About this guide
This is an overview of the APLYiD portal for new users in the United Kingdom: managing users, sending verifications and understanding results. Each section links to a more detailed guide.
1. Managing users
Add a user
A Company Admin adds users in Preferences > Accounts. Each user gets an invite link that lasts 7 days and is asked to set up multi-factor authentication when they first log in. See How to add a user (staff member) and choose their role.
There are four roles:
Role | What they can do |
Company Admin | Manage company details and users, send verifications, and view and download every verification |
AML Supervisor | Send verifications, view and download every verification, and get notified for every completed verification. Best for whoever manages your AML. |
Agent | Send verifications, and view and download their own. They're notified when their own verifications are completed. This is the default role. |
Initiator | Send verifications only. They're assigned to another user (an Agent, AML Supervisor or Company Admin), who is notified and can view and download the results. |
Assign users to a manager
Users can be assigned to another user, called their Manager. Any user can be assigned to more than one manager:
Company Admin: other Company Admins, AML Supervisors, Agents and Initiators can be assigned to them
AML Supervisor: other AML Supervisors, Agents and Initiators can be assigned to them
Agent: other Agents and Initiators can be assigned to them
Remove a user who has left
Go to Preferences > Accounts, find the user, click Actions and choose Suspend. We recommend suspending rather than deleting. Only delete an account that was created by mistake, such as a wrong email address or a duplicate. A deleted user's name won't show on any reporting. See How to remove/suspend a user from APLYiD.
2. Sending a verification
Go to Biometric > Verify. The Send SMS form opens.
Enter your client's First name and Last name. These are for your reference. The verification checks the name read from your client's ID.
Enter a Reference for your own records. Your client won't see it, and you can search by it later.
Choose the country code under Code (e.g. +44 for the UK), then enter the mobile number without the leading zero.
Click Send.
The verification appears in Biometric > Created until your client completes it, then moves to Biometric > Completed. See How do I send a verification to my client?
Your client needs a current, government-issued photo ID, such as a passport or driver licence, and a smartphone. If they don't have a passport or driver licence, see My client doesn't have a passport or driver licence. What are their options?
3. Finding a completed verification
If notifications are on, you'll get an email with a link straight to the completed verification. Or go to Biometric > Completed.
Download and save the report straight away. Completed verifications are archived 7 days after completion, or 1 hour after the report is downloaded, whichever comes first. After that, the details can't be recovered. See Can I get back a check that's been archived?
4. Understanding the result
When you open a completed verification, the Overview tab shows:
Result Overview: a tick or cross for Data extraction, Biometrics, Tampering checks, Device/Location and APLYiD/AML, and the overall result (Pass, Review or Fail)
Report: download the PDF report here
Scanned Documents: the photos of your client's ID
Provided Data: the details you entered when sending
Extracted Data: the details read from the ID
Video: your client's selfie video
Tabs at the top (Biometrics, Tampering Checks, Location and APLYiD/AML Check) give more detail on each check.
How the UK data check works
In the UK, no one can check an ID directly with the government. Instead, your client's name, date of birth and address are checked against UK data sources:
Electoral Register
National Identity Register
Credit Header
Mortality Register
Landline records, where available (most people don't have a landline now)
This means the type of ID your client uses doesn't change the data check. The ID is used for the tampering and biometric checks.
Pass
All checks passed. Download and save the report. Most verifications come back as a Pass.
In the UK, a verification passes when:
Address matches 1 or more data sources. The address is checked first. If it doesn't match, the rest of the data check can't continue.
Name matches 2 or more data sources
Date of birth matches 2 or more data sources
At least one of the matching sources must be a government source, such as the Electoral Register.
If your Company Admin has turned off address verification, the address is still captured and checked, but a failed address won't affect the overall result.
Review
One or more checks didn't pass automatically, so you need to decide. Only a failed face match makes a verification Fail. Everything else goes to Review. Check the Result Overview to see which check needs attention, then open the matching tab.
When you're ready, click Review under Report, add a note explaining your decision, and click Approve verification or Reject verification. Your decision is final, and your note is added to the report. A reviewed verification shows an eye icon next to its status. See My client's verification says "Review". What does that mean and what do I do?
Common Review reasons
No independent data match
Your client's name and address weren't found in enough data sources. This happens when someone hasn't applied for credit in the last 3 years, doesn't have utility bills in their name and doesn't own property, e.g. young people or people recently back from overseas. It can also happen if the address entered is wrong or your client has moved recently. Ask your client for extra information to confirm their name, date of birth and address, in line with your own AML policy.
Mortality Register
Your client's details are also checked against the Mortality Register, which holds records of people who have passed.
