KYC & Identity Verification
This article describes how different proxy services verify customers. Requirements can depend on the product, the access requested, and the payment method. It is a general overview; the separate section at the end explains the approach used by ProxyCompass.
KYC stands for Know Your Customer. These checks establish who is buying proxies and for what purpose. The service uses the results to decide what access to grant. Identity verification is one part of that process. The requirements form part of a provider’s policies.
Why does a proxy service verify customers?
A provider may need to establish that a real person is opening the account, reduce fraudulent purchases, confirm who made a payment, or assess a task before allowing it onto the network. These are related questions, but they do not all require the same evidence. An email confirmation, a camera check, and a passport check establish different things.
Selling anonymous or elite proxies does not remove these questions. Proxy anonymity concerns the connection presented to destination websites. The seller still has a relationship with the buyer: an account, an order, payment information, and any details supplied during verification.
The label KYC does not tell you which checks will be required. One service asks for documents before activating a product; another asks only when the customer uses a particular payment method or requests additional access.
Documents, selfies and a live person: what is being checked?
A photo of an identity document does not prove that its holder is making the purchase. The image might be genuine but belong to someone else. This is why document checks can be combined with face matching and a camera check.
Is the document valid?
The system reads the submitted details and checks the document for signs of alteration, an expired validity period, or other problems. A passport, national ID card or driving licence may be accepted, but the available choices depend on the country and the service’s settings. Some processes also use the electronic chip in a supported document.
Does the person match the document?
Face matching compares a selfie or a face captured by the camera with the portrait in the document. It addresses whether the person presenting the document appears to be its holder. A matching face alone does not establish that the image was captured from a live person during this session.
Is a live person taking part right now?
Liveness detection checks for a person physically present during the capture, rather than a printed photo, a face displayed on another screen, a recording, a mask, or manipulated video. It can be used alongside document verification or on its own. A standalone liveness check can confirm a live presence without establishing the person’s name from an identity document.
What the camera asks you to do
In an active check, the on-screen instructions may ask you to turn your head, blink, or perform another short action. The system assesses the captured response and looks for signs of substitution. Eye movement and blinking can be among the signals examined; they are not the single test used by every verification service.
In a passive check, you may only need to position your face in the frame and take a selfie or allow a short capture. The analysis happens without a special movement challenge. Depending on the system, it can examine facial detail, lighting, the captured sequence, and device information for signs of a spoof. Not being asked to turn your head does not mean that no liveness check took place.
A phone’s front camera or a computer webcam can be used where the form supports it. Some flows let you continue on a phone. This is an automated capture, not necessarily a video call with a member of staff. A provider can request a separate call if it needs to discuss the company or project.
Here, checking that someone is “not a bot” means confirming a real participant in the verification session. An anti-bot check on a web form and an identity check serve different purposes. Neither a CAPTCHA nor liveness alone confirms the buyer’s name. This also does not decide whether the customer may later run scripts through the proxies: permitted automation is governed by the service’s usage rules.
Who runs the checks: Sumsub, Jumio, Onfido and Veriff
The proxy company can use a specialist verification service instead of building its own document and facial checks. That is why a familiar proxy dashboard may open a form with another company’s name. The form can be embedded in the account area or opened as a separate verification page.
| Verification service | Examples of checks it offers |
|---|---|
| Sumsub | Document checks, face matching and liveness. Its verification process can also include address or business checks. |
| Jumio | Identity-document checks combined with a selfie, face matching and liveness to assess whether the document holder is present. |
| Onfido / Entrust Identity Verification | Document and biometric verification. Options include Motion capture with a head turn and selfie checks with passive liveness. Onfido is now part of Entrust. |
| Veriff | Document and selfie verification, including passive liveness. Depending on the setup, background video can provide additional evidence during the capture. |
Stripe Identity is another example: it is Stripe’s identity-verification product, separate from simply processing a card payment. The presence of Stripe at checkout does not, by itself, tell you which identity checks a merchant has enabled.
The proxy provider chooses the requested checks and access rules. Two services using the same verification company can ask for different documents or use different camera steps. The verification company supplies a result; the proxy service uses that result, and any further review it requires, to decide what access to grant.
What else may be checked?
Contact details and address
An email link or an SMS code confirms control of a contact channel. It does not replace an identity-document check. A separate address check may ask for an accepted bank statement or utility bill. The required fields, date range and document types come from the particular service’s instructions.
Payment ownership
A provider may need to connect a payment with the account using the proxies. For example, it can request a bank statement showing the relevant charge. Follow its instructions on hiding unrelated transactions and unnecessary details. If an employer or another authorised person paid, explain the relationship instead of assuming that a successful identity check has already settled the payment question.
