Account Verification

Verification is an important part of Paxful as we aim to make the trading experience on our platform as safe as possible. The following table lists out our various verification levels along with their corresponding benefits:

Why should I verify my account?

With each new level of verification, here’s a glimpse of what you’ll unlock:

Level 1

• Increased security on your account
• Ability to trade and send more crypto

Level 2

• Increased trade and send out limits
• Access to more payment methods
• Ability to create your own offers
• Ability to convert cryptocurrency

Level 3

• Increased trade and send out limits
• Removal of 0.002 BTC requirement for your offers to be visible in the marketplace

Level 4

• Increased trade and send out limits

Here are some additional cases which may require verification. Please visit our knowledge base for more information on the verification process.

Email verification is an essential process to start trading on Paxful. It also adds a layer of security to your account for you to restore or unlock your account if needed. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to successfully verify your email.

1. Log in to your Paxful account, hover over your username on the top right of the page and click Settings from the context menu that appears.
   
   The Settings page appears.
   
   
2. Under Verify email address click Resend email. 
    
   A verification email is sent to your registered email address. 
3. Open the email in your inbox received from noreply@paxful.com, and click Confirm Email. Your email address is verified successfully. 

After verifying your email, we recommend you also verify your phone number and set up two-factor authentication for your account.

Before you start trading on Paxful, you must have your phone number verified. This also provides additional security to your account. For example, if your account is locked due to security reasons, you can easily unlock it if you have a phone number registered to your account. A verified phone number is also essential for two-factor authentication (2FA). Here is how you can verify your phone number on Paxful.

1. Log in to your Paxful account, hover over your username on the top right of the page and click Settings from the context menu that appears.
   
   The Settings page appears. 
2. On the menu on the left side of the page, click Profile.
   
   
3. Enter your phone number in the PHONE field and click Verify or Use a phone call instead.
   
   
   

   Note: We recommend the Verify option as the call option is not supported in all countries.

4. a) Phone call option
   You receive a phone call with the numeric confirmation code. Listen carefully to the code and enter it in the field below and click Submit. Your number is verified.
   b) Verify (SMS) option
   You receive an SMS with the numeric confirmation code. Enter the code in the field below and click Submit. Your number is verified.
   
   
   After confirming your phone number, consider activating 2FA and verifying your ID.
   

ID verification elevates your trading experience to a new level. We have done our best to make this process as easy as possible for you. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you verify your ID on Paxful.

Before you begin, please ensure that you have verified your phone and email.

Video Guide

Here is a short video that walks you through the verification process:

Step 1 Open Verification Page

1. Log in to your Paxful account, hover over your username located on the upper right of the page and click Verify Me.
   
   A dialog box with the verification video guide appears. 
   
   
2. After watching our video, click Continue verification.
   
   The Verification page appears.

Step 2 Insert Your Details

1. Fill in the fields on the ID verification form.

2. Click Start verification process. 

The photo ID verification page appears. 

Step 3 Provide ID Photo

1. On the ID verification page, click Start.

The Submit identity card page appears.

2. Choose whether you want to take a photo of ID or to upload an existing file from your device.

Take Photo

To take a picture of your ID, make sure your document is ready and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

1. Click Take photo.

2. Click Start.

Place your ID in the center of the screen and make sure all the necessary details are visible: 

• your face on the document
• document number
• your full name

3. Click the Camera icon to capture the image.

The image is captured and displayed on the screen. 

4. If the image is clear, click Confirm. If the photo is not legible or if you are not satisfied with it, click Retake and try again.

Repeat the process once again to capture the backside of your  ID card or Driving license. In the case of a passport, simply continue to the next step.

Upload file

If you want to upload a file from your device,

1. Click Upload file.

The Upload image page appears. 

2. Click Choose file and select a file from your device.

 

3. Click Choose another file if you want to retry. If you selected the right file, click Confirm.

Repeat the process once again to capture the backside of your ID card or Driving license. In the case of a passport, simply continue to the next step.

Step 4 Complete Face Verification

The next step after submitting your ID is to complete your face verification. To verify your facial identity.

1. On the Face verification page, click Continue.

Center your camera page appears.

2. Make sure your camera is working and placed correctly. Click Continue.

The application activates your device camera so you can click a picture of your face.

3. Once you are ready, click Start.

While clicking the picture, keep the following points in mind:

• Look straight into the camera.
• Make sure you are dressed decently and are not wearing glasses or hats.
• Follow the instructions by moving your face closer to the camera.
• Fit your face into the oval frame.
  

In case of an error, click Try again. In case of success, your photo will be sent automatically to our Verification Team.

You’ll be notified about your application in just a few minutes! Check your notification inbox to find out if your application was approved or declined. You will also receive an email with the result of your verification. 

If you have any questions or face any issues, contact us via our contact form. After completing your ID verification, feel free to verify your address as well.

