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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.shorpay.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Before anyone can send or receive money through Shor, they go through identity verification. Companies complete KYB (Know Your Business), and workers complete KYC (Know Your Customer). This keeps the platform compliant and, more importantly, safe.

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Why This Matters

Identity verification prevents:
  • Payments to the wrong person (identity theft, impersonation)
  • Money laundering through fake shell companies or ghost workers
  • Sanctions violations (paying someone on a restricted list)
  • Tax evasion (paying someone who shouldn’t be working in a given country)
Skipping it isn’t an option for any regulated payments platform. And even without the regulation, you wouldn’t want money flowing through a system without basic identity checks.

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KYB for Businesses

Every business on Shor goes through KYB during onboarding. We verify:

The Business Exists

We check your registration against the relevant government registry and confirm you’re in good standing.

An Authorised Representative Is Submitting

The person completing verification must be able to bind the company — typically a director, officer, or authorised agent.

Beneficial Ownership

Every Beneficial Owner (25%+ ownership) and any Controlling Persons are disclosed and verified, as required by regulations in most jurisdictions.

Business Purpose

We check the business description, source of funds, expected payroll volume, and whether you’re a payroll provider for other clients against high-risk categories that would require extra review.

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What You Need for KYB

  • Certificate of Incorporation (or equivalent registration)
  • Bank Statement
  • Proof of Address issued within the last 3 months (utility bill, bank statement, or lease)
  • Tax Registration Document (EIN letter for US, or country equivalent)
  • ID and address details for every Beneficial Owner, Controlling Person, and Authorised Representative
  • Company details, source of funds, expected payroll volume, and how you’ll use Shor

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KYC for Workers

Every worker going through KYC provides:

Government Photo ID

Passport, driver’s license, or national ID. Verified against the issuing authority where possible. The ID establishes legal name, date of birth, and nationality.

Liveness Selfie

A real-time photo that confirms the ID matches the person creating the account, blocking impersonation.

Residential Address

Your current address, confirmed against your ID where possible. Some countries require a recent utility bill or bank statement as additional proof.

Phone Number

For account security and payment notifications.
Tax forms (W-9, W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E) are collected separately during contract signing, not during KYC. Which form applies depends on the worker’s tax residency and whether they contract as an individual or a business entity.

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Ongoing Monitoring

Verification isn’t a one-time event. Shor:
  • Re-screens workers and businesses against sanctions lists regularly
  • Triggers re-verification when high-risk changes are detected (large payment volume increase, new beneficial owner, change of business jurisdiction)
  • Lets you update your own records at any time (a new address, a new owner, a new tax ID) from your profile

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Timing

Worker KYC
  • Automated verification (the default path) usually finishes in minutes once the worker submits their ID and selfie
  • Manual review (when automated checks can’t resolve something) typically completes within one business day
Business KYB
  • Every submission is reviewed by Shor’s compliance team after the automated checks, so approvals are not instant
  • Straightforward cases (single jurisdiction, complete documents, no sanctions hits) are typically approved within one business day
  • Complex cases (multi-jurisdiction entities, unusual ownership structures, high-risk industries) may take longer; we’ll always email you if we need more information

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Privacy of Verification Data

Your identity documents and beneficial ownership information are encrypted and accessed on a need-to-know basis. Your employer sees your verification status (pending, verified, failed), not the documents themselves. See Data privacy for more.

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What Happens If Verification Fails

You get a specific, actionable email. Typical reasons:
  • Blurry, cropped, or expired documents → upload clearer, current versions
  • Address mismatch → update your profile or upload a proof-of-address that matches
  • Name mismatch between ID and account → ensure the name on your Shor profile matches your legal ID exactly
  • Sanctions or PEP hit → case-by-case, usually requires manual review and additional information
If something’s blocking you that you think is wrong, reach out. Manual review exists for exactly these cases.

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Next Steps

Security

How Shor protects data and money overall.

Data Privacy

Who can see what on Shor.