> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.1kosmos.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.1kosmos.com/identity-verification/core-concepts/assurance-levels.md).

# Assurance Levels

***

### Overview

**Identity Assurance Level (IAL)** is a NIST scale that describes how much evidence backs a claimed identity. The higher the IAL, the more rigor went into proving the person is who they say they are.

1Kosmos is **Kantara-certified at IAL2** — the level required by most US federal identity-proofing programs and a growing number of regulated industries.

### The three levels

| Level    | What it means                                                                                                                                                                                                       | Typical use case                                                                                   |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **IAL1** | Self-asserted. The user provides their own attributes; no verification is required.                                                                                                                                 | Forum signup, newsletter, low-risk marketing accounts.                                             |
| **IAL2** | Identity proved with corroborating evidence. At least one **STRONG** piece of identity evidence (e.g. passport or driver's license) is verified with the issuing authority, plus a biometric binding to the holder. | Banking, healthcare, government services, regulated workforce onboarding. NIST 800-63-3-compliant. |
| **IAL3** | In-person or supervised remote proofing with two **STRONG** pieces of identity evidence and an in-person biometric collection.                                                                                      | Federal employee badging, secure facility access, classified workflows.                            |

### What IAL2 actually requires

NIST 800-63-3 IAL2 is more specific than "verify an ID." A compliant flow must:

1. **Collect at least one STRONG and one FAIR identity evidence** (or two STRONG), where STRONG includes a passport, REAL ID-compliant driver's license, or US permanent resident card.
2. **Validate the evidence with the issuing or authoritative source** — for US driver's licenses, this is AAMVA.
3. **Verify a binding between the evidence and the live applicant** — typically a selfie + liveness check matched against the document photo.
4. **Address record verification** for at least one piece of evidence, via authoritative source.
5. **Reasonable assurance of address of record** for follow-up notifications.

### How a session maps to an IAL

The IAL of a finished session is a function of which checks ran and passed:

```
Document scan only                             → IAL1 (insufficient binding)
Document + selfie + liveness + AAMVA           → IAL2 (US DL)
Document + selfie + liveness + AAMVA + SSN     → IAL2 with stronger record verification
Two documents + selfie + liveness + AAMVA + SSN→ IAL2 (Kantara-certified pattern)
In-person proofing with two STRONG IDs         → IAL3 (requires supervised flow)
```


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