Also known as: Address Verification, Proof of Address, POA
Proof of Residence (POR) is the onboarding step where a client submits an official document that confirms their current physical address — typically a utility bill or bank statement — so a broker can satisfy anti-money-laundering (AML) law before the account is fully verified. It is the address half of Know Your Customer (KYC).
Where Proof of Identity answers "who are you?", Proof of Residence answers "where do you live?". Regulators require it so brokers can confirm a client resides in a jurisdiction the broker is licensed to serve and can be reached if a dispute or regulatory query arises. The document must show the client's full name and address and, critically, be recent — most brokers demand it be dated within the last three to six months.
Acceptance rules are strict and specific. A utility bill (electricity, water, gas, landline), a bank or credit-card statement, or an official government letter are usually accepted; mobile-phone bills, screenshots, and documents older than the window are frequently rejected. Brokers want a downloaded official PDF or a scanned original, not a cropped photo of a screen.
For a partner, POR is the second conversion gate after POI. A referred lead who clears identity but stalls on address verification is still an unfunded, non-trading account that produces no commission — so the IBs who see the highest funnel conversion are the ones who coach clients on exactly which documents pass.
Once identity is confirmed, the broker asks the client to upload a document proving their address. The compliance system checks that the name matches the account, the address is legible, and the issue date falls inside the broker's freshness window — usually 90 to 180 days.
If the document is an accepted type and recent, the address is confirmed and the KYC file is closed, letting the client deposit and trade. If it is the wrong type, out of date, or the name or address is illegible, the case goes to manual review and the client is emailed for a replacement. The account cannot be fully funded and active — and the IB cannot earn from it — until POR clears alongside POI.
POR is usually requested after Proof of Identity is confirmed during onboarding.
An accepted, in-date utility bill, bank statement, or government letter showing name and address.
The system checks document type, name match, address legibility, and that the issue date is recent.
Valid documents confirm the address; rejected ones trigger an email asking for a replacement.
With POI and POR both cleared, the client can deposit and trade and the IB begins earning.
Why it matters for partnership: POR is the second gate in the conversion funnel. Helping referrals pick an accepted, in-date document minimises registration drop-off and turns marketing traffic into funded, commission-generating traders.
A trader you referred to a Pepperstone account clears Proof of Identity instantly but uploads a mobile-phone bill for address, which the broker rejects. Because your onboarding email told clients to download an official PDF bank statement dated within three months, they re-submit correctly the same day instead of abandoning. That single recovered account, trading 15 lots a month, keeps producing revenue share you would otherwise have lost.
| Status | Examples |
|---|---|
| Usually accepted | Utility bill, bank statement, government letter |
| Often rejected | Mobile-phone bill, screenshot, document over 6 months old |
Tell referrals to download an official PDF bank or utility statement directly from the provider's portal rather than screenshotting it, because clean, dated, full-page PDFs clear address verification on the first attempt.
Submitting a mobile-phone bill or a document older than the broker's freshness window gets the upload rejected, stalling activation and giving the referred client a reason to walk away before funding.
Typically a utility bill, a bank or credit-card statement, or an official government letter showing your full name and current address. It usually must be dated within the last three to six months.
Mobile bills are considered easy to change and are often issued to a different address than where you live, so many brokers exclude them. Fixed-line utility bills and bank statements are safer choices.
Most brokers require the document to be issued within the last three months, though some accept up to six. Always check the broker's stated window before uploading.
No. Proof of Identity confirms who you are with a photo ID, while Proof of Residence confirms where you live with an address document. Full KYC usually requires both.
Often no. Many brokers reject screenshots and require the official downloadable PDF statement from your bank, which shows the full document and issue date clearly.
It must match the address you entered when registering the account. It does not need to match your ID document, but the name on both must be the same.