Otentik Code Reader: Verify Documents in Seconds
Securing a document with a Visible Digital Seal (VDS) is only half the equation. The other half is making verification accessible to everyone — border agents, customs officers, pharmacists, employers, and everyday citizens. That is exactly what the Otentik Codes Reader app is designed to do.
What Is Otentik Codes Reader?
Otentik Codes Reader is a mobile application developed under the aegis of VDSIC that allows anyone to scan and verify documents protected by Visible Digital Seals. Available for both iOS and Android, the app provides an instant, cryptographic verification of a document's authenticity — no special hardware required, and no internet connection needed at the time of scanning.
How It Works
Using the app is straightforward:
Open the app and point your camera at the VDS barcode on the document.
Scan — The app reads the encoded data and the digital signature embedded in the seal.
Verify — The app checks the signature against the issuer's public key, retrieved from trust lists (TSL/LoTL) downloaded and cached on the device.
Result — A clear visual indicator shows whether the document is authentic (valid signature, trusted issuer) or suspicious (invalid signature, unknown issuer, or tampered data).
The entire process completes in seconds and requires no internet connection at the time of verification, making it ideal for field use — provided trust lists have been previously downloaded by the app.
Key Features
Offline Verification
All cryptographic operations happen locally on the device. The app periodically downloads and caches trust lists (TSL/LoTL) containing the certificate chains and public keys needed for verification. This means you can verify documents in remote locations, on aircraft, or in any situation where connectivity is unavailable — as long as the trust lists are up to date.
Multi-Format Support
Otentik Codes Reader supports multiple VDS formats:
VDS — The original ICAO format for travel documents.
VDS-NC — The Non-Constrained format used for health certificates, tax stamps, and other documents.
ISO 22376 / ISO 22385 — The international standards on which VDS is built: ISO 22376 defines the technical specification, ISO 22385 the trust framework.
Trusted Issuer Management
The app maintains a curated list of trusted certificate authorities and issuers. When a seal is verified, the app not only confirms data integrity but also identifies who issued the seal and whether that issuer is recognised.
Detailed Data Display
After verification, the app displays the decoded data in a structured, readable format — names, dates, document numbers, or any other information encoded in the seal. This allows the verifier to cross-check the digital data against the printed information on the document.
Privacy by Design
The app does not transmit scanned data to any server. No scan history is uploaded, no personal data is collected. What you scan stays on your device.
Use Cases
Border control — Officers verify visa stickers and emergency travel documents without relying on database lookups.
Healthcare — Pharmacists and health authorities verify vaccination certificates and prescription authenticity.
Education — Employers verify the authenticity of academic diplomas and professional certifications.
Supply chain — Inspectors verify product authenticity labels and tax stamps at any point in the distribution chain.
Citizens — Anyone can verify official documents they receive, from tax notices to government certificates.
Why Not Just Use a Standard QR Scanner?
A standard QR code scanner reads the raw data or URL encoded in a barcode — it performs no authentication. It cannot tell you whether the data was signed by a legitimate authority or tampered with by a fraudster.
Otentik Codes Reader is purpose-built for cryptographic verification. It understands the VDS data structure, validates digital signatures, and checks the issuer's identity against a trust framework. This is the difference between reading a barcode and trusting a barcode.
Getting Started
Otentik Codes Reader is available for download on the App Store and Google Play. The app is free to use for document verification.
For organisations looking to integrate VDS verification into their own systems, VDSIC provides technical documentation and SDKs. Contact us at contact@aigcev.org for more information.