---
title: Safe Harbour Scores & Status
slug: api/safe-harbour-scores-and-status
icon: ⚓
createdAt: 2025-02-17T05:27:12.767Z
---
# What is Safe Harbour?
As part of many AML / CTF regulations around the world, a determination of 'Safe Harbour' may be required for ID verification during an onboarding process or prior to accessing services (ie financial transactions). Safe Harbour is the determination of verifying an identity owner against two independent data sources to reach a high level of confidence that the person is who they claim they are. Organisations may elect to implement their own rules and guidelines for Safe Harbour and verification thresholds, and the Data Zoo KYC Data API can be customised to meet those requirements.
## How Data Zoo Handles Safe Harbour
Bespoke for Data Zoo clients, the Data Zoo KYC Data API provides a **Safe Harbour Score** for each data source thereby providing an indication of confidence per identity owner verification. These source-level scores are then used to determine the overall **Safe Harbour Status** (when an organisation verifies using at least two verifications services).
A positive **Safe Harbour Status** can only be achieved when the identity owner's name is verified in at least ***two independent sources***, in combination with a verified Address or a verified DOB in the same ***two independent sources***.
Some organisations may have their own particular compliance or legal preferences or unique logic in determining a **Safe Harbour Status**; in those instances, Data Zoo has the capability to customise the **Safe Harbour Score **logic accordingly.
:::BlockQuote
Note: If you run Watchlist AML as a composite call, and a HIT has occurred, the Safe Harbour Status will return as "false"
:::
***
# Safe Harbour Scores
The Data Zoo KYC Data API uses a set of default Safe Harbour Scores for every verification request. Additional sets of Safe Harbour Scores are available and activated through account configuration.
## Default Safe Harbour Scores
| **Safe Harbour Score****** | ******Verifications (from a single record in one source)****** | ******Identity Verified?** |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **M1** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **address = true | **true****** |
| **M2** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **address = false **OR **address not input **OR **address not available at source | **true****** |
| **N1** | name = true **AND **address = true **AND **dob = false **OR **dob not input **OR **dob not available at source | **true****** |
| **None** | only a single element (name, address, or dob) is verified **OR **no elements are verified | **false** |
## Identity Document Safe Harbour Scores
The Identity Document Safe Harbour Scores are a set of scores that can be applied to a verification where the identity document (ie National ID, Driver Licence, Passport) number is an input. If the identity document number is input but cannot be verified, and other elements can be verified, then the a Default Safe Habour Score will be returned.
| ******Safe Harbour Score****** | ******Verifications (from a single record in one source)****** | ******Identity Verified?** |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **L1** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **address = true **AND **identity document number = true | **true****** |
| **L2** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **identity document number = true **AND **address = false **OR **address not input **OR **address not available at source | **true****** |
| **L3** | name = true **AND **identity document number = true **AND **dob = false **OR **dob not input **OR **dob not available at source **AND **address = false **OR **address not input **OR **address not available at source | **false** |
| **L4** | name = true **AND **identity document number = true **AND **address = true **AND **dob = false **OR **dob not input **OR **dob not available at source | **true****** |
| **L5** | only identity document number = true | **false** |
## Phone Number Safe Harbour Scores
The Phone Number Safe Harbour Scores are a set of scores that can be applied to a verification where a phone number is an input. If the phone number is input but cannot be verified, and other elements can be verified, then the a Default Safe Habour Score will be returned.
| ******Safe Harbour Score****** | ******Verifications (from a single record in one source)****** | ******Identity Verified?** |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **P1** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **address = true **AND **phone number = true | **true****** |
| **P2** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **phone number = true **AND **address = false **OR **address not input **OR **address not available at source | **true****** |
| **P3** | name = true **AND **phone number = true **AND **dob = false **OR **dob not input **OR **dob not available at source **AND **address = false **OR **address not input **OR **address not available at source | **false** |
| **P4** | name = true **AND **phone number = true **AND **address = true **AND **dob = false **OR **dob not input **OR **dob not available at source | **true****** |
| **P5** | only phone number = true | **false** |
| **P6** | name = true and address = true and DOB = false or DOB is not verifiable and phone Number was not input | **true****** |
## Combination Safe Harbour Scores
The Combination Safe Harbour Scores are a set of scores that can be applied to a verification where the identity document (ie National ID, Driver Licence, Passport) number is an input and where a phone number is an input. If the identity document number or phone number is input but cannot be verified, and other elements can be verified, then the either a Default Safe Habour Score, a Phone Number Safe Harbour Score, or an Identity Document Number Safe Harbour Score will be returned.
| ******Safe Harbour Score****** | ******Verifications (from a single record in one source)****** | ******Identity Verified?** |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| **C1** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **address = true **AND **phone number = true **AND **identity document number = true | **true****** |
| **C2** | name = true **AND **dob = true **AND **phone number = true **AND **identity document number = true **AND **address = false **OR **address not input **OR **address not available at source | **true****** |
| **C3** | name = true **AND **phone number = true **AND **identity document number = true **AND **dob = false **OR **dob not input **OR **dob not available at source **AND **address = false **OR **address not input **OR **address not available at source | **false** |
| **C4** | name = true **AND **phone number = true **AND **identity document number = true **AND **address = true **AND **dob = false **OR **dob not input **OR **dob not available at source | **true****** |
| **C5** | only phone number = true **AND **identity document number = true | **false** |
***
# Safe Harbour Status
## Safe Harbour Configurations
The Data Zoo KYC Data API can be customised and configured to meet a client's own determination of their Safe Harbour requirements. A customised configuration can be applied at an organisation level or at a user account level.
## Default Safe Harbour Status Logic
The Default Safe Harbour Status logic applies globally to all services in the Data Zoo KYC Data API, and will apply by default to all organisations and user accounts.
When 2 or more results are included in the verification response then the Safe Harbour Status will be set to '**true**' or '**false**' depending on the returned Safe Harbour Scores (refer below matrix).
## New Zealand Safe Harbour Status Logic
Where a New Zealand service is included in the request then there is an alternate Safe Harbour Status logic that will apply as there are slightly different regulations within New Zealand. A Safe Harbour Status for New Zealand must include one source where the identity owner's address is verified and one source where the identity owner's date of birth is verified (refer to the below matrix).
