UK Publishes Pre-Release of DVS Trust Framework 1.0 for Digital Verification Services

The UK government has published a pre-release of the Digital Verification Services (DVS) Trust Framework version 1.0, setting out the rules that digital verification service providers must meet to achieve certified status within the country’s identity verification ecosystem.

The pre-release, published by the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA) within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, replaces the Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF). The rename aligns with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which came into force in December 2025 and formally established the DVS legislative framework.

The document is designated a “pre-release” because digital verification services cannot yet certify against it. The UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) must first accredit conformity assessment bodies (CABs) to perform certification under the new version. Certification is expected to open later in 2026, at which point OfDIA will publish the final version using powers under the Act.

The 1.0 version introduces several significant updates from the previous gamma (0.4) release. Certified providers will gain access to the “UK CertifID” trust mark, a government-endorsed signal that a service meets the framework’s requirements. The data schema governing how identity, attribute, and authentication data is organized and exchanged has been substantially rewritten to better serve business and government users. New rules also address orchestration service providers, recognizing their role in connecting verification services with relying parties.

Providers currently certified under the gamma (0.4) framework retain valid certification until the transition date is confirmed in the final 1.0 publication. Certifications against the earlier beta (0.3) version expired on 31 March 2026.

The UK has been building its DVS ecosystem incrementally. The Kantara Initiative became the first conformity assessment body accredited to certify organizations under the UK’s digital identity framework in November 2025. Earlier, the government published the gamma (0.4) version of the framework in June 2025 as the baseline for DVS certification.

The trust framework supports commercial and government use cases including right-to-work checks, right-to-rent checks, anti-money-laundering compliance, and digital identity sharing across sectors. OfDIA has indicated it will continue to develop future versions of the framework under statutory review obligations.

Sources: UK Government, Enabling Digital Identity blog

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team