Verification & evidence

Anyone can search and buy reports. Only verified businesses can publish trade references, and every reference is backed by the commercial documents that prove it.

The three proofsProof of associationPrivacy & retentionAccepted documentsEvidence for every reference

Verification at a glance

0
proofs per reviewer
0%
references need evidence
0
point document check
0 days
raw-ID retention limit

What we verify

A reviewer must prove three separate things.

Each one answers a different way a review can be manipulated. Skip one and the reference doesn't get published.

01

They are a real person

Legal name, country of residence and a government-issued ID check. Where an identity provider can hold the raw ID for us, we keep only the result.

  • Government-issued ID
  • Selfie / liveness where appropriate
  • Name matches account and registry
02

The company is real and active

An official registration document proves the business exists. One recent commercial document proves it is actually trading, not a dormant shell.

  • Incorporation or registry document
  • One recent commercial document (6–12 months)
  • Registry number and address cross-checked
03

They represent that company

Owners are matched to registry records. Employees prove association with a verified email on the company's own domain or a signed letter.

  • Registry or company-document match
  • Company-domain email
  • Authorization letter if no domain email

Proof of association

Three routes, matched to how your business works.

We use a risk-based approach to keep verification strong without asking for anything unnecessary.

Route 1

Owner, director or officer

The fastest path.

  1. 1Your name appears on the registry or a company document as an owner, director or officer
  2. 2Your verified identity matches that name
  3. 3A verified company email helps but isn't required

Sufficient on its own

Route 2

Employee

Low-friction for teams.

  1. 1Identity verification
  2. 2A verified email on the company's own domain (for example you@acmeimports.com)
  3. 3The business itself passes full verification
  4. 4No company-domain email? One extra proof: employment verification, authorization letter or a company-issued document

Domain email = strong evidence

Route 3

Small business, no corporate email

Reviewed by a person.

  1. 1Government ID and company registration
  2. 2A document connecting you to the business
  3. 3Recent business documentation
  4. 4Flagged for manual review by our compliance team

Manual compliance review

Your application

From submission to Verified Business.

  1. 1

    Draft

    You're filling in details and uploading documents. Nothing is visible to anyone else.

  2. 2

    Submitted

    Your application is in the compliance queue. You can still search and buy reports.

  3. 3

    Under review

    A compliance reviewer is checking identity, registry data and documents.

  4. 4

    More information

    We need something specific. You respond in-app and the clock restarts.

  5. Approved

    “Verified Business” appears in your private dashboard. You can now share trade references.

While you wait you can still search companies and buy reports. If an application is rejected or an account is suspended, you'll see the reason in your dashboard.

Privacy by design

What we collect, keep and never do.

Kept separate

Verification data lives apart from ordinary app data with its own retention rules. Raw ID copies are scheduled for deletion 90 days after the decision.

Never exposed

Identity, incorporation and evidence documents are never shown to report buyers, reviewed companies, search users or other reviewers.

Never repurposed

We don't use identity or verification documents for marketing, and we only collect the minimum needed to verify you.

Accepted documents

The paperwork you already have.

PDF, JPG, PNG or WebP up to 15 MB. Files are scanned, stored privately and only ever opened by compliance staff.

Proof the business exists

At least one official document

  • Certificate of Incorporation
  • Articles of Incorporation
  • Certificate of Formation
  • Business registration certificate
  • Government registry extract
  • Equivalent foreign document

Proof it is actively trading

One recent document, ideally within the last 6–12 months

  • Recent invoice or commercial invoice
  • Bill of Lading
  • Purchase order
  • Shipping or freight document
  • Customs document
  • Executed commercial contract
  • Bank document identifying the business
  • Other reasonable evidence of operations

Newly formed company or an unusual situation? Our compliance team can waive or substitute the recent-document requirement, and records why.

Evidence for every reference

No paperwork, no reference.

Each trade reference must be backed by documents showing your business and the reviewed company actually transacted.

Accepted evidence

  • Commercial invoice
  • Bill of lading
  • Purchase order
  • Signed contract
  • Shipping documentation
  • Customs paperwork
  • Proof of payment
  • Freight & delivery documents
  • Executed service agreement

Admins can ask for more. Evidence is never public, never shown to report buyers and never shown to the company you reviewed.

What compliance checks

  • 01Your business is on the document
  • 02The counterparty is on the document
  • 03The document is commercially plausible
  • 04Dates are reasonable
  • 05The file hasn't been used before

Text is also screened for anything that could identify you, such as names, emails, phone numbers, and invoice or account numbers, and redacted before publication.

Verification questions.

Most complete applications are reviewed within a few business days. If we need more information you'll see a request in your dashboard and the review resumes as soon as you reply.

Ready to get verified?

Create a free account, then start your business verification. Searching is always free.

Verify My Business Read the review standards