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What documents and technologies do platforms like OnlyFans accept for age and identity verification?
Executive summary
OnlyFans requires government-issued ID plus a live selfie check and payment information for creators; the platform uses third-party identity vendors such as Ondato and (in some reporting) Yoti to run document OCR, biometric matching and “facial age assurance” or liveness checks [1] [2] [3]. Reporting and regulator actions show the system combines passport/driver’s-license uploads, selfie-with-ID photos and payment-card checks — but regulators have flagged weaknesses and fined OnlyFans over how the tech was configured [4] [5] [6].
1. What documents OnlyFans asks creators to submit — the practical list
OnlyFans’ verification flow for creators centers on a government-issued photo ID: passports, national ID cards or driver’s licences are repeatedly listed by guides and platform-adjacent documentation as the accepted primary documents; temporary or paper IDs are generally not accepted [4] [7]. Creators must also take and upload a selfie — often holding the ID — so the platform (or its vendor) can match the face in the selfie to the photo on the document [8] [4].
2. The technologies behind the checks — OCR, NFC, biometrics and third parties
OnlyFans outsources age/ID checks to specialist vendors. Case studies and vendor pages show Ondato provides AI-driven OCR, document-authenticity checks, biometric liveness detection and even NFC reads on modern e‑passports/ID chips; Ondato says its system can complete checks quickly and claim high accuracy [2] [1]. Other reporting names Yoti for “facial age assurance” technology used in some markets, indicating OnlyFans has used multiple government‑approved digital ID providers depending on geography and regulatory requirements [3].
3. Payment-card and financial-data checks as age signals
For subscribers (fans) and as an anti‑fraud measure, OnlyFans also relies on payment methods: adding a valid credit/debit card is a way to gate access and indicate adult status, and payout setup (bank account/e‑wallet) forms part of creator onboarding [5] [8] [9]. Several guides state the platform collects financial data both to enable payments and to help verify identity [9] [8].
4. Alternative verification inputs and “selfie-with-username” fallback
Some help guides and user‑facing explanations note alternatives exist when users won’t or can’t upload standard ID: example methods include a selfie holding a sheet that shows the account username alongside a photo, or other photo‑based proofs; these methods are described as slower or less reliable than formal ID and may be regionally applied [10] [11].
5. How fast and automated — timelines and manual review
Vendor materials and how-to guides indicate the aim is speed: Ondato says verification can be finished in under 30 seconds in ideal paths, while consumer guides warn approvals typically arrive within a day but may take up to 72 hours and in some cases require manual review [1] [4]. Multiple sources advise common rejection causes — blurry photos, expired IDs, or mismatched names — which increases resubmission rates [5] [11].
6. Known failures, regulator scrutiny and privacy trade‑offs
Regulators have scrutinised OnlyFans’ age-assurance setup: Ofcom fined OnlyFans’ parent over misleading claims about how the age‑estimating technology was configured, and journalists and investigations (including BBC reporting cited by commentators) describe failures — including cases where a minor exploited verification gaps by using another person’s documents — calling attention to limits of current tech [6] [12]. Privacy advocates and commentators warn that centralising sensitive identity and payment data creates attractive targets for theft and raises GDPR/CCPA concerns even as vendors claim compliance [13] [14].
7. Multiple vendors, multiple standards — why the experience varies by user
OnlyFans’ privacy page and vendor case studies make clear that the “specific process” will depend on the user’s location and other circumstances; the company uses third-party age/identity verification and third‑party age‑estimation processes as appropriate, so accepted document types and exact technology (Yoti, Ondato, or others) can vary by market [9] [1] [3]. That explains why users report different flows and why new regional laws force iterations [14].
8. What reporting does not firmly establish
Available sources do not mention an exhaustive, official OnlyFans list (from OnlyFans itself) of every acceptable national document type or a single canonical “OnlyFans tech stack” across all countries; instead, evidence comes from vendor case studies, platform help pages and independent guides that together outline the common practices and variations [1] [5] [7].
Summary takeaway: creators should expect to upload a permanent government‑issued photo ID (passport/driver’s licence/ID card), submit a selfie (often holding the ID), and set up payout/payment details; the checks are performed by third‑party vendors (Ondato, Yoti and similar) using OCR, biometric matching, liveness detection and sometimes NFC, but regulators and investigations show the approach has had measurable failures and varies by jurisdiction [7] [2] [6].