> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.lumia.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.lumia.org/ecosystem/lumia/compliance/kyc-know-your-customer.md).

# KYC Know Your Customer

**Who this is for:** issuers and developers deciding whether and where to gate an application by individual identity. This is a concept page. For the integration steps, see [`/build/identity/on-chain-kyc-integration`](file:///build/identity/Integrate-on-chain-KYC-dev-guide.md) (developer lens) or [`/tokenize/kyc/on-chain-kyc-for-issuers`](file:///tokenize/kyc/On-chain-KYC-for-issuers.md) (issuer lens).

## What it verifies

KYC confirms the real-world identity of an individual: typically that a person is who they claim to be, and in some flows that they meet an eligibility bar (age, jurisdiction, accreditation status). It is a check on a person, distinct from [KYB](broken://pages/1c404b728a0e4b865a04eb664c5ecb418bd2f6c8), which checks a business entity.

## Where it applies on Lumia

Per Lumia's [compliance model](broken://pages/210a2df6ee5b1813f7f44c7caa0b21b75de5e908), KYC is enforced at the application layer, not the protocol layer. A contract (typically a token's `transfer()` function or a gated entry point) checks an on-chain attestation or credential produced by a KYC process, rather than the chain itself checking identity before including a transaction. Retail or individual token holders are the typical subject of a KYC check; institutional entities are usually checked under [KYB](broken://pages/1c404b728a0e4b865a04eb664c5ecb418bd2f6c8) instead.