Preparing Identity Documents So Exchange Verification Does Not Stall

Most verification stalls are not caused by the documents themselves but by small mismatches between what you typed, what your document shows, and what the camera captured. This guide walks you through the preparation stage before you open the verification page on Binance, OKX, Bybit or Bitget, so that a rejection does not cost you another waiting cycle. The goal is not to speed up an approval or to guarantee one, because approval decisions belong entirely to the exchange. The goal is to remove the avoidable reasons a reviewer or an automated check sends an application back: a name spelled differently, a glare across the photo page, an expired document, a selfie taken in poor light, or a form field filled with a nickname instead of the legal name. Work through the steps below in order, keep a written record of what you submitted and when, and treat every interface detail as something to confirm on the exchange's own help centre rather than something you assume.

Start with the legal name, not the profile name

Before you touch a camera, open your account settings and compare the legal name on your profile with the name printed on the identity document you plan to submit. These two strings must correspond exactly, including middle names, suffixes, and the order of family and given names. A common failure is registering with a nickname, an English transliteration, or a shortened form, then submitting a document that shows the full legal name. If the profile name and the document disagree, correct the profile first through the official account settings or support channel and only then begin verification.

Decide which single document you will use and read it carefully. Check the expiry date, confirm that the photo page is intact and unlaminated where lamination is not part of the original, and note whether the document is a national ID, passport, or driver's licence. The verification page on the exchange lists which document types it accepts, so read that list before you commit. If your document expires soon, consider whether a longer-valid alternative is available to you, since a document that lapses mid-review can create a second problem.

Write down, in a plain text file, the exact name, date of birth, document number, and issue and expiry dates as they appear on the document. You will type these into a form, and copying from a written source reduces the chance of a typo. Do not translate or reformat anything: if the document uses a local script, enter the data as the form requests and follow the exchange's guidance on local-language documents.

Finally, confirm the country and region settings on your account match the document you are submitting. Mismatches here are a frequent reason an application is returned, and the fix usually requires a support ticket rather than a resubmission. Note the date you submitted the correction so you can reference it later.

Capture images that a machine can read

Image quality is the single most controllable variable. Use a recent phone with a clean lens, and wipe the lens with a soft cloth before you start. Photograph the document on a plain, dark, matte surface with no patterns, and remove it from any holder, sleeve, or wallet. Place it flat, not held in your hand, and avoid casting your own shadow across the page.

Lighting should be even and indirect. A window with daylight is often better than a ceiling lamp directly overhead, which produces glare on glossy surfaces and hotspots on holograms. Turn off the flash. If your document has a holographic or reflective element, tilt the phone slightly rather than the document, and take several frames so you can choose the sharpest one.

Fill the frame with the document but leave a narrow margin on all four sides, and keep the phone parallel to the page so the edges stay rectangular. Most capture screens include an overlay or a guide frame; align the document to it rather than cropping afterwards. Avoid digital zoom, which softens text, and avoid filters, scanning apps that enhance contrast, and any editing at all.

Check the result before you upload. Zoom in on the document number, the dates, and the machine-readable zone if present, and confirm every character is legible. If any field is blurred, glare-covered, or cut off at the edge, retake the photo. Keep the original files until the review is finished, in case the exchange asks you to resubmit one side.

Take a selfie under conditions the check can accept

The liveness or selfie step usually compares your face with the photo on the document, so the conditions matter more than the camera. Stand or sit facing a plain wall with no window or bright light behind you. Backlighting is the most common cause of a failed selfie because it darkens your face and hides the features the check looks for.

Remove hats, sunglasses, masks, and anything covering your face or hairline, and tie long hair back if it falls across your cheeks or eyes. If you wear prescription glasses, follow the on-screen instruction, which sometimes asks you to remove them to avoid reflections. Keep a neutral expression, look directly at the lens rather than at the screen, and hold the phone at eye level rather than below your chin.

Follow the prompts exactly as they appear, whether that means turning your head, blinking, or reading a phrase. Do not rush the movement and do not cover the front camera with your fingers. If the session times out, restart it rather than reusing a previous frame. Take the selfie in the same session as the document upload where the flow requires it, because some checks expect the steps to happen in sequence.

If the selfie step fails repeatedly, stop and read the help centre article for that specific error instead of retrying many times. Repeated failed attempts can lock the flow for a period, and the article usually explains what the check needs. Record the error message text and the time it occurred so you can describe it precisely if you contact support.

Submit, record, and know when to stop

Before submitting, re-read every field on the form against your written notes. Confirm the document type, the document number, the dates, and your address if it is requested. Check that the uploaded files are the correct sides of the correct document and that no file was replaced by a screenshot of a previous attempt.

After you submit, note the date and time, the document type used, and any reference number the page displays. Verification reviews take time and the duration is not something you can predict, so plan around the possibility of a wait rather than checking constantly. If the status changes to a request for more information, read the request literally and supply only what is asked.

Know your stop conditions. Do not submit a different document while a review is open, do not open a second account to work around a pending review, and do not send the same documents repeatedly through multiple channels. Each of these tends to complicate the case rather than resolve it. If you have corrected an obvious error such as a name mismatch or a blurred image, one resubmission is reasonable; beyond that, use the official support channel and describe the sequence of events with your recorded dates and error messages.

Keep your records somewhere you can find them: the document type, submission dates, reference numbers, and any correspondence. If you later need to explain the history of your case, a short factual timeline is far more useful than a reconstruction from memory.

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Scenario checkpoint

• Compare the legal name in account settings with the name on your document and correct any mismatch before starting verification.
• Check the document expiry date and confirm the document type is one the exchange's verification page accepts.
• Write down name, date of birth, document number, and issue and expiry dates exactly as printed, and type from that note.
• Photograph the document flat on a plain dark surface in indirect light, without flash, filters, or digital zoom.
• Zoom in on the captured image and confirm the number, dates, and any machine-readable zone are fully legible before uploading.
• Take the selfie facing a plain wall with no backlight, hair and glasses out of the way, and follow the on-screen prompts without rushing.
• Record the submission date, document type, and reference number, and stop resubmitting once an obvious error has been corrected.