what the customer entered in the application.
3. Look for tampering. Check for a swapped photo, fonts or spacing that don't match, edited fields, or a screen held up to the camera.
4. Match the face and confirm the person is present. Compare the live face with the photo on the card, and run a liveness check so a printed photo or a replayed video cannot pass.
5. Step up to the National ID when the risk calls for it. Ask for the National ID and authenticate it with National ID Check, or through the National ID Authentication Services for higher assurance.
Write the step-up rule down. Decide in advance which products, loan amounts or risk signals require the National ID, so every branch and every digital channel applies it the same way.
A checklist for your onboarding team
- The UMID, the MySSS Card and the GSIS Digital ID are on your list of accepted IDs, in line with your policy.
- All formats of the National ID are listed first, and staff know they should not ask for a second ID when a customer presents one.
- National ID Check is in use, and onboarding to the National ID Authentication Services is planned or done.
- Your step-up rule is written into policy and applied in every channel.
- Retake prompts tell the customer what to fix instead of declining them.
Where TrustVision fits
TrustVision reads the UMID among the Philippine government IDs it supports, from a single capture. It checks image quality, looks for signs of tampering, matches the live face to the photo on the card, and runs a liveness check certified to ISO/IEC 30107-3. The same flow handles the National ID, so stepping up does not mean a second system.
Sources
- Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. (2025, April 6). Memorandum No. M-2025-012: Reminder on the acceptance of all formats of the National ID and enhanced use of National ID authentication services. Copy hosted by the PSA
- Philippine Statistics Authority. (2024, June 11). Public advisory on the Digital National ID and National ID Check. philsys.gov.ph
- Social Security System. About the MySSS Card. sss.gov.ph
- P&A Grant Thornton. (2025, October 14). SSS launches EMV-equipped, dual-function MySSS Card. grantthornton.com.ph
- Social Security System, via the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi. SSS office is now accepting applications for the UMID card. dfa.gov.ph
- Executive Order No. 420, s. 2005. lawphil.net
- Manila Bulletin. (2024, May 31). GSIS assures continued validity of existing UMID, eCards. mb.com.ph
Is a UMID still a valid ID?
Yes. SSS says all previously issued SSS cards, including the UMID, remain valid, and GSIS has said existing UMID cards and eCards are not affected by its move to a digital ID.
Can a bank check a UMID number online?
As of November 2026, we found no government service that lets a bank do this. Banks rely on card checks, a face match and liveness, and step up to the National ID when needed.
What is the CRN on a UMID?
The common reference number required under Executive Order No. 420. It appears on the card alongside the issuing agency's own ID number.
Do banks have to accept the MySSS Card?
SSS says other government agencies and private institutions are not mandated to accept it. Acceptance depends on each institution's policy.
Can a bank ask for a second ID when a customer presents the National ID?
Under BSP Memorandum No. M-2025-012, BSP-supervised institutions should accept the National ID in all its recognized formats as valid and sufficient proof of identity without requiring another ID.
The bottom line
We found no government service for checking a UMID online, so the checks have to happen in your onboarding: the card, the face, the person, and the National ID when the stakes are higher. Decide that rule once, and apply it everywhere.
Verify every ID your customers bring.
See how TrustVision checks the UMID, the National ID and other Philippine IDs in one onboarding flow.
