> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.business.blaaiz.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Get identification type

> Look up the country-specific identification type that a customer must provide as their `tin` value. Each country uses a different identification system (e.g. SSN in the US, BVN in Nigeria, NINO in the UK), and individual vs business customers within the same country may require different types. Call this endpoint before creating or updating a customer to know what field label to show in your UI and what value to collect. Save the collected value as the customer's `tin` field. Required scope: `virtual-account:read`.



## OpenAPI

````yaml /api-reference/virtual-bank-account/get-identification-type-openapi.json get /api/external/virtual-bank-account/identification-type
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: Blaaiz Platform API - Get Identification Type
  version: 1.0.0
  description: >-
    Every country has its own national or tax identification system — SSN in the
    US, BVN in Nigeria, NINO in the UK, and so on. When creating a customer for
    a Virtual Bank Account (especially USD), you need to collect a `tin` value.
    This endpoint tells you what that identification is called for a given
    country and customer type, so you can label the field correctly in your UI
    and collect the right value from your customer. The returned `label` is the
    display name (e.g. "Social Security Number") and the value your customer
    provides should be saved as the `tin` field on the customer.
servers:
  - url: https://api-prod.blaaiz.com
  - url: https://api-dev.blaaiz.com
security: []
tags:
  - name: Virtual Bank Accounts
paths:
  /api/external/virtual-bank-account/identification-type:
    get:
      tags:
        - Virtual Bank Accounts
      summary: Get identification type
      description: >-
        Look up the country-specific identification type that a customer must
        provide as their `tin` value. Each country uses a different
        identification system (e.g. SSN in the US, BVN in Nigeria, NINO in the
        UK), and individual vs business customers within the same country may
        require different types. Call this endpoint before creating or updating
        a customer to know what field label to show in your UI and what value to
        collect. Save the collected value as the customer's `tin` field.
        Required scope: `virtual-account:read`.
      parameters:
        - name: customer_id
          in: query
          required: false
          description: >-
            Unique identifier of the customer. If provided, country and type are
            not required.
          schema:
            type: string
        - name: country
          in: query
          required: false
          description: >-
            Two-letter country code (e.g., NG). Required if customer_id is not
            provided.
          schema:
            type: string
            minLength: 2
            maxLength: 2
        - name: type
          in: query
          required: false
          description: >-
            Customer type. Required if customer_id is not provided. Possible
            values: business, individual.
          schema:
            type: string
            enum:
              - business
              - individual
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Identification type retrieved successfully.
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/IdentificationTypeResponse'
              examples:
                nigeria_individual:
                  summary: Nigeria — Individual
                  value:
                    message: Identification type retrieved successfully.
                    data:
                      label: Bank Verification Number
                      country: NG
                      customer_type: individual
                us_individual:
                  summary: United States — Individual
                  value:
                    message: Identification type retrieved successfully.
                    data:
                      label: Social Security Number
                      country: US
                      customer_type: individual
                us_business:
                  summary: United States — Business
                  value:
                    message: Identification type retrieved successfully.
                    data:
                      label: Employer Identification Number
                      country: USA
                      customer_type: business
                uk_individual:
                  summary: United Kingdom — Individual
                  value:
                    message: Identification type retrieved successfully.
                    data:
                      label: National Insurance Number
                      country: GB
                      customer_type: individual
                canada_individual:
                  summary: Canada — Individual
                  value:
                    message: Identification type retrieved successfully.
                    data:
                      label: Social Insurance Number
                      country: CA
                      customer_type: individual
        '401':
          description: Unauthorized
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
              example:
                status: false
                message: Invalid or missing access token
      security:
        - oauth2ClientCredentials:
            - virtual-account:read
components:
  schemas:
    IdentificationTypeResponse:
      type: object
      properties:
        message:
          type: string
        data:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/IdentificationType'
      required:
        - message
        - data
    Error:
      type: object
      properties:
        message:
          type: string
      required:
        - message
    IdentificationType:
      type: object
      properties:
        label:
          type: string
          description: >-
            Human-readable label to display in your UI (e.g. "Bank Verification
            Number" for Nigeria, "Social Security Number" for US). Use this as
            the field label when collecting the value from your customer.
        country:
          type: string
          description: The resolved country code used for the lookup.
        customer_type:
          type: string
          description: >-
            The customer type used for the lookup (individual or business).
            Different types may return different identification requirements for
            the same country.
      required:
        - label
        - country
        - customer_type
  securitySchemes:
    oauth2ClientCredentials:
      type: oauth2
      description: >-
        Use your OAuth client credentials to obtain a short-lived Bearer token
        from POST /oauth/token.
      flows:
        clientCredentials:
          tokenUrl: /oauth/token
          scopes:
            virtual-account:read: Read virtual accounts.

````