Verification & KYC/KYB
Identity and business verification requirements for sub-merchants — individual KYC, business KYB, UBO collection, and country-specific documents.
VINR must verify every sub-merchant before enabling payment acceptance or payouts. Requirements vary by legal entity type and country of incorporation.
Entity typesAsk
| Type | Verification required |
|---|---|
| Individual / sole trader | Government-issued ID, proof of address |
| Company / LLC | Business registration, UBO details, director ID |
| Partnership | Partnership agreement, partner IDs |
| Non-profit | Registration certificate, signatory ID |
KYC — individualsAsk
For individual sub-merchants or the named representative of a business entity:
- Government-issued ID — passport, national ID card, or driver's licence
- Proof of address — utility bill or bank statement dated within 90 days
- Selfie / liveness check — required in select markets (US, UK, Australia, Thailand)
Documents must be in Latin-script or accompanied by a certified translation.
KYB — businessesAsk
For registered companies, LLCs, and other legal entities:
- Proof of registration — certificate of incorporation, company extract from national registry
- Proof of address — registered office address matching the registry record
- Memorandum / articles of association — required in some jurisdictions (UAE, India)
- Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) details — any person owning ≥25% of the entity
UBO collection
VINR requires disclosure of all individuals who own or control ≥25% of the sub-merchant entity (directly or indirectly). For each UBO:
- Full legal name and date of birth
- Residential address
- Ownership percentage
- Government-issued ID (same standards as individual KYC)
If no individual meets the 25% threshold, the senior managing official (CEO / director) must be identified as the controlling person.
Capabilities systemAsk
Verification unlocks capabilities. Sub-merchants start with no capabilities; each passes after the corresponding check clears:
| Capability | Requires |
|---|---|
card_payments | Identity verification complete |
bank_transfers | Identity + bank account ownership verified |
payouts | Full KYC/KYB + bank account |
in_person_payments | Identity + terminal agreement |
cross_border_payouts | Enhanced due diligence (EDD) |
Your platform can query a sub-merchant's current capabilities at any time:
GET /v1/platform/sub-merchants/{id}/capabilitiesCountry-specific requirementsAsk
| Country | Additional requirements |
|---|---|
| United States | EIN (businesses), SSN last 4 (individuals), 1099 tax reporting threshold |
| European Union | UBO attestation template, digital attestation accepted |
| United Kingdom | Companies House number match |
| Australia / NZ | ABN/ACN, trust deed for trust entities |
| Singapore | SingPass MyInfo integration available; unverified accounts closed after 120 days |
| UAE | Trade licence, memorandum of association |
| India | PAN card, GST registration (if applicable) |
| Japan | Japanese kana and kanji scripts both required |
| Canada | Director registry name match |
Ongoing complianceAsk
Verification is not one-time. VINR may trigger periodic reviews:
- Annual review for high-volume sub-merchants
- Event-triggered review after a sanctions screening hit, unusual activity, or significant ownership change
- Document expiry — IDs with expiry dates must be refreshed before expiry
VINR fires sub_merchant.verification.review_required when a periodic review is needed. Until resolved, the sub-merchant's capabilities may be restricted.
Sanctions screeningAsk
All sub-merchants are screened against OFAC, EU, UN, and local sanctions lists at onboarding and on an ongoing basis. A match triggers:
- Immediate capability restriction
sub_merchant.sanctions.flaggedwebhook to your platform- Enhanced document collection request
Contact your VINR platform manager if a sub-merchant believes they have been incorrectly flagged.
