Overview
As part of your Journey by Mediavine onboarding, you'll be asked to complete an identity verification step. This process confirms your identity using a government-issued document and a live selfie, helping us maintain the security and integrity of our platform.
ℹ️ Note: Identity verification is powered by Stripe, a trusted third-party provider. Stripe is used only for identity verification — not for payments. Your payment profile is still managed through Tipalti.
What You'll Need
To complete verification, you'll need a valid, unexpired government-issued identity document. The following document types are accepted:
🛂 Passport Most widely supported across all countries | 🪪 Driver's License Availability varies by country | 🆔 National ID Card Availability varies by country |
Acceptable document types vary by country. If you're unsure which documents are supported for your location, a passport is the safest choice as it is accepted across nearly all supported countries.
How the Verification Works
The identity verification process involves two parts: a document capture and a selfie capture. Both must be completed in real time using your device's camera.
- You'll be prompted to capture an image of your government-issued identity document using your device's camera. The system will guide you through positioning and capturing the image.
- The system analyzes your document in real time, checking for legibility and confirming it is not expired. If any issues are detected, you'll be prompted to recapture the image.
- Next, you'll take a live selfie. This selfie is compared against the photo on your identity document to confirm they match.
- Behind the scenes, additional checks are performed — including verifying the document against a database of known fraudulent templates and cross-referencing machine-readable data (such as barcodes) with the printed text on the document.
🚫 Important: Verifications may be blocked if Stripe detects strong indicators associated with fraud. Stripe makes the final determination on all identity verifications based on their own evaluation of the submitted documents.
For security purposes, the specific reasons a verification was blocked are not disclosed. Because this process is handled entirely by Stripe, we are unable to provide additional context on those verification decisions.
Tips for a Successful Verification
Most verification issues come down to image quality. Follow these guidelines to make sure your verification goes smoothly on the first try.
📸 Capture in real time Use your device's live camera. Do not upload a photo of a photo, a screenshot, or a scan of your document. | 💡 Use good lighting Make sure your document and face are well-lit and evenly illuminated. Avoid glare and harsh shadows. |
🔍 Keep it sharp Hold your device steady so the image is clear and not blurry. All text on the document should be readable. | 📄 Use a valid document Your document must not be expired. Expired documents will not pass verification. |
💡 Good to know: The Business Information you entered during onboarding does not affect the outcome of identity verification. The verification is based solely on your identity document and selfie.
Supported Countries
Document verification is available for most government-issued documents from the countries listed below. Keep in mind that accepted document types vary by country — passports are the most widely supported option.
View all supported countries
| Albania | Algeria | Argentina | Armenia |
| Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahamas |
| Bahrain | Bangladesh | Belarus | Belgium |
| Benin | Bolivia | Brazil | Bulgaria |
| Cameroon | Canada | Chile | China |
| Colombia | Costa Rica | Côte d'Ivoire | Croatia |
| Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominican Republic |
| Ecuador | Egypt | El Salvador | Estonia |
| Finland | France | Georgia | Germany |
| Ghana | Greece | Guatemala | Haiti |
| Honduras | Hong Kong | Hungary | India |
| Indonesia | Iraq | Ireland | Israel |
| Italy | Jamaica | Japan | Jersey |
| Jordan | Kazakhstan | Kenya | Kuwait |
| Latvia | Lebanon | Liechtenstein | Lithuania |
| Luxembourg | Malaysia | Malta | Mauritius |
| Mexico | Moldova | Mongolia | Morocco |
| Myanmar (Burma) | Nepal | Netherlands | New Zealand |
| Nigeria | North Macedonia | Norway | Pakistan |
| Palestinian Territories | Panama | Paraguay | Peru |
| Philippines | Poland | Portugal | Puerto Rico |
| Romania | Russia | Saudi Arabia | Serbia |
| Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa |
| South Korea | Spain | Sri Lanka | Sweden |
| Switzerland | Taiwan | Thailand | Tunisia |
| Turkey | Uganda | Ukraine | United Arab Emirates |
| United Kingdom | United States | Uruguay | Uzbekistan |
| Venezuela | Vietnam |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stripe handling my payments? Do I need to make an account with them?
No. Stripe is used exclusively for identity verification. Your payment profile and payouts continue to be managed through Tipalti.
Can I upload a photo I already have of my ID?
No. The system requires a live capture taken in real time with your device's camera. Previously taken photos, scans, screenshots, or photos of photos will not be accepted.
My verification failed. What happened? What do I do now?
Stripe makes the final determination on all identity verifications. A verification may be blocked or fail if Stripe detects indicators of fraud or is unable to validate the document. For security purposes, the specific reasons for a block are not disclosed, and because this process is handled entirely by Stripe, Mediavine does not have visibility into the details of individual decisions.
Please be aware of the following:
- Journey by Mediavine will not override the decision made by Stripe.
- We are unable to open additional verification attempts.
- Because Stripe operates identity verification independently, Mediavine is not able to contact Stripe on behalf of individual publishers to request further context or appeal a verification outcome.
If you believe your verification failed due to image quality (blurry photo, poor lighting, etc.), please review the tips above and ensure you're following the capture guidelines.
I failed identity verification. Can I still onboard?
Identity verification is a required step in the onboarding process. There are no exceptions to this requirement. There is currently no alternative method available to verify your identity.
If you have been unable to pass identity verification after repeated attempts, we are unfortunately unable to proceed with onboarding at this time. Please do not email copies of your identity documents, as we are not able to accept or review documentation submitted outside of the Stripe verification process.
Does my Business Information affect verification?
No. The Business Information you provided during onboarding is separate from identity verification. Your verification outcome is based solely on your identity document and selfie match.
Which document should I use?
If you're unsure, use your passport. Passports are the most widely supported document type across all countries. Driver's licenses and national ID cards are also accepted, but availability varies by country.
My document is from a country not listed. Can I still verify?
Currently, identity verification is only supported for documents issued by the countries listed above. If your country is not included, we would not be able to continue onboarding at this time.