Credential Analysis

Audience: Everyone

The short answer: Credential Analysis is the automated ID check that runs before your notary meeting. It fails for one of four reasons — photo quality, data mismatch, ID type not accepted, or a duplicate-account conflict. Match yours below and apply the fix.

Credential Analysis confirms your government-issued ID is valid and authentic before you meet with a notary. It runs automatically after you complete Knowledge-Based Authentication (KBA) and upload your ID. If it passes, you continue to the notary meeting. If it fails, you’ll see an error and can retry after fixing the underlying issue.

How Credential Analysis works

Credential Analysis is the automated ID-check step that runs after you upload your government-issued ID. The system verifies the security features on the ID itself.

Two things happen in parallel:

Automated check on the ID: the system reads the ID and confirms it’s an authentic, unexpired government-issued document.
Notary role: while the system checks the document, the notary in your meeting confirms that the person on camera matches the person on the ID.

⚠️

One identity per email. The Proof platform links one identity to one email address. If you share an email with someone who already has a Proof account, the system cannot validate your ID against that email. Use a unique email address for your Proof account.

Illustration showing that each Proof account must use a unique email address

Why Credential Analysis fails — find yours

Most Credential Analysis failures fall into one of four categories. Match the error or symptom you’re seeing to the row below, then read the fix under that section.

Failure type	What you’re seeing	Go to
Photo quality	The photo is blurry, has glare or shadows, or the ID edges are cut off	Fix 1
Data mismatch	The name or date of birth on your ID doesn’t match what you entered	Fix 2
ID not accepted	The ID is expired, paper/temporary, or the barcode can’t be read	Fix 3
Duplicate account	The email address is already linked to another Proof identity	Fix 4

Fix 1: Photo quality

If your ID photo is being rejected as blurry, glared, or cropped, retake the photo with these in mind. Photo quality is the single most common Credential Analysis failure reason.

Use bright, even light with no glare on the ID. Avoid overhead lights that reflect off the surface.
Place the ID on a solid dark background so the camera can find the edges.
Make sure all four corners of the ID are visible in the frame and the text is sharp.
Keep the ID flat — a curled or angled ID can look distorted to the system.
Capture both the front and back of the ID if prompted.

Fix 2: Data mismatch

If the name or date of birth on your ID doesn’t match what you entered earlier in verification, the ID check fails. The fix is to enter your details exactly as they appear on the ID.

Full legal name: include middle names and suffixes exactly as printed. “Joseph” is not the same as “Joe.”
Date of birth: use MM-DD-YYYY format (example: 06-14-1985).
Recent name change? Records may lag — try your former legal name.

💡

Pro-tip: if a previous Proof session was completed under a different name (like a maiden name), your profile may still hold the old name. Update your profile name in account settings so it matches your current ID exactly.

Fix 3: ID not accepted

If your ID is being rejected because of the ID itself (not the photo of it), one of these conditions probably applies.

Expired: the ID must be unexpired. Check the expiration date on the front of the card.
Not a physical card: mobile ID apps, temporary DMV paper documents, and photocopies cannot be used as a primary ID. You must have a physical card.
Not government-issued: only driver’s licenses, state ID cards, US passports, US passport cards, and permanent resident cards are accepted as primary IDs.
Damaged barcode: if your ID has a barcode on the back that’s worn or damaged, the system may not read it even when you can. See the Verification keeps failing section below for the escalation path.

See Acceptable Forms of ID for Online Notarization for the complete list.

Fix 4: Duplicate account

Credential Analysis fails if the email address you’re using is already tied to a different Proof identity. Each email address can only be linked to one identity on the platform.

If this happens, log into the existing account and change its email address to something else (Profile Settings → email). Then start a new session with the email address you originally intended to use.

Verification keeps failing — what’s next?

If you’ve tried the fix that matches your failure type and Credential Analysis still won’t pass, contact support.

When you reach out to Proof support, have this information ready. Providing all of it up front is the fastest path to a fix:

Your transaction ID (from your confirmation email or the meeting URL)
Which of the four failure types above matches your situation
The device and browser you’re using (e.g. “iPhone 15, Safari”)
Roughly how many times the verification has failed
The exact error message the system showed you, if any

Typical response time is within a few hours during business hours (Mon–Fri 8a–10p ET, Sat–Sun 8a–7p ET). For the broader identity verification flow (including the KBA quiz step), see Identity Verification Failed? Here’s What to Do.

Summary Checklist

Uploaded a clear, well-lit photo of my ID — no glare, no blur, all four corners visible.
My name and date of birth match exactly what’s printed on my ID.
My birth date is entered in MM-DD-YYYY format.
My ID is physical, unexpired, and government-issued.
My email address is linked to a single Proof identity — not shared with another account.
If verification still failed, I’ve contacted support with my transaction ID, device, and error message.

Still Unsure?

Our support team is happy to help. Submit a support request or chat with us from any page in the app.

Updated August 26, 2026 15:32