AML/CFT requirements for certified documents

As part of onboarding your clients you need to prove their identity. While electronic verification is popular these days, many individuals are still using certified documents. Learn what requirements need to be fulfilled to accept certified documents as proof of identity.

Certified documents definition

In the context of identity verification, certified documents are photocopies of original identity documents that have been sighted and attested to by a trusted referee with approved wording.

Trusted referee

A trusted referee is someone who is responsible for checking that the identity of the individual matches that of the person named in the documents. There are a few requirements that a person needs to meet in order to be classified as a trusted referee for certifying documents.

Why do we need trusted referees?

When a reporting entity relies on certified documents to satisfy its verification requirements, it is also relying on the trusted referee to sight the original document and to confirm, through the use of appropriate wording, that the certified document is a true copy of the original document and that the reporting entity may rely on it.

Who can be a trusted referee?

1. Commonwealth representative (as defined in the Oaths and Declarations Act 1957)
2. Member of the police
3. Justice of the peace
4. Registered medical doctor
5. Kaumātua (as verified through a reputable source)
6. Registered teacher
7. Minister of religion
8. Lawyer (as defined in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006)
9. Notary public
10. New Zealand Honorary consul
11. Member of Parliament
12. Chartered accountant (within the meaning of section 19 of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants Act 1996)
13. A person who has the legal authority to take statutory declarations or the equivalent in New Zealand
    
    

Certification when overseas

A trusted referee must not be:

1. Related to the customer. For example, a trusted referee cannot be their parent, child, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or cousin.
2. The spouse or partner of the customer.
3. A person who lives at the same address as the customer.
4. A person involved in the transaction or business requiring the certification.
   
   
   

How to certify documents

1. The trusted referee must sight the original identification, and make a statement that the documents provided are a true copy and represent the identity of the named individual.
2. Certified documents must include the name, signature, and the date of certification. The trusted referee must also specify in what capacity they are acting as a trusted referee from the list in section 8a-m in the Amended Identity Verification Code of Practice 2013.
3. Documents must have been certified in three months prior to receipt of the certified documents.