An apparatus that authenticates the contents of identification documents
provided by different issuers having machine-readable and/or human
readable information is disclosed. The contents of the identification
documents are verified without encountering any human error. The verified
contents of the identification documents may be used for identification
purposes such as age restricted purchases, preordained organ donors or
possible criminal prosecution. The verified contents of the
identification documents may be logged to provide ID checking compliance
and/or may be transferred to a remote computer for additional processing
or logging.