Guidelines for making a KYC-verifiable document photo



It’s a pain, we know. And we’re sorry for that but there’s just no way around this one: in order to become an accredited investor on the Platform instead of registering only to become a lookie-loo, a passer-by who has no serious plans to start investing you must pass the mandatory verification process and do it in the way accepted by the system. Otherwise, “hopes and dreams” aside, all the time and effort you’d already put into your research, registration, and general inquiry will be wasted.



One of the most common mistakes people make trying to get verified is the wrong presentation of a state-issued ID, which causes delays in processing or denial of service altogether – something none of us is fond of seeing on a computer screen. Luckily, we can help.



Since the system has no way of automatically adjusting the picture size, lighting levels, sharpness and other factors that make a difference between a quality image of a verifiable ID and a gob of blurry mess, you need to know how to prepare your ID and take a picture of it manually. Here are the guidelines:



1. Place ID on a dark surface, preferably black or dark gray with no print. DO NOT hand-hold the document in midair, make sure all the elements of the document are clearly visible on the final picture you plan to upload.

2. Make sure all four corners of the document are visible. When scanning passport, DO NOT block any of the MRZ data (the two lines of symbols at the bottom of the page with photo)



3. Maintain the right distance between the ID and the picture-taking device so that the document is sufficiently enhanced filling about 80% of the frame. When submitting Passport, use Front/Identity information page ONLY (page with photo).

4. No glare, shading, skewing or other creative designs! Remember, we’re not making art here. Scan the document in a well-lit area, in day light , with as little artificial/auxiliary lighting as possible .

Just so you know what we’re talking about, here are some examples of badly displayed IDs guaranteed NOT to be accepted by the Smartlands Platform verification algorithm:

1. DL’s edges not visible

2. DL’s partial presence in the frame

3. Bad zoom: the document is barely seen

4. Non-contrasting background

5. Finger over MRZ data

6. Shadow over document

7. The document is askew (2-3-degree tilt is fine but don’t’ go crazy!)

Hope this helps. As always, we’re happy to hear from you on any occasion so keep in touch on Twitter, Telegram and let us know how are you making out with getting verified on the Platform.