Wise ID Verification — What Documents You Actually Need

What every accepted document must show

Per Wise's help centre, whichever document you submit needs to clearly show: your photo, your full name, your date of birth, your signature, an expiry date, the document number, and the full machine-readable zone — the two lines of letters and numbers along the bottom of a passport or similar ID. Missing any one of these on the image you upload is enough to have it rejected, even if the physical document itself is valid.

Which documents are accepted

Wise accepts a passport (photo page only), a national ID card, or a photo driver's licence — with one specific exception it calls out directly: a New Zealand driver's licence cannot be used as ID for a customer sending NZD. Wise also notes it cannot accept older versions of Nigerian national ID cards, which is worth knowing if you're verifying on behalf of, or sending money for, someone from Nigeria.

Format matters as much as document type: Wise does not accept ID documents in PDF format. If your only copy is a PDF, Wise's own suggestion is to take a screenshot of it, which converts it to a JPG — a format it will accept.

Common reasons an upload gets rejected

Wise's help centre lists the specific failure modes it sees most often, which double as a pre-upload checklist:

1. Part of the document is covered — Wise needs to see the full photo page, uncropped and unobscured.

2. The document has expired — check the expiry date before uploading, not after a rejection.

3. Your entered details don't match the document — your name and date of birth as typed on the Wise website must exactly match what's printed on the ID.

4. Only one side was uploaded when information appears on both — if there's text or a photo on the reverse of the card, both sides need to be submitted.

5. The document type itself isn't accepted, or the file format isn't accepted (see the PDF note above).

Proof of address — the second half of verification

ID verification is one part of Wise's overall verification process; a separate proof-of-address step is sometimes required too, generally satisfied with a recent utility bill, bank statement, or government letter. Wise's own guidance elsewhere states these documents typically need to be dated within the last three months when requested — check the specific request in your account, since not every verification event asks for both ID and address proof at once.

Where to actually upload

Wise's help centre points you to a secure upload link inside your account rather than email — documents sent to a support inbox aren't the correct channel and won't count as submitted. If you're not sure whether or when Wise will ask you to verify, you can check this directly in your account settings rather than waiting for a prompt.

If verification is holding up a time-sensitive payment

Wise does not publish a fixed turnaround for reviewing a submitted document, and support cannot expedite the review (see the linked restricted-account article for the same point in more detail). If you have a firm deadline — a visa application fee, a deposit, or evidence you need to show by a certain date — the practical move is to submit a fully correct document on the first attempt, since a rejected upload simply restarts the review clock rather than queue-jumping it.

Can I use a PDF scan of my passport for Wise verification?

No. Wise does not accept ID documents in PDF format. Its own suggestion is to take a screenshot of the PDF, which saves it as a JPG image, which Wise does accept.

Can I use my New Zealand driver's licence to verify with Wise?

Not for an NZD transfer. Wise's help centre specifically excludes New Zealand driver's licences as ID for customers sending New Zealand dollars — a passport or national ID card is needed instead in that case.

Why was my ID upload rejected if the document is valid?

The most common causes per Wise's own list are part of the document being covered in the photo, an expired document, your entered name or date of birth not matching the ID exactly, or only one side of a two-sided document being uploaded.

Does Wise need proof of address as well as ID?

Sometimes. ID verification and address verification are separate steps, and not every verification event requires both — check the specific request shown in your account rather than assuming.

Should I email my ID document to Wise support?

No. Wise's help centre directs you to a secure upload link within your account for ID verification, not an email inbox.