Quickstart - Pruva

This guide takes you from a new account to a working check against the test environment. You will create a test API key, then run a NIN lookup and read the result.

1. Create your account

Sign up at the Pruva dashboard and create your organization. You can build and test immediately; approval is only required to run live checks, not test ones.

2. Get a test API key

In the dashboard, go to Developer, API keys and create a key. Choose the test environment. A key looks like this:

pruva_test_1a2b3c4d5e6f7a8b9c0d1e2f3a4b5c6d7e8f9a0b

The full key is shown once, at creation. Copy it and store it somewhere safe, like a secret manager. Pruva only keeps a hash, so a lost key cannot be recovered, only replaced.

3. Run your first check

Send the inputs for a scope directly in the request body, to the scope’s endpoint. For a NIN lookup that is POST /v1/nin:

curl https://api.pruva.africa/v1/nin \
  -X POST \
  -H "X-Pruva-Key: pruva_test_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "nin": "12345678901" }'

const res = await fetch("https://api.pruva.africa/v1/nin", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "X-Pruva-Key": "pruva_test_YOUR_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ nin: "12345678901" }),
});

const verification = await res.json();
console.log(verification.reference, verification.status);

import requests

res = requests.post(
    "https://api.pruva.africa/v1/nin",
    headers={"X-Pruva-Key": "pruva_test_YOUR_KEY"},
    json={"nin": "12345678901"},
)

verification = res.json()
print(verification["reference"], verification["status"])

The exact input fields depend on the scope. nin takes a NIN number; other scopes take their own fields. Each scope’s inputs are listed on its page under Verification scopes.

4. Read the result

A successful call returns the verification as JSON:

{
  "reference": "43817179a3dc8c341d358432b0590924",
  "scope": "nin",
  "category": "kyc",
  "countryCode": "NG",
  "status": "found",
  "request": { "nin": "12345678901" },
  "result": {
    "firstName": "Ada",
    "lastName": "Okafor",
    "dateOfBirth": "1990-04-12"
  },
  "errorMessage": null,
  "priceKobo": 5000,
  "charged": true,
  "createdAt": "2026-07-27T08:50:00+01:00"
}

The fields that matter most:

Field	Meaning
`status`	`found` when the record exists, `not_found` when it does not, `failed` when the check could not be completed.
`reference`	A stable id for this verification. Use it to retrieve the result later.
`result`	The details found, shaped by the scope. Empty when nothing was found.
`charged`	Whether your wallet was debited for this check.

5. Retrieve it later

Any verification can be fetched again by its reference, whatever the scope:

curl https://api.pruva.africa/v1/verifications/43817179a3dc8c341d358432b0590924 \
  -H "X-Pruva-Key: pruva_test_YOUR_KEY"

Next steps

Authentication

Key formats, the X-Pruva-Key header, and keeping keys safe.

Environments

How test and live differ, and what to check before going live.

API reference

Every endpoint, request, and response in detail.

Widgets

Collect selfies and documents in the browser without handling images.

​1. Create your account

​2. Get a test API key

​3. Run your first check

​4. Read the result

​5. Retrieve it later

​Next steps

Authentication

Environments

API reference

Widgets

1. Create your account

2. Get a test API key

3. Run your first check

4. Read the result

5. Retrieve it later

Next steps