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KYC verification for withdrawal: what is asked, in what order

The first withdrawal at any casino here opens the document upload, and the winnings wait until it closes. KYC, know your customer, is the identity and address check the casino's licence and its payment providers oblige it to run, and it is the step most no deposit bonuses never reach and most disputes begin at. This page sets out what is asked and why, the order to supply it in, how to make it pass first time, and how long it should take.

Written by Checked by GnomVRN

What is asked and why

Three questions, each with a document. Who are you: a passport or national identity card, all corners visible, sometimes with a selfie holding it or a short video. Where do you live: a utility bill, bank letter or government letter with your name and address, dated recently. Where does the money come from: a bank statement showing the deposit leaving your account, a payslip, or proof of the wallet, asked after larger deposits, a large win or an unusual pattern, and seldom at the first small withdrawal. Some brands add a photo of the deposit card with the middle digits covered, to tie the card to the account holder. The obligation comes from the licence, from the anti-money-laundering rules the AML guide covers, and from the card schemes, which treat gambling as a restricted category and require the casino's identity programme as a condition of processing.

The three documents

  • Identity: passport or ID card, sometimes a selfie
  • Address: a recent bill or bank letter
  • Source of funds: a statement or payslip, when asked

When it happens

In the EU, the fourth anti-money-laundering directive requires providers of gambling services to apply customer due diligence at transactions of EUR 2,000 or more, in one operation or several linked ones. The brands in our coverage are licensed offshore and check earlier: at nearly every one the first withdrawal request of any size opens the upload, because a verified account is cheaper to pay than an unverified one is to investigate, and a few ask at registration or at the first deposit. So the moment is known in advance, and the sensible course is to upload the documents while the wagering is still running, so that the cashier is ready when the balance is. The bonus page for each brand says when its terms open the check and what for.

A deposit as a condition

Some brands require a small first deposit before the first withdrawal from a no deposit bonus, to verify the payment method. Where we found that condition the bonus page says so under withdrawal.

Passing first time

Most rejections readers report are mechanical. Register in the name on the passport, spelled the same way, with the address on the bill. Photograph the document flat, all four corners in frame, no glare, no cropping, no fingers over the text; a scan is fine, a screenshot of a scan usually is not. Use a bill or letter dated within the period the casino states, commonly three months, and in the name on the account, which rules out a partner's bill. For source of funds, send a statement that shows the deposit transaction itself, with the account holder's name visible, and cover unrelated lines if you like; a screenshot of a balance is not a statement. Upload through the account's verification page and keep the confirmation. Send exactly what is asked, and nothing else, because an unrequested document opens a new question.

What fails

A name that differs from the account by one letter, a cropped corner, a bill in someone else's name, a deposit from a card in another name. Each is a rejection and a day lost.

The closed loop and the timing

Winnings go back where the money came from: the closed-loop rule returns funds to the deposit method, in proportion where several were used, and only the surplus can be sent elsewhere. For a no deposit bonus with no deposit behind it, the casino names the methods it will pay to, which is why some require a small deposit first. Then timing. A check that a person reads takes about a day or two, and payment follows by the method's own speed: wallets and crypto within a day, cards one to five working days, bank transfer three to five. The reviews record what each brand's terms promise for those windows and what readers report. A verification that runs past a few days with no specific document requested has stopped being a check, and the blocked account guide sets out the steps from there.

The one-account rule again

Verification is where duplicate accounts are found, because the passport is one per person. A second account at the same brand ends at this step with both balances voided; the twice page covers the rule.

Where this applies first

The two lowest-wagering codes we verified, with the slot, the multiplier and the cap on each card.

Questions about KYC

What documents does a casino ask for

A passport or identity card for identity, sometimes with a selfie holding it; a utility bill or bank letter with the address, recent; and, after larger deposits or a large win, a bank statement or payslip for source of funds. Some brands also ask for a photo of the deposit card with the middle digits covered.

When does verification happen

At the first withdrawal request at nearly every brand here, whatever the amount; the EU directive's threshold for gambling operators is EUR 2,000, and offshore brands check earlier. Upload the documents before requesting, while the wagering runs, and the cashier is ready when the balance is.

How long does it take

A check that a person reads takes about a day or two by the norm regulators cite; the reviews record what the terms of each brand promise and what readers report. A check that runs longer with no specific document requested is a hold, and the blocked account guide says what to do.

Why must I withdraw to the deposit method

Closed loop: winnings return to the method that funded the account, in proportion where several did, and only the surplus can go elsewhere. It is the standard anti-laundering control and the reason a card deposit cannot be withdrawn to a coin address at most brands.

Last updated - Checked by: Karssen Avelar