This guide is for individuals going through a Persona-powered identity verification flow. While we’ve included helpful tips, the verification was set up by the business, service, or organization that asked you to verify. They use Persona as a tool, and they ultimately decide what’s required and can assist with your specific situation, if you’re having trouble.
Why the choice matters
When you pick a document type and a country, the verification flow sets itself up for that exact document: how many sides to ask for, where to expect the details, and whether to look for a chip. Show it something else and the step will keep failing, even though there is nothing wrong with the document in your hand.
Picking a driver’s license and then holding up a passport is one of the more common ways to get stuck in a loop that looks like a scanning problem.
How to change it
- Look for a back arrow or a cancel option inside the flow. Many verifications let you step back to the document picker.
- If there is no way back, close the step through the X or cancel option inside the Persona experience rather than force quitting, then reopen the link the business sent you and start again.
- Choose the document you are physically holding, and the country that issued it.
If reopening the link brings you back to the same step rather than the picker, see The verification flow keeps sending me back to the same step.
Pick the country that issued the document
The country question is about your document, not about where you live. A passport issued by one country is that country’s passport wherever you happen to be now. Choosing your country of residence instead is a frequent mistake, and it can lead to I see “We are unable to verify identities in this country” even when your document would have been fine.
Choose the document that scans best
If the flow offers you a choice and you hold more than one document, some are easier than others:
- A passport photo page is printed to a single international standard, which makes it a reliable choice.
- A current driver’s license or national ID card is usually straightforward.
- An old, worn, temporary, or paper document is the hardest, whatever else is true.
See Which documents can I use? for what is generally accepted.
If you already submitted the wrong one
You cannot withdraw a submission yourself. Contact the business that asked you to verify, tell them what happened, and ask whether they can send a new request. Persona cannot reopen or replace a verification on your behalf, because the request belongs to them.