Keep Your Identity Documents Consistent Across Every Exchange You Use

Most verification problems are not caused by a missing document. They are caused by two versions of the same person existing in different places: a maiden name on one account, a married name on another, a middle name included on one profile and dropped on the next, or an ID book photographed years ago next to a newer smart card. When a review team later compares your profile with what you can prove, the mismatch is what stops the process. This guide is about building one consistent identity record and reusing it deliberately, so a routine review does not turn into a week of back and forth. It is written for readers in South Africa who use more than one exchange and want their details to line up everywhere. Work through it once, write down what you decided, and the same answers will serve you at every verification page you meet.

Decide on one identity spelling and stick to it

Before you touch any verification form, open your identity document and read the name fields exactly as they are printed, including the order of names and any hyphens. Write that version down once, character by character, and treat it as your reference copy for every exchange you use. The most common stall is not a wrong name but an inconsistent one: a middle name present on the profile and absent on the document, or a surname spelled with a space on one platform and without it on another.

Then decide how you will enter that name on each platform. If a form has a single full-name field, enter the names in the same order and with the same spacing every time. If it splits first and last name, map the document fields to the form fields the same way on every exchange rather than improvising per site. Record your decision somewhere you will find it again, because the second and third accounts are where drift creeps in.

If your legal name has genuinely changed since an earlier submission, do not quietly edit the profile and hope the review passes. Treat the change as a documented event: note what changed, when, and which supporting document proves it. You will need that same explanation each time a platform asks why the current profile differs from the record it already holds.

Pick one document type and keep it valid

South African readers usually have a choice between a green ID book, a smart ID card, and a passport. Whichever you choose, use the same type across every exchange where you can, because a review team comparing a passport on one account with an ID book on another has more to reconcile. Check the expiry date before you start, and if a document is close to expiring, sort out the replacement first rather than submitting something that will lapse mid-review.

Photograph or scan the document the same way every time: all four corners visible, no glare across the photo page, no fingers over the document number, and text sharp enough to read without zooming. Consistency in image quality matters as much as consistency in the data, because a blurry re-upload from one platform is often what triggers a second manual check. Keep a single folder with your reference copies so you are not hunting for a good photo at midnight.

Never submit a document that is not yours, and never edit a scan to make it look cleaner. Altered images are one of the fastest ways to have an account frozen, and the explanation afterwards is far harder than taking a better photo. If a document is genuinely damaged or unreadable, replace it through the official issuing channel before using it for verification.

Keep your supporting details aligned too

Identity verification rarely stops at the document. Your date of birth, nationality, and residential address are usually checked as well, and these are just as easy to get subtly wrong. Enter your date of birth in the same format the form asks for, and if you have moved, decide whether the address on your profile should be your current residence or the address on your proof-of-address document, then apply that rule everywhere.

For proof of address, use a document that actually shows your name as you entered it on the platform. A utility bill in a spouse's name, or a bank statement in a former surname, creates exactly the mismatch this guide is about. Check the document's age against what the verification page asks for, and keep a note of which document you used and when, so a later review does not send you searching for a replacement.

Contact details deserve the same treatment. Use one email address and one mobile number that you control and can still access months later, because a review often starts with a message to the address on file. If you change a number, update it on the platform before you need it, not after a review has already begun.

Handle a mismatch before it becomes a frozen account

When a review flags a difference, the fastest route is a short, factual message through the official support channel rather than repeated re-uploads of the same file. State plainly what changed, which document proves your current details, and attach that document once at good quality. Avoid sending several conflicting explanations in a row, because that adds new inconsistencies for the reviewer to resolve.

If you hold accounts on several exchanges and one of them asks you to re-verify, check whether the same mismatch exists elsewhere before you reply. Fixing the profile on every platform at the same time prevents the same review from landing on you three times in a month. Keep a dated note of what you submitted and to whom, so you can describe the sequence accurately if a follow-up is needed.

Stop and reconsider if a platform asks you to send documents by email, chat, or any channel other than its own verification page. Verification should happen inside the account you are logged into, and a request to move it elsewhere is a reason to pause and confirm through the help centre. Never pay anyone to speed up a review or to fix a name mismatch on your behalf.

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Scenario checkpoint

• Write down the exact spelling and order of your names as printed on your chosen identity document, and reuse that version on every profile.
• Check the expiry date of the document you plan to use and replace it through the official issuing channel if it is close to lapsing.
• Keep one folder of clear reference scans with all four corners visible and no glare, so you are not retaking photos during a review.
• Make sure your proof-of-address document shows your name exactly as entered on the platform, and note which document you used and when.
• Use one email address and mobile number you will still control months later, and update them before a review begins rather than during one.
• If a difference is flagged, send one short factual explanation with the supporting document through the platform's official support channel, and never pay anyone to resolve verification for you.