Sumsub Verification: What It Is and How It Works

What is Sumsub?

Sumsub is an identity verification company. Its help centre says apps such as crypto exchanges, wallets and financial services use its technology to check identity documents.^[1] The company says it was founded in 2015 and calls itself “a full-cycle verification and compliance platform”.^[2]

The main legal entity named in its privacy notice is Sum and Substance Ltd, registered in England with company number 09688671. The notice also lists group companies in Germany, the USA and Singapore.^[3]

Two things Sumsub says it does not do:^[1]

• It does not approve or reject you. In its words, “Sumsub performs the check; the app makes the decision.”
• It does not provide financial services or handle your money, transactions or accounts.

Why an exchange sends you to Sumsub verification

Crypto exchanges must know who their customers are. The FATF, which sets international AML standards, requires virtual asset service providers to apply customer due diligence, like banks.^[4] Many platforms buy that check from a vendor instead of building it. When you see a Sumsub screen inside an exchange or app, that platform is running its KYC through Sumsub.

Sumsub’s privacy notice describes the roles. The platform (Sumsub’s “Client”) controls your verification, and Sumsub is a processor that only does what the Client requests.^[3] The platform also decides which documents and countries it accepts.^[5] More on KYC itself: KYC for cryptocurrency.

What Sumsub verification asks for

The exact steps depend on the platform. The two most common are an ID document and a liveness check.

Step	What Sumsub says
ID document	Its default list: passport, driver’s licence, ID card, residence permit. Student IDs, work badges, access passes and non-government documents are not accepted. The company you verify for decides which types and countries it takes.[5]
Liveness	A quick camera check that you are a real person. You confirm your country, accept the terms and data processing policy, allow camera access, centre your face and move your head in a circle.[6]

Sumsub’s own tips for the liveness step: use a well-lit room, keep your face inside the frame, take off a mask, glasses or hat, and turn off camera filters.^[6]

Some platforms add more steps, such as proof of address, phone or email. Sumsub’s help centre has separate pages for each.

What is Sumsub ID?

Sumsub ID is a reusable account for your verified documents. Sumsub says storing documents in it and reusing them is free of charge.^[7] How it works, per Sumsub:^[8]

1. The first time, you upload your documents as usual. Once they pass, they are stored.
2. At the next app that uses Sumsub, you choose to speed up with Sumsub ID and confirm your email.
3. You pick which stored documents to share. Only ones that fit the app’s requirements are shown.
4. A face scan confirms the documents are yours.

The app still runs its own checks, so Sumsub ID does not guarantee approval.^[8] Sumsub says you must give explicit permission before documents are shared, and you get an email alert if someone uploads documents matching yours elsewhere.^[9] For Sumsub ID, Sumsub acts as the data controller itself, not on behalf of an app.^[3]

What happens to your data

Sumsub’s privacy notice lists what it can process during a check:^[3]

• identity document data, such as document number, issuing country and expiry date;
• photos and videos of your face, including selfies;
• facial features, used to compare your face with the ID photo;
• device data, such as your IP address and a device fingerprint.

How long it is kept is set by the platform: the notice says Clients define how long data is stored and when to delete it.^[3] You have rights to access, correct, erase, restrict and port your data and to object. For a normal verification, the notice tells you to make those requests to the platform that controls it.^[3]

Deletion is not always immediate. Sumsub’s help centre says data may be kept to meet legal duties, including anti-money laundering laws.^[10] Under the GDPR and similar laws, a reply is due within one month, extendable for complex requests.^[10]

Real Sumsub check or phishing?

Sumsub warned in March 2026 that third parties were copying its site with lookalike domains, such as variations like “Sumsuc”. These pages asked for personal information, identity credentials and sometimes payment details. Sumsub said they have no connection to the company.^[11]

• Start from the platform. A real check is launched from inside the exchange or app you signed up with. Coinbase, for example, says it will not ask you to verify on non-Coinbase domains.^[12]
• Ignore unsolicited messages. A DM or email with a “Sumsub link” that you did not request is a warning sign. Sumsub advises checking URLs carefully and confirming requests through official channels.^[11]
• Know the two help hosts. Sumsub’s help pages send applicants to support.sumsub.com and Sumsub ID users to id.sumsub.com.^[1]
• Watch for payment requests. Sumsub ID is free,^[7] so a “verification fee” is a red flag.

If your Sumsub verification is rejected

Contact the platform, not Sumsub. Sumsub says the platform sets the document rules, makes the final decision and handles appeals; Sumsub cannot change your status.^[13] The exceptions are problems with Sumsub ID itself or with a qualified electronic signature (QES) — those go to Sumsub.^[13]

1. Read the reason the app shows, if any.
2. Check the basics: a document type the app accepts, good light, no filters, your full face in frame.^[5][6]
3. Write to the app’s support through its own site or app. Ask why you were rejected and whether you can try again.
4. Don’t create new accounts to retry with other details. That can look like fraud.
5. Keep records: screenshots, dates and your support ticket number.

If the exchange already holds your funds, see exchange froze your crypto.

If someone used your document for a check you did not start, Sumsub advises telling that service, reporting to the agency that issued the document, warning your bank and reporting to the police.^[14]

Sumsub Crypto Monitoring

Sumsub also sells a business product that screens crypto wallets and transactions for risk.^[15] It is not something you use as an individual and it is not part of your ID check. We cover it in our Sumsub Crypto Monitoring review. To check a wallet yourself, compare AML checkers for individuals.

This guide explains how Sumsub describes its own service. It is not legal advice.