No address match
The address doesn't match any data source, usually because your client has moved recently. Because the address is checked first, the rest of the data check can't continue. Ask your client for proof of address that's acceptable under your own AML policy. APLYiD can't advise on which documents to accept.
Name mismatch
The name doesn't match enough data sources. Compare the name on the ID in Scanned Documents with Extracted Data:
The ID was read wrongly (e.g. a middle name read as a first name, or a misplaced hyphen): click Edit next to Extracted Data, correct it and click Submit. The data check runs again. This is a re-run, which is charged.
Your client has changed their name (e.g. after marriage) but is using an older ID, or doesn't use their legal name day to day: ask them to use their newest ID. Occasionally, a name mismatch can be a sign of a fraudulent ID.
Location flagged
Your client used a VPN when they completed the verification, so the Device/Location check was flagged. Being overseas doesn’t flag it. Check the Location tab and decide whether you're comfortable approving it.
Liveness flagged
The system couldn't confirm a live person completed the selfie video. Watch the video in the verification and decide whether to approve it.
A problem with the ID
The photo of the ID had glare on it or wasn't scanned properly (e.g. the edges were cut off), or the ID was expired or isn't an accepted ID. Check the ID images and decide. If the ID can't be used, ask your client to complete a new verification, taking the photo in good light, with no glare and all four edges of the ID in the frame.
Tampering checks
Tampering checks look at whether the ID is genuine and unaltered. If one is flagged, the verification goes to Review so you can check the ID yourself. Glare, shadows or a blurry photo can also flag a check, which is why it isn't an automatic fail. Click any flagged item on the Tampering Checks tab to see what it checks for.
Check | What it looks for | What to check |
Detail check | Measurements, fonts, text or colours that don't match a real ID | Fields that look out of place or altered. Long names or addresses can flag this by mistake. |
Document integrity | A damaged ID, an ID not fully in the photo, or a photocopy or photo of the ID | The ID is clean, fully in the shot, and the physical card was photographed |
Image composition | The ID may not be physically present, e.g. shown on a screen or printed | Pixelation, screen edges, a mouse cursor, paper or black-and-white printing |
Photo check | The face photo on the ID may have been replaced or altered | Edges or shadows around the photo, or a different texture or gloss over the face |
If you're unsure whether an ID is genuine, contact us.
Biometrics
The biometric check matches your client's face to the photo on their ID and confirms they're a real, live person (liveness), using a short selfie video.
Fail
A verification only fails when the face match fails. Everything else goes to Review.
Biometric (face match) fail
Your client's face couldn't be matched to the photo on their ID. This is often caused by a poor camera, bright light behind them or poor lighting, or the person not being the owner of the ID. A face match fail can't be overridden.
PEP, sanctions and adverse media
If there's a possible PEP, sanctions or adverse media match, PEP sanctions and adverse media clear shows a cross on the APLYiD/AML Check tab and the verification goes to Review. Use your AML/CFT programme to decide whether the match is really your client. A false positive can happen when someone shares the same name and a similar date of birth with a person on the list.
Frequently Asked Questions
My client's address doesn't match. What can I do?
Ask your client for proof of address that's acceptable under your own AML policy.
Is a council tax bill accepted as proof of address?
That's up to your business. APLYiD can't advise on which documents to accept, because we aren't AML advisers. Check your company's AML policy. Many businesses accept a council tax bill or a bank statement, some accept a phone bill, and some ask for two documents dated within the last month.
My client doesn't have a driver licence or passport.
Any current, government-issued photo ID can be used. If they don't have one, see My client doesn't have a passport or driver licence. What are their options?
My client has a foreign passport. Can their details still be checked?
Yes. In the UK, the data check uses UK data sources, not the ID itself, so their name and address can still be checked if they appear in UK records.
My client is under 18.
They can be verified with a current passport or driver licence, but the verification may go to Review because they usually don't appear in data sources such as the credit header.
Can I verify someone in person?
Yes, with a manual check. Ask your client to bring a valid ID, such as their passport or driving licence, to your office. Check their ID against your AML policy, then complete a manual check in APLYiD under Manual > Verify.
Your client doesn't need their own device or to do anything themselves. APLYiD records the details and runs an AML check on your client. The completed manual check is stored in APLYiD the same way as a biometric verification, as a record for your compliance and audit requirements.
What's HM Land Registry in the menu?
A direct integration with HM Land Registry, so you can run Land Registry checks in APLYiD without going to a separate website. APLYiD also keeps a record of the addresses you've checked, which gives you an audit trail for your AML compliance.
Who do I contact?
Our Support team through live chat or support@aplyid.com.