Identity verification confirms your legal identity with Alibaba Cloud. You must complete verification before purchasing specific cloud services deployed in the Chinese mainland, signing online contracts, or meeting other regulatory requirements.
Why verification is required
Verification protects your account from unauthorized access and identity theft. It is also required for the following actions:
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Purchasing region-locked services: Specific cloud services deployed on nodes in the Chinese mainland, and Global Accelerator (GA) services that include the Chinese mainland, require verification to comply with local laws and regulations.
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Signing online contracts: Alibaba Cloud online contract workflows require a verified account.
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Applying for a credit limit: Credit limit applications are available only to verified accounts.
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Joining the Alibaba Cloud Partner Network (ACPN): Partner enrollment requires verification.
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Changing your mobile number across countries: Updating the mobile number on your account to one from a different country or region requires verification.
Individual and enterprise verification
Verify your account as either an individual or an enterprise. This choice is permanent.
Individual and enterprise verification are mutually exclusive. After verification, the account type is locked. Choose the type that matches your use case before proceeding.
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Aspect |
Individual |
Enterprise |
|
Verification method |
Passport or driver's license |
Valid business document from the registration country/region |
|
Available after verification |
Purchase specific cloud services deployed in the Chinese mainland or enable acceleration regions that include the Chinese mainland (subject to the product page), after completing verification and a purchase request. |
Same as Individual, plus: sign online contracts, apply for credit limits, join ACPN, and link a mobile number from a country or region different from your Country/Region setting. |
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Account impact |
Account type is set to Individual and cannot be changed. The name on the account is updated to match the verification documents. |
Account type is set to Enterprise and cannot be changed. The company name on the account is updated to match the business documents. |
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Review time |
About 3 business days |
About 3 business days |
Limitations
|
Item |
Details |
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One identity per account |
Each Alibaba Cloud account can be verified for only a single entity, either an individual or an enterprise. |
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Permanent verification |
Once complete, verification cannot be changed or removed. If the account is no longer needed, close the account. |
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Document consistency |
The issuing country or region of the verification document must match your account's Country/Region setting. |
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Account type lock-in |
After verification, the account type (Individual or Enterprise) is locked and cannot be changed. |
FAQ
Does account identity verification need to match domain name verification?
No. These are separate processes:
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Account identity verification confirms your legal ownership of the Alibaba Cloud account.
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Domain name verification confirms ownership of a specific domain. It is required when the domain registrant is an organization (such as a company, foundation, or school) and the region is the Chinese mainland. A domain name cannot be parsed without this verification. For details, see How to complete identity verification for a domain name.
One account can manage multiple domains, each verified under different entities.