My user is having trouble uploading their ID. How can I help them?

Generally speaking, most identity verification related questions can be solved by advising the user on best practices. Here is a list of best practices that the applicant should adhere to when uploading the photo of their ID. This will give Evident’s computer vision technology the best chance possible of reading the ID electronically right away.

Failed verifications and verifications that are unable to be processed will always take longer than verifications that pass successfully. This is because there is a thorough escalation process internally within Evident for an ID that cannot be successfully processed. Evident wants to put forward every effort to process the applicant’s identification document, and will only reject it if we truly cannot conclusively say that the identity document is valid.

Many of Evident’s best practices can be seen here and here. In general, the best practices follow the below principles/guidelines.

  1. The ID should be covering about 80% of the image
  2. All four corners should be visible
  3. All text should be readable
  4. The image should be clear and crisp
  5. There should be high contrast between the document and the background (usually a very dark background helps)
  6. The ID must be an accepted type (Passport, Driver’s License, or state-issued ID card not city issued ID cards - New York City ID cards are common).
  7. The applicant must select the ID type they are actually submitting
  8. No portion of the image may be covered or blocked out
  9. We don’t accept VOID IDs or those with a hold punched through then (generally)
  10. We do not accept temporary licenses.
  11. We do not accept any of the below list of IDs that applicants sometimes try to use.
    • Visas, and Permanent Residency Cards
    • City issued cards are also not able to be processed.
    • Student IDs, Work IDs, Voter Cards Tax Cards, Credit Cards
    • A screenshot of the ID or an ID that is clearly scanned
    • Massachusetts Liquor Card
    • Voting license/ID
    • Permanent Work Aid Employment ID
    • Weapon carrying licenses
    • Army ID cards
    • US Employment Authorization cards
    • Global Entry ID
    • Work Visas
    • Resident ID
    • Employment Authorization card

I think my user is dealing with a technical problem, or there is a bug. 

If you have worked with your user to follow the best practices guidelines, and you think your applicant is experiencing a technical problem, Evident can help them troubleshoot this technical problem. You can submit the problem on their behalf using this Business Support form or you may have them report the issue themselves by using this form. In general,  if you think the applicant is genuinely experiencing a bug of some sort, we recommend that you pass them to us directly so that we can ask them for screenshots of their experience. Nearly all bug investigations require screenshots, so having these is crucial. If you are reporting a bug yourself on behalf of a user, the following format will be useful. Evident will have the best chance of rapidly investigating and resolving any issues that you bring to us if you use this format:

  • Summary of the issue experienced
  • The email address of the applicant that is tied to the Evident verification
  • What behavior was expected
  • What behavior actually happened
  • Steps that were taken to generate the unexpected behavior
  • Screenshots of the behavior

Other Scenarios

In extremely rare scenarios an applicant might have trouble uploading an identity document that falls outside of one of these categories. If you think your applicant is taking a high quality picture that meets the above qualifications but their submission is not accepted, let us know with the Business Support form.

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