Two different things can happen at the identity-check stage, and they're easy to confuse. The check may turn down a photo or a document, which you can fix yourself by taking the photo again or using a different document. See The identity check didn't go through. Or we may decline the application itself, in which case we email you at the address you registered and the account is closed. This article is about the second.
Reasons we decline an application
- You're under 18. We can only open accounts for adults.
- You live in, or are a citizen of, a country we can't accept. US citizens are excluded wherever they live. See Who can open an account?
- You already have an account. Each person may hold one, and the identity check recognises someone who has one already, so a second application is rejected automatically. If your earlier account was closed and you'd like to trade again, contact us and we'll reopen it. Please don't register again with a different email address: that application will be rejected too.
- Your identity couldn't be verified. The document wasn't valid or genuine, or the name and date of birth you entered didn't match it and the difference couldn't be resolved.
- Our compliance checks don't allow it. As a financial services firm we're required to decline some applications, and we're not always able to explain the reason in detail.
If you think it's a mistake
Contact us through the chat from the email address you registered with, and tell us what you think went wrong: for example, that the country on your application is out of date, or that the check misread your document. We'll look at it again wherever we can. What won't help is opening a new account under another name or email address, which is against our terms and is rejected automatically.
Related: Who can open an account? · The identity check didn't go through · Can I open more than one account? · How to verify your identity