Personal Identity Verification System for verifying the identity of an individual carrying a mobile phone, at an identity verification site, comprising: - image data of an area of the individual's body, said image data being stored in the mobile phone of the individual, - at least one image capture device configured to capture visual data of an area of the individual's body, arranged at the identity verification site, wherein the image capture device is operated by an official identity verification authority and comprises a camera operated by the official identity verification authority, - at least one wireless communications module arranged at the identity verification site configured to receive the image data from the mobile phone of the individual, - an electronic circuit, connected to the at least one wireless communications module and to the at least one image capture device, configured - to compare the image data received from the mobile phone of the individual with the visual data captured by the image capture device, - to generate positive verification information when the image data and the visual data are established to be similar within a similarity-tolerance, - to generate negative verification information when a similarity between the visual data and the image data cannot be established within said similarity-tolerance, and - to send the positive or negative verification information to the mobile phone thereby informing the individual, by way of a visual and/or an acoustic signal provided by the individual's mobile phone, of the status of the verification process. - image data of an area of the individual's body, said image data being stored in the mobile phone of the individual, - at least one image capture device configured to capture visual data of an area of the individual's body, arranged at the identity verification site, wherein the image capture device is operated by an official identity verification authority and comprises a camera operated by the official identity verification authority, - at least one wireless communications module arranged at the identity verification site configured to receive the image data from the mobile phone of the individual, - an electronic circuit, connected to the at least one wireless communications module and to the at least one image capture device, configured - to compare the image data received from the mobile phone of the individual with the visual data captured by the image capture device, - to generate positive verification information when the image data and the visual data are established to be similar within a similarity-tolerance, - to generate negative verification information when a similarity between the visual data and the image data cannot be established within said similarity-tolerance, and - to send the positive or negative verification information to the mobile phone thereby informing the individual, by way of a visual and/or an acoustic signal provided by the individual's mobile phone, of the status of the verification process. - to compare the image data received from the mobile phone of the individual with the visual data captured by the image capture device, - to generate positive verification information when the image data and the visual data are established to be similar within a similarity-tolerance, - to generate negative verification information when a similarity between the visual data and the image data cannot be established within said similarity-tolerance, and - to send the positive or negative verification information to the mobile phone thereby informing the individual, by way of a visual and/or an acoustic signal provided by the individual's mobile phone, of the status of the verification process.