What is proof of address OCR?
Proof of address OCR reads a utility bill, phone or internet bill, lease, tax notice or insurance certificate and turns it into structured data: holder name, address, issuer, document type and date. Koncile uses AI to read any layout, in PDF, scan or photo, then checks that the document is recent, that the name and address match your file, and that the PDF was not edited. Export to Excel, CSV or JSON, or plug it into your KYC flow by API.
Manual review
Someone opens each bill, reads the name, the address and the date, and types them in. Slow, and easy to get wrong at volume.
Template OCR
Each field is read at a fixed position. Every new utility, carrier or landlord means a new template.
AI without templates
The model reads the document the way a compliance analyst would: it finds the holder, the address and the date whatever the issuer.
What data does proof of address OCR extract?
Koncile's proof of address template captures who the document belongs to, where they live, who issued it and when. Each field works as a prompt you can edit, and you can add your own, such as an account number or a service address. For energy bills in detail, see our utility bill OCR.
| Field | Example | Extraction rule |
|---|---|---|
| Last name of the holder | Ellis | Family name as printed on the document. |
| First names of the holder | Jordan A. | All the first names of the holder. |
| Address of the holder | 418 Maple Ridge Dr, Columbus, OH 43215 | Full address, unit or apartment number included. |
| Document date | 09/28/2026 | Date of issue, returned in your chosen format. |
| Document type | Electricity | One choice from your list: electricity, gas, water, internet, phone, lease, insurance, bank statement, tax notice or other. |
| Issuer name | Northgate Power | Company or agency that issued the document. |
| Valid date | Yes | Yes if the document is less than 3 months old. |
| Accepted document | Yes | Yes only if the document type is on your list of accepted proofs. |
Which documents count as proof of address?
Every bank, landlord or agency keeps its own list. Koncile reads them all with one template and tells you which type it found, so your rules decide what to accept.
Utility bills
Electricity, gas and water bills. The most common proof, with the holder, the service address and a recent date.
Phone and internet bills
Landline, mobile or internet service bills. Some lists accept landline and internet only: the type field lets you sort them.
Tax notices
Income or property tax notices, read for the name, the address and the tax year.
Lease and rent receipts
A residential lease or a rent receipt, with the tenant, the landlord and the address of the unit.
Home insurance
Homeowners or renters insurance certificates, with the insured name, the covered address and the policy dates.
Bank statements
A statement shows the customer's mailing address. Accept it or not, the choice stays in your rules.
How does proof of address OCR work?
- Step 1
Intake
Upload, a dedicated email address or the API: the document arrives as a PDF, a scan or a phone photo.
- Step 2
Reading
Text, logos and handwritten notes are read page by page, in many languages.
- Step 3
Structuring
Each value lands in its field: holder, address, issuer, type and date.
- Step 4
Checks
Date window, name and address matching, accepted type and signs of editing.
- Step 5
Export
Excel, CSV, JSON, webhook or API, into your onboarding or KYC tool.
Checking the date, the name and the address
Reading the bill is half the job. The other half is deciding whether it proves what you need. Koncile runs these checks while it extracts, with no code.
These checks fit into a wider KYC flow, as explained in our guide to KYC automation with OCR.
Less than 3 months old
The document date is compared with today. Too old, and the file is flagged before anyone opens it.
Same name as the ID
The holder is compared with the name on the ID document or in your customer file, middle names and order included.
Same address as the application
Street, number and unit are compared with the address the customer typed in, so a mismatch shows up at once.
Accepted type
Each document is sorted into a type, then checked against your list. A bank statement or a mobile bill can be refused automatically.
Spotting edited and fake proof of address
A proof of address is one of the easiest documents to fake. An OCR tool that only reads lets a fake through as easily as a real one, so Koncile checks the file as well.
To check a single bill, use our utility bill fraud checker.
Edited PDF
A name, an address or a date changed after issue leaves traces in the file: producer software, revisions, fonts. They are read and explained.
Date pushed forward
The date is the field most often changed on a real bill. A file created after the date printed on it is flagged.
Template bills
A bill made from an online template does not come from the issuer's billing system. The file structure gives it away.
Inconsistent details
An address that differs from the ID, an issuer that does not match its own format: each point feeds a suspicion of editing score from 0 to 100.
Export and integrations
Proof of address usually sits inside an onboarding or KYC flow. Koncile plugs into it rather than adding a new screen.
Developers can start from our OCR API documentation.
Exports
XLSX, XLS, CSV and JSON, with configurable column names, order and date formats.
API and webhook
Send documents through the API, get the result by webhook as soon as extraction is done.
No code
Make, n8n, Zapier and Power Automate connect Koncile to your CRM or onboarding tool in minutes.
Email intake
A dedicated email address receives the documents your customers send and extracts the attachments automatically.
An AI OCR built for security
Your customers' documents are never used to train a model. Fully encrypted software, secure storage of extracted data, a SOC 2 certified and GDPR compliant platform.
Proof of address OCR: frequently asked questions
What is proof of address OCR?
Software that reads a utility bill, phone bill, lease, tax notice or insurance certificate and extracts the holder, the address, the issuer, the document type and the date. Modern tools use AI to read any layout, then check the date and the name and export Excel, CSV or JSON.
Which documents can Koncile read as proof of address?
Electricity, gas and water bills, phone and internet bills, tax notices, leases and rent receipts, home insurance certificates and bank statements. A type field tells you which one it is, so you decide which types you accept.
Can Koncile check that a proof of address is less than 3 months old?
Yes. The document date is extracted and compared with today, and a yes or no field tells you whether it falls within your window. You can change the rule, for example to 90 days or to the current year for a tax notice.
Can it detect a fake or edited proof of address?
Koncile looks for traces of editing in the file, such as the producer software, revisions and fonts, and for details that do not match the rest of the application. It returns a suspicion of editing score from 0 to 100 with the reasons, for a person to review.
Can I extract a specific field?
Yes. Every field is customizable. The proof of address template is a starting point: you can add your own fields, such as an account number or a service address, and describe them in plain words.
What file formats are supported?
PDF files and all common image formats, including PNG and JPEG, so a scan or a phone photo works as well as the original PDF.
How does Koncile integrate with my existing tools?
Through the API, with full documentation, and through webhooks. You can also upload documents in the app and download the results as XLSX, XLS, CSV or JSON.
What are Koncile's prices?
Koncile offers 3 plans, including enterprise options for large volumes, and 20 free credits to test on your own documents. Details are on our pricing page.
