Using our Portal to verify your identity
When subscribing to a virtual office or registered company address service, you must complete an anti-money laundering (AML) check. This is a legal requirement mandated by the UK government. The AML check is conducted to help prevent financial crimes and illegal activity.
All Directors (and persons with significant control) must provide identification and proof of address so their identity can be verified before services commence. Though an essential compliance step, our online anti-money laundering check should only take a few minutes to complete.
Ensuring you have the proper documentation ready will help streamline the process.
A guide to using our AML wizard
Company Details
Start by confirming your company organisation type, and if your company is registered with Companies House in the UK.
The next step will depend on whether your business is registered in the UK. If your company is not yet registered in the UK, you can skip to the next step.
UK Registered Companies
If your business is registered with Companies House in the UK you will need to provide your Company Registration number. This can be found by searching for your company on Companies House.
Once you enter your company registration number and click continue you will be asked to confirm that the details returned by Companies House are correct.
Once confirmed, all Directors and persons with significant control will be loaded into the Portal ready for ID verification (as required by law).
Verifying a Director
To verify a Director, click the verify button.
This will open a window to add the Director's contact details. You will also be asked to confirm if you are the Director listed.
If you are not the Director listed, you will need to confirm the Director's contact details so that an ID verification link can be sent to them via email.
if you are the Director, add your residential address and the date you started living at this address to begin ID verification. Make sure that you have a valid ID and proof of address to hand.
You can now move on to the ID verification step.
Sole Traders and Non-UK Registered Companies
Complete all fields in the Company Details section and click continue.
After completing the company details section you will see a welcome message. Click 'Continue to AML wizard' which will walk you through the steps to verify your identity.
Number of Directors
Start by confirming the number of Directors, or people with significant control of the company.
Adding a New Director
Complete the Personal Information section for each Director. If you are the Director, tick the box 'I confirm that I am the person listed above' and add your residential address.
What if I am not a Director?
If you are not the Director, simply complete the contact details section and click the 'Send Verification Link' button. This will send an email to the Director so that they can verify their identity online.
ID Verification
ID verification can be completed via desktop or mobile phone, provided that your chosen device has a camera.
Mobile Route
If you opt for the mobile route you can either scan the QR code or request an email with a link.
You will be asked to:
- take a photograph of your ID document
- take a selfie
- take a photo of your proof of address document
You will be notified if your ID is successfully verified. However, if you fail ID verification on your first attempt, you can retry up to a total of three times before you are referred to our customer service team for manual review.
Desktop Route
The desktop route works in exactly the same way as the mobile route but uses your desktop device. Customers generally find the mobile route easier, though either route works well, providing that you have a good-quality camera on your device.
You will be asked to:
- take a photograph of your ID document
- take a selfie
- take a photo of your proof of address document
You will be notified if your ID is successfully verified. However, if you fail ID verification on your first attempt, you can retry up to a total of three times before you are referred to our customer service team for manual review.
Successful AML Checks
If your ID verification has been successful you will see a green success message displayed at the bottom of the screen. If you are the only director, your AML check is now complete and you can start using our services.
Companies with Multiple Directors
For companies with multiple directors, all directors must successfully verify their identity before your company AML status is set to 'passed' and you can start using our services.
When Manual Review is Required
Some identity documents may need to be referred to our team for manual review. you will be notified if your documents require manual review and a member of our customer service will be in touch as soon as possible to assist.
You can contact our Customer Service team for assistance with any AML-related query at 0203 276 7792, or by emailing team@virtually-there.net.