Some users are required to verify their identity when they sign up for a Paxful account based on where they live. Users may not be able to withdraw funds or use their wallet without verifying their ID. The following countries have mandatory ID verification when creating a Paxful account:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Anguilla (UK)
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Armenia
• Aruba (Netherlands)
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Bermuda (UK)
• Bolivia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina 
• Brazil
• British Virgin Islands (UK)
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Cayman Islands (UK)
• Chile
• Colombia
• Cook Islands (New Zealand)
• Costa Rica
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
• Curacao (Netherlands)
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Falkland Islands (UK)
• Faroe Islands (Denmark)
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• French Guiana (France)
• French Polynesia (France)
• Georgia
• Germany
• Gibraltar (UK)
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guam (USA)
• Guatemala
• Guernsey (UK)
• Guyana
• Haiti
• Honduras
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Isle of Man (UK)
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Jersey (UK)
• Kosovo
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macedonia
• Marshall Islands
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Montserrat (UK)
• Morocco
• Nauru
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Northern Mariana Islands (USA)
• Norway
• Palau
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Pitcairn Islands (UK)
• Poland
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico (USA)
• Romania
• Russia
• Saint Barthelemy
• Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha (UK)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• Spain
• Suriname
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Transnistria
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
• Tuvalu
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• United States Virgin Islands (USA)
• Uruguay
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
  
• Zimbabwe

Are there any other situations where I would need to verify my identity?

Yes—if the country you live in is not listed above, there are certain situations where you’ll be asked to verify your identity:

• If you reach an equivalent of 1,000 USD in trade volume or wallet activity in a year, you’ll be asked to verify your ID
• If you reach an equivalent of 10,000 USD in trade volume or wallet activity in a year, you’ll be asked to verify your address
• You may also be required to verify your identity for certain payment methods

What if I don’t want to verify my account?

Those who choose not to verify their ID or address can still continue to use Paxful services but they will be subject to a trade and wallet limit put in place for unverified users. Read more about verification levels here.

What if I am in an OFAC grey list country?

If you’re in an OFAC grey list country, you’ll be required to verify your ID to withdraw any funds or trade for any amount.

For us, at Paxful, the safety of our marketplace is very important. As a result, it may happen that some accounts get banned as they didn’t pass our compliance review.

An account may not pass compliance review for several reasons, such as:

• We believe that you have violated the Terms of Service, which may include:
• Providing multiple and/or false identifications;
• Operating more than one Paxful account;
• Refusing to verify your identity;
• Please see our terms of service here. 
• It’s connected with an activity that may be illegal.
• We have received an order from a legal authority, which may include:
•  A subpoena or similar legal order;
•  Pending litigation involving your account; 
• An investigation and/or proceeding involving your account. 
• We can’t verify the personal and/or business purpose of your account and you have refused to provide us with the requested information. 
• We identify your blockchain activity as a heightened legal/regulatory risk.
• We believe that you may have taken action that we believe to be circumventing our controls and/or procedures to keep our platform safe.
• We determine it is necessary to protect us and our users, including you, from danger or loss.

All information and documents you submit for account verification are reviewed through our automated or manual verification methods. Depending on which method can be used to verify your details, account verification times can vary.

Listed in the table below are the estimated processing times for each verification type:

 For more information on the topic, check our ID verification and address verification guides.

ID verification is an important aspect of building a successful profile on Paxful. This article lists out the main requirements for quick and successful ID verification. The requirements are as follows:

• You must be 18 years or older.
• You must have a valid email address.
• Only personal documents can be used.
• Only the following ID types are accepted:
• Passport
• National ID card (in the new format)
• Driver license
• Voter’s card (Nigeria only)
• Tax ID
• Domestic passport (Russia only)
• See the full list here.
• ID documents should be valid up to the date of the verification request submission.
• Paper format of ID documents is not accepted.
• The selfie should be in a photograph of you and not a scanned picture of you.
• All files uploaded should be original. No editing is allowed.
• All files should be clearly visible, high quality, JPEG format, all information should be legible, should not be covered by any passport covers or other objects.
• Information on the document should match the information provided on the form.
• If your document is written in a language that does not use the English alphabet, you may still use it for verification. If your native language is not yet supported by our verification provider, you will receive a message: Unsupported ID.
• Your country of citizenship is not on our list of banned countries.

List of acceptable documents

Below, you will find a list of all documents per country that you can use to successfully pass ID verification on Paxful.

Address verification is an important part of our KYC. It provides you with even more possibilities on our platform. Here is a guide on how to go through this process.

Before you begin, make sure you have successfully passed our ID verification.

Step 1 Open Verification Page

1. Log in to your Paxful account, hover over your username located on the upper right of the page, and click Verify Me.
   
   A dialog box with the verification video guide appears. 
2. After watching our video, click Continue verification.
   
