What is age verification?

Point of Sale (POS) Glossary

Age verification is a process to verify the age of a potential buyer for age-restricted products by checking the customer’s government-issued identification. The products may include alcohol, cigarettes, pornography, or more. Age-restricted products may be limited by law to adults of 18 or 21 years old. The merchant must verify valid government-issued identification in order to confirm the buyer’s eligibility to purchase the item.

A point of sale system may have features that prompt age verification and record verification for an age-restricted product. For instance, a POS might require entering information from government identification, or a robust POS system might even allow an employee to scan the ID. Additionally, the system may store the data in case it is later needed for proof the ID was verified.