Why does ID verification fail?

Know Your Customer (KYC) encompasses an array of practices implemented within organisations to determine the legitimacy of customers, alongside adhering to regulatory compliance which can vary depending on the industry. As digitisation continues to grow at an exponential rate, we’ve seen the process ameliorate to the point where it can be conducted entirely remotely and has been harnessed by non-KYC regulated industries too – primarily attributed to effective fraud prevention, enhancing the user experience, real-time verification and increased security for both customers and businesses.  

Whilst the digital revolution has successfully streamlined business operations, some may be faced with difficulties when trying to acclimatise and grasp new processes that harness advanced technology, such as  electronic  ID verification. Failed verification attempts can often be frustrating, upon happening multiple times the onboarding process may be entirely suspended if flagged as suspicious or a security risk. 

This can sometimes be ascribed to system errors, glitches or simple internet connectivity issues. However, to ensure that you have a smooth and quick transition into the realm of digital identity verification, our team of IDV experts will be shedding some light on some of the common reasons why ID verification fails and how to avoid this.

Document Verification | Reasons for Rejection

Name, D.O.B, or nationality doesn’t match provided details

In some cases, users misspell or enter their details incorrectly when in a hurry which doesn’t match the information extracted from their ID document. When undergoing verification, ensure that you enter your details carefully and correctly to avoid rejection. 

ID document used is not supported 

All identity verification providers tell you what documents are acceptable to submit for verification. Make sure you check this before submitting your ID document to avoid rejection. 

For example, whilst a student identity card may show your name and face, it may not be accepted by an ID verification provider so it will be rejected if submitted. 

At Shufti we authenticate more than 10,000+ ID documents, so you’ve got a wide range of identity documents to choose from. For a full list of documents supported by Shufti, click here. 

Unclear image of ID document 

When taking a picture of your ID document to submit for verification, ensure that the entire document is in frame, all wording is legible and clearly captured and the same is applicable to your photo on the document. It’s also worth noting that uploading a screenshot or displaying a picture on another screen is likely to be rejected. 

• Take lighting into consideration, ensure that it’s not obstructing information or creating a glare and factor this in if you decide to use flash. 
• Blurry images – keep your hand still when capturing a picture of your document and wipe down your camera before snapping the picture. 

Punched or expired document 

Ensure that your provided document is in date and has not been cancelled – if not, your documents will be rejected. 

Face Verification | Reasons for Rejection

Visibility issues

There are several reasons as to why your selfie and ID document image aren’t matching: 

• Either selfie or document image isn’t visible
• A cropped, forged or photoshopped image is uploaded instead of a selfie.
• User is wearing glasses
• The background is too bright, which fades the user’s face
• The selfie uploaded by the user doesn’t match the image on the document

Address verification | Reasons for Rejection

Proof of address is older than 3 months

When submitting documents for address verification, please ensure that these are in date and fall within the bracket of three months. If the document isn’t older than 3 months and still verification is not accepted, the user should ensure that the timestamp mentioned on the document is visible.

Image of the proof of address isn’t complete

To ensure that no error occurs when verifying the address, the user should upload a complete picture of the document. All the corners of documents should be in the frame when taking the picture.

Online customers are required to provide a set of ID and other required documents to verify their identity, as well as confirm their address. This is how businesses comply with regulations and prevent fraud.

Mismatched address 

The address written on the proof of address document should match the one on your  ID document, if mismatched address verification fails. 

For example, if you’ve recently moved and present a bill for address verification but your ID has not been updated to match your change in address – the mismatched address on both documents will lead to rejection. 

We hope our KYC experts have shed some important light on the ID certification process for you and how to avoid verification rejection in the future KYC process. 

Find out more on our award-winning KYC solutions here.