> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.smartcomply.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Customer Onboarding

> Verify a customer's identity and screen them for sanctions, PEPs, and adverse media in a single API call.

Onboarding a new customer typically requires two separate steps: verify who they are, then check whether they appear on any watchlists. The Customer Onboarding API does both in a single call — you send a country and an ID number, and the API returns a verified identity, AML screening results, and a consolidated decision of `pass`, `review`, or `fail`.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Verify Customer" icon="user-check" href="/v3/onboarding/verify_customer">
    Submit a country and identifier to receive a verified identity and AML screening result in one response.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="sliders" href="/v3/onboarding/get_settings">
    Configure which steps — identity verification and AML screening — run for your branch.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Submit a country and identifier">
    Send the customer's country and ID number. The API automatically selects the correct document type for that country — no need to specify it unless you want to override the default.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Identity is verified">
    The API verifies the identifier against the relevant government or bureau database and extracts the customer's verified name.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name is screened for AML">
    The verified name is run against global sanctions lists and PEP databases. If identity verification failed and no name was returned, screening is skipped and a `note` is included in the response.
  </Step>

  <Step title="A decision is returned">
    Based on the combined IVS and AML result, the API returns a `decision` of `pass`, `review`, or `fail`. The raw identity and screening data are always included so you can build your own logic on top.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Decision Guide

The `decision` field is the primary signal your system should act on:

| Decision | Risk level          | What it means                                                      | Recommended action                                                                  |
| -------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `pass`   | Low                 | Identity verified. No sanctions or PEP matches found.              | Proceed with onboarding.                                                            |
| `review` | Medium              | Identity verified, but a PEP or elevated-risk match was found.     | Hold onboarding. Route to a compliance officer for manual review before proceeding. |
| `fail`   | High / unverifiable | Identity could not be verified **or** a high-risk match was found. | Do not onboard. Decline or escalate per your compliance policy.                     |

<Warning>
  A `review` decision does **not** mean block the customer. It means onboarding should pause for human review before a final call is made. Automatically declining all `review` cases may exclude legitimate customers who are PEPs but present no actual risk.
</Warning>

## Supported Countries

| Country   | Default identifier | Supported overrides  |
| --------- | ------------------ | -------------------- |
| `nigeria` | `bvn`              | `bvn`, `nin`, `vnin` |
| `kenya`   | `national_id`      | `national_id`        |
| `ghana`   | `ghana_id`         | `ghana_id`           |
| `uganda`  | `national_id`      | `national_id`        |
| `rwanda`  | `national_id`      | `national_id`        |