An apparatus for validating an identity of an individual based on biometrics includes a memory and a processor operatively coupled to a distributed database and the memory. The processor is configured to provide biometric data as an input to a predefined hash function to obtain a first biometric hash value. The processor is configured to obtain, using a first pointer to the distributed database, a signed second biometric hash value. The processor is configured to define a certification of the biometric data in response to verifying that a signature of the signed second biometric hash value is associated with the compute device and verifying that the first biometric hash value corresponds with the second biometric hash value. The processor is configured to digitally sign the certification using a private key associated with the processor to produce a signed biometric certification and store the signed biometric certification in the distributed database.