The company and its representatives
KYB means Know Your Business. It may involve the company’s registered name, registration or tax number, website, business activity, owners, and the authority of the person opening the account. A business form replaces an individual document check in some services; in others, the company and its representatives are both checked. A company-only product may remain unavailable to an individual whose identity documents are valid.
The task and target websites
An application may ask what you plan to collect, which websites you need, and which software you use. The provider is deciding whether to allow that activity through its network. Confirming who you are does not automatically approve every use or unlock every destination.
Some procedures also include checks against sanctions or other watchlists. A possible name match may need further assessment. These extra checks depend on the service and its obligations; they are not a fixed package that every proxy buyer completes.
Why can some products work without KYC while others require it?
A provider can apply verification to only part of its service. The condition may concern a proxy product, a group of websites, an additional feature, or a payment method. Describing the entire company simply as “with KYC” or “without KYC” can hide that difference.
These examples show different approaches in published rules checked on 25 October 2026. Product conditions can change.
| Proxy provider | Where the requirement differs |
|---|---|
| Bright Data | Datacenter and ISP proxies are listed as usable without KYC. New Residential access requires a company and use-case review by its compliance team. Existing Datacenter or ISP service can continue while that application is reviewed. |
| Decodo | Verification can unlock additional destination categories for Residential proxies. The service offers an individual ID route and a business-verification form. Approval for extra access is different from ordinary use of the account. |
| Webshare | ID verification is not mandatory for every customer. It can be requested in connection with payment or proxy use, including after the service has started; access can be restricted while the check is pending. |
The payment method is another separate condition. A service may require verification for card or PayPal payments and not for cryptocurrency. Another can require it regardless of payment method. “Crypto accepted” therefore does not mean “no KYC.” The ProxyCompass payment rules are set out at the end of this article.
Timing matters too. A service can accept funds before approving access to the product you want. Before paying, check when approval is required, when the paid period begins, and what happens to the payment if the application is declined.
How verification proceeds—and why it may stop
The exact screens differ, but a document-and-camera process usually follows this sequence:
- Open the verification request from the genuine account area or another channel confirmed by the provider. Read which information is required and who will process it.
- Choose an accepted document and capture the requested sides or pages. Complete the selfie or camera step if it is required.
- Submit the information. Automated checks may produce a result, request another capture, or send the case for staff review.
- Check the result in the provider’s account area. The next step may be activation, a request for more information, or a decision that the application cannot be accepted.
A capture problem is not necessarily a rejected customer
Glare, cropped edges, unreadable text, an obscured face, or a camera permission problem can prevent the system from completing the check. Follow the stated correction: improve the lighting, capture the complete document, allow the camera, or use an offered supported device. An expired or unsupported document needs a suitable replacement; repeatedly uploading the same file will not fix that.
Documents can pass while the application is still under review
Identity verification may succeed while the proxy company is still reviewing a payment, company details or the proposed task. Automated checks may finish quickly; staff review can take longer. Use the provider’s stated review time and check which stage is pending. There is no shared completion time for all services.
Approval also has a scope. It may unlock one product or a particular capability. It does not guarantee that a destination website will accept the proxy IP. A later change in company ownership, payer or project can lead to another review.
Who receives the documents and camera data?
An outside verification company may collect the document image, extracted identity details, a selfie or video, and the information produced by facial analysis. The proxy seller may receive a result and limited details, or it may also receive images and fuller records. Outsourcing the check does not by itself answer which of these arrangements applies.
The documents to read are the privacy notices for the proxy service and the verification company named in the form. Look for who receives the data, whether document and facial images are shared, how long each type of record is kept, and who handles a deletion request. A document image, a biometric record and the account’s verified status are different records and need not have the same retention period.
Closing the proxy account does not necessarily delete all verification records immediately. Some information may be retained for applicable legal obligations, disputes or fraud prevention. A deletion request should clarify which records it covers; the response depends on the relevant rules and responsibilities of the companies involved.
Send files only through the confirmed submission route. An unexpected message asking for a passport should be checked through the genuine support channel before you reply. Do not send bank passwords, PINs or codes authorising a payment to a support agent as proof of identity.
Can you decline—and what does “no KYC” promise?
You can ask whether an alternative document, a business route, another payment method or a different product is available. The provider may not offer an alternative. If the check is a condition of the requested access, declining it can leave that access unavailable or lead to account restrictions.
If you have already paid, check the refund terms as well. Some services require verification before returning funds, so account closure is not an automatic way to obtain a refund without completing the check. Whether a particular payment must be returned depends on the order terms and applicable law.
“No KYC” may refer only to ordinary activation of a particular product. It does not establish that no account or payment information is collected, that all payment methods have the same requirements, or that later checks are ruled out. Find out exactly which purchase and actions the statement covers.
KYC also says nothing about proxy speed, IP reputation or suitability for your project. Those qualities still need to be assessed separately.