why is identity verification required, differences between individual and enterprise identity verification - Account Center

Identity verification confirms your legal identity with Alibaba Cloud. It is required before you can purchase Alibaba Cloud certain cloud products and services deployed in the Chinese mainland, to comply with local laws and regulations, or for scenarios such as signing business contracts.

Why is identity verification required?

Account security: It helps protect your account from unauthorized access and reduces the risk of identity theft.
Legal compliance: To comply with local laws and regulations, you must complete identity verification to purchase specific cloud services deployed on nodes in the Chinese mainland, or enable Global Accelerator services that include the Chinese mainland.
Business scenarios:
- Signing online contracts with Alibaba Cloud.
- Applying for a credit limit.
- Joining the Alibaba Cloud Partner Network (ACPN).
- Updating the mobile number associated with your account to one from a different country or region.

Individual versus enterprise identity verification

You can verify your account as either an individual or an enterprise. This choice affects your verification options and service access:

Type	Individual identity verification	Enterprise identity verification
Account type	Can choose either individual or enterprise identity verification. If you complete enterprise verification, your account type will be permanently changed to enterprise.	Can only undergo enterprise identity verification.
Verification method	Passport or driver's license	Valid business document from the registration country/region
Benefits 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).	Purchase specific cloud services deployed in the Chinese mainland or enable acceleration regions that include the Chinese mainland (subject to the product page). Sign online contracts, apply for credit limits, join the Alibaba Cloud Partner Network (ACPN). Link a mobile number from a country or region different from your country or region settings.
Impact on account	After verification, the account type is set to Individual and cannot be changed. The name on the account is updated to match the verification documents.	After verification, the account type is set to Enterprise and cannot be changed. The company name on the account is updated to match the name on the business documents.
Review time	About 3 business days	About 3 business days

Limitations

Item	Details
One identity per account	Each Alibaba Cloud account can be verified for only a single entity, either an individual or an enterprise.
Permanent verification	Once identity verification is complete, it cannot be changed or removed from the account. If you no longer need the account, close the account.
Document consistency	The issuing country or region of the verification document must match your account's Country/Region setting.
Account type lock-in	After verification, the account type (individual or enterprise) is locked and cannot be changed.

FAQ

Does my account's identity verification need to match my domain name's verification?

No. These are separate processes:

Account identity verification confirms your legal ownership of the Alibaba Cloud account.
Domain name verification confirms the 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 more information, see How to complete identity verification for a domain name. One account can manage multiple domains, each verified under different entities.