Understanding verification outcomes
Overview. Every IdentityCheck verification resolves to one of five clear outcomes: Positive, Negative, Resubmission, Expired or Review. Positive means the identity check passed. The others tell you either that the check did not pass, that your client needs to redo a step, that the request lapsed, or that a person should take a closer look. Open the check from your dashboard to see its outcome, and each outcome has a simple next step.
What do the five outcomes mean?
Here is each outcome in plain English.
- Positive. The check passed. The document was confirmed as genuine and the selfie matched, so you have a verified identity. If you have optional screening switched on, it runs automatically at this point.
- Negative. The check did not pass, and a reason is shown. This is a decline.
- Resubmission. The check could not be completed as submitted, so your client has been asked to redo a step. This is not a decline: it is a request to try again.
- Expired. The request lapsed before your client finished it, for example if they did not complete the link in time.
- Review. The check has been flagged for a person to look at rather than resolved automatically. It is neither a pass nor a fail on its own.
Whatever the outcome, you can open the verification to see the identity and document details, the captured images and the decision, all on one screen. That record is what you keep as evidence of the check you performed.
What does a blank or Incomplete result mean?
A blank or Incomplete result is not one of the five outcomes above. It simply means the client has not finished the check yet. It is different from Expired: Incomplete is still open and can be completed, while Expired means the link lapsed. If a check stays blank, the client has not done it yet. A reminder is the easiest nudge, or you can resend the link. See Reminders, reports and notifications.
Why was my client declined, and what does Resubmission mean?
These two get confused, so it is worth separating them clearly.
A Negative outcome is a decline. There is a reason shown on the individual's verification link, and it is worth reading that before you act. Common causes include a document that could not be confirmed as genuine, or a selfie that did not match the photo on the ID. A very common cause is that the person photographed a copy of their ID rather than the original: a photocopy, a scan, or the document shown on a computer or phone screen. The platform is built to detect a photo of a photo and does not trust it, so the check comes back Negative. Passports are treated the same as any other document, and international documents are fine. If that is the reason, the fix is simple: send a fresh check and ask the client to photograph their original, physical document in good light. The original link is finished once a check completes, so you send a new verification rather than reopening the old one (see Troubleshooting for how to re-trigger). A decline does not always mean something is wrong with your client: it can reflect a poor-quality submission or a genuine mismatch that needs a conversation. Review the reason, then decide whether to talk to your client, send a fresh request, or treat the result as final for your own risk purposes.
A Resubmission outcome is different and much more routine. It means the check could not be completed as submitted, usually because a photo was blurry, cropped, glare-affected or hard to read, so your client has been asked to try again. It is not a judgement on their identity. The next step is simple: ask your client to reopen the verification link they already have and redo the step, because resubmission continues on the same request. If they have lost the link, copy the active link from the verification page and send it to them another way; if the link has expired, send a fresh verification. Your client redoes the step and the check then resolves to a normal outcome. If a client is stuck on repeated resubmissions, a quick tip about good lighting and a flat, fully-in-frame document usually solves it.
What should I do about an Expired or Review outcome?
Expired means the request lapsed before your client finished. Life gets in the way and links do not always get actioned straight away. The simple fix is to send the client a new request, or to use reminders so clients are nudged before a request goes stale. See Reminders, reports and notifications for how to chase clients automatically. If expired checks are a recurring problem, our guide to improving completion rates has best-practice tips for getting more clients over the line.
Review means the check has been flagged for a person to look at rather than being resolved automatically. Treat it as a prompt, not a verdict. Open the verification, read the identity and document details and look at the captured images, then make a decision based on what you see and your firm's own policy. A Review outcome is your opportunity to apply judgement where an automatic decision was not appropriate, which is exactly what a defensible process should allow for.
Across all outcomes, the guiding principle is the same: the platform gives you a clear result and the evidence behind it, and your firm decides what that means for onboarding the client.
Frequently asked
What does Resubmission mean? Resubmission means the check could not be completed as submitted and your client has been asked to try again, usually because a photo was blurry, cropped or hard to read. It is not a decline. Ask your client to reopen their existing verification link and redo the step; resubmission continues on the same link. If they have lost it, resend the active link from the verification page; if it has expired, send a fresh verification.
Why was my client declined? A Negative outcome means the check did not pass, and the verification screen shows a reason. Common causes include a document that could not be confirmed as genuine or a selfie that did not match the ID. Review the reason before deciding how to proceed.
What is a Review outcome? Review means the check has been flagged for a person to look at rather than resolved automatically. It is neither a pass nor a fail on its own. You open the verification, read the detail, and make a decision based on what you see.
What happens on a Positive outcome? The identity check passed and you have a verified record. If you have optional PEP/Sanctions or adverse-media screening switched on, it runs automatically at that point, and the results appear on the same verification.
A result is blank or shows Incomplete. What does that mean? It means the client has been sent the check but has not completed it yet, so there is no outcome to show. It is not a pass or a fail. Nudge the client with a reminder or resend the link. This is different from Expired, which means the link lapsed before they finished.
My client's passport came back Negative. What do I do? Open the check and read the reason shown on the verification. The most common cause is a photo of the passport taken off a screen or a photocopy, rather than the original booklet. Send a fresh check and ask the client to photograph the original document in good light. Passports, including international passports, are accepted the same as any other ID.
Can overseas clients verify with only a passport? Yes. A passport is a valid document on its own, and international passports are accepted. See the list of accepted documents and countries.