   The Verification page appears.

Step 2 Insert Your Details

1. Fill in the fields on the address verification form.
   
   
   

1. Click Start address verification.
   The Address verification page appears.

Step 3 Upload Proof of Address

1. Click Upload files. Upload the document you selected.
   

   Note: Remember to submit a proof of address that is less than 3 months old. If you do submit an older document, you will have to restart the verification process.

   
   
   
2. After choosing the file click Continue. If you want to choose another file, click Upload files and retry.
   
   
   

You’ll be notified about your application in just a few minutes (5-10min)! Check your notification inbox if your application has been approved or declined. You can also check your email inbox.

In case of any questions or issues, please contact our support.

Video verification is an additional identity check that may be requested by our compliance department.

1. Log in to your Paxful account, hover over your username located on the upper right of the page and click Settings.

The Settings page appears.

2. On the Verification progress list, click Verify Video.

The Video Verification section appears.

3. After reading the instructions, click Upload video.

The Upload video window appears.

4. To upload an existing video, click the computer icon. To record a video, click the camera icon.

5. Once the file is selected or the video is recorded, click Upload.

A message confirming your submission appears.

Check out more information on the account verification topic here.

Address verification is an important step towards validating your profile on Paxful. Your proof of address must meet the following requirements: 

• It must be a legal and traceable document (e.g. scanned papers, official PDF downloads, etc.) displaying your full name and residential address. 

Example: 

• utility bill
• bank statement
• credit card statement (please note we are having issues with credit statements at the moment)
• The address must be your current physical residential address (no older than 3 months). P.O. box address is not accepted.
• Your document should be in English (Latin letters).
• Your document must be in full color and must not be cropped.
• The address on the document must match with the address entered by you.
• If your document is written in a language that does not use the English alphabet, please have it translated and attach the following declaration along with the document: “I hereby certify that the attached document is an official and accurate translation of my document (document type). If found otherwise, Paxful has my authorization and full right to suspend my account and not refund the balance due to false information (Name and translation date)(Signature)."
  A review of such a request may take up to two weeks.

Here're the samples of great proofs of address. They are clear, legible, well lit, and have all the information we require:

See our address verification guide for more details.

Trading on Paxful in some cases requires verification. The following table lists such scenarios:

For additional information on verification, see our ID Verification Guide and learn more about the various verification levels. 

There are a few different reasons why your ID or proof of address verification may be denied. Here are the most  common reasons: 

ID Verification

Address Verification

As of October 2020

As a US company, we comply with Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") sanctions. The OFAC is a division of the US Department of the Treasury that administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United​ States. As such, some are broad-based and oriented geographically (i.e. Cuba, Iran). Others are “targeted” and focus on specific individuals and entities.

OFAC banned countries

 Users and traffic from the following countries are banned from Paxful:

• Burundi
• Central African Republic Sanctions
• Cuba
• Crimea region 
• Iran
• Iraq
• Lebanon
• Libya
• North Korea
• Somalia
• South Sudan-related Sanctions
• Sudan and Darfur
• Syria
• Venezuela
• Yemen

OFAC grey/high-risk countries

Users from these countries have to verify their ID before they can send out or sell cryptocurrency:

Additionally, as we fully co-operate with all OFAC and Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked persons lists, we block individuals who threaten international stabilization efforts as defined by OFAC in the regions of:

• Balkans
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo-Related
• Western Balkans area and Belarus as part of Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions
• Venezuela related sanctions
• Zimbabwe related sanctions

Furthermore, we use the OFAC Consolidated sanctions list which covers non-SDN sanctions designations under the following programs:

• Foreign Sanctions Evaders (FSE) List
• Sectoral Sanctions Identifications (SSI) List
• Palestinian Legislative Council (NS-PLC) list
• The List of Foreign Financial Institutions Subject to Part 561 (the Part 561 List)
• Non-SDN Iranian Sanctions Act (NS-ISA) List
• List of Persons Identified as Blocked Solely Pursuant to Executive Order 13599 (the 13599 List)

 Globally, we screen the following lists:

• UN Consolidated Sanctions list which covers various UN Security Council Resolutions
• The EU Consolidated Sanctions list which covers the following programs enforced by the EU Security Council and maintained by the European External Actions Service:
  • Arms embargoes
  • Trade restrictions, such as import and export bans
  • Financial restrictions
  • Restricting movements, such as visa or travel bans

• HM Treasury Consolidated list covers entities designated under the following regulations:
  • ‘UK listing only’ – listed under TAFA 2010 only
  • ‘Both UK and EU listing’ – listed under TAFA 2010 and under the EU’s asset-freezing regime
  • ‘EU listing only’ – listed under EU’s asset freezing regime. The prohibitions are found in Council Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001 with penalties given by TAFA 2010.