Welcome to our help centre for app users

What is Mirror?
Mirror helps regulated businesses verify their clients’ identities. Examples of regulated businesses include law firms, accountancies, insurers, and financial services providers. If your lawyer, accountant (or other professional service provider) uses the Mirror system, you will receive an email containing your verification request. 

Do I have to download the Mirror app?
Yes. We verify your identity and address digitally, through your Mirror account. Some of the technology involved in this process is only available via the Mirror app (for now).

Do I have to create a Mirror account?
Yes. We verify your identity and address digitally, through your Mirror account. Firstly, your Mirror account is where we keep you updated every step of the way, so you know when you’ve passed verification.
Secondly, once you’ve completed verification, we generate a digital ID (your MirrorID). This remains valid until your underlying identity or address document expires. So, you as an individual may only need to be verified once, but you can provide your MirrorID to many businesses, multiple times (while it’s valid).
Your MirrorID is also stored in your account, which is why you have to create one.  Your MirrorID is like a digital certificate proving you’ve had your identity and address verified to rigorous standards. We envision a world where you can provide your MirrorID on demand, whether to buy alcohol at your local pub, or to prove your identity to your lawyer. 

Why can’t I just email my identity and address documents to my firm?
In short, because sending documents over email is not secure, and doesn’t verify that you are who you say you are, or that you live where you say you live. Regulated businesses are legally obliged to know who they’re dealing with. This includes verifying their clients’ identity - i.e., checking that the person is who they say they are. When a business accepts your identity and address documents over email, they’re opening themselves up to risk, because they have no way of proving your documents are genuine, not forged, and that they pertain to you. As if that isn’t bad enough, your personal sensitive information could also be at risk of falling into the wrong hands, because email is relatively easy to intercept. We know your time is valuable, which is why we’ve worked so hard to limit the time it takes you to verify your identity and home address with Mirror. Verification should take you under 5 minutes once you have your documents to hand. Mirror has been independently reviewed by barrister QC Gregory Treverton-Jones (co-author of The Solicitor’s Handbook 2019) as ‘superior to traditional methods of verification’. This is because we elevate the standard of privacy protection and data management, while helping regulated businesses actually verify that your identity and address documents are genuine, in your possession, and pertain to you.

What identity documents are accepted by Mirror?
Mirror accepts 6,600 documents from over 190 countries. We encourage you to use a document with a biometric chip wherever possible, to ensure the highest standard of identity verification. It will also make the process quicker and easier for both you and your lawyer.Most international passports now contain biometric chips, as do various identity documents, for example biometric residence permits. 

What if my identity document does not have a biometric chip?
Don’t worry – you can still get your identity biometrically verified with Mirror. We will let your lawyer or accountant know that you have not performed a chip scan, so it's up to them to either accept this, or potentially ask you to for additional information. We still encourage you to use a document with a chip if possible: whether that’s a passport, Biometric Residence Permit, or a national identity card.How do I prove my address with Mirror?It takes under five minutes to do this via our app. Lawyers and accountants will commonly ask for a utility bill, council tax bill, or bank statement to help prove your address. To have your address successfully verified through Mirror, we ask that you log in to either a utility provider (e.g. Thames Water) or bank (e.g. Natwest) and upload a bill or bank statement, to send to your lawyer or accountant. You can do this from anywhere in the world. All you need is your login details (email and password) for the account you’re going to use. For example, if you want to upload an HSBC bank statement as proof of address, make sure you can log into online banking, not the HSBC mobile app. Once you’ve logged in to the website of your utility or bank provider, make sure you share a document dated within the past three months (the app will remind you about this). The exception is if you’re using a council tax statement, which is valid up to 1 year after issuance. Once you’ve shared your document, your lawyer will typically let you know (via the Mirror app and email) within 24-72 hours if you have passed address verification. In most cases, it’ll be closer to 24 hours.

Why does my address document have to be dated within the last three months?
Generally, regulated businesses ask that your document is dated within three months of the current date to ensure they are verifying your current, up-to-date address. In some cases, your lawyer or accountant may accept older documents, but this will be only at their discretion. To give you the best chance of passing address checks, please upload a utility bill or bank statement no older than three months (based on the date of issuance as listed on the document), with the exception of council tax statements which can be up to a year old.

What if I don’t have online accounts for my banking or utilities?
They will have to consult your team to go about a manual verification without the Mirror app. In the app, there is a button in our proof of address flow, stating: ‘I don’t use online services for my statements or bills’. If a client taps this, they’re told to contact their lawyer and use an alternative method of verification.

Will Mirror view or store my login information?
Never. Mirror does not see, nor store your login details when you log in to a utility or bank within the secure browser in our app. With your consent, Mirror and your lawyer or accountant can see the document you have submitted as proof of address. Mirror and your lawyer or accountant can also see where this document is from (e.g. if you have submitted a NatWest bank statement, we can see it has come from natwest.com).

Will Mirror protect my personal information?
We are committed to protecting your privacy, and making sure you’re in control of your data. Once you have completed verification, you may choose to delete your Mirror account and the information associated with it, which will also delete your MirrorID. Your lawyer or accountant may continue to retain a copy of your verification on file for regulatory reasons, but you are entitled to ask them to stop storing this if you want to. 
At Mirror, we’ve invested significantly in making sure we minimise the information collected from you as a client, while ensuring that regulated businesses can remain compliant with money laundering regulations. In simple English, this means we only ask you for documents that are absolutely necessary to verify your identity and address with, and no more. 

Do Mirror’s checks leave a mark on my credit history, file or report?
Never. Businesses will not perform checks via Mirror that impact your credit history or report. If your lawyer or account needs to perform additional checks beyond the scope of Mirror, they should let you know beforehand.

Do I have to pay for Mirror?
Mirror will never bill you for identity or address checks, and we don’t collect payment information from you. However, your lawyer or accountant may invoice you for the time spent verifying your identity and address via Mirror, as part of delivering their overall service. This is entirely at their discretion, and in most cases they will let you know upfront. 

How will I know if I have passed ID and address checks?
The app will let you know instantly whether you have passed or failed an ID check. Once you’ve shared your document, your lawyer will typically let you know within 24-72 hours if you have passed address verification. In most cases, it’ll be closer to 24 hours. 

What happens if I fail an ID or address check?
It depends why you have failed. If the biometric chip on your document can’t be scanned, the app will ask you to continue without a chip and let your lawyer or accountant know. In most cases, your lawyer or accountant will know instantly whether you have passed or not. They will give you context as to why, and let you know what to do next. In most cases, you’ll be asked to repeat the checks with different documents. Common reasons for failing an ID check include an obscured passport (maybe you’ve got your thumb covering up the number) or problems with the live video (maybe you haven’t rotated your head when asked). Common reasons for failing address checks include: providing a document that is not a utility bill, bank statement or council tax statement, providing a document older than three months from the current date (with the exception being council tax statements), or providing a document that pertains to an address different to the one you’ve given your lawyer or accountant. You can always message the Mirror team if you’re worried or confused about the result of ID and address checks. We aim to get back to you asap within working hours, and within 24 hours on weekends.

What do I do with the Mirror app after I have completed ID and address checks?
Once you’ve completed all required checks your lawyer or accountant has asked for, what you do next is entirely up to you. The Mirror app will let you know instantly if you have passed identity verification, and within 24 to 72 hours for address verification.
After you’ve been verified, a digital ‘MirrorID’ is generated for you. Your MirrorID is like a digital certificate proving you’ve had your identity and address verified to rigorous standards. We envision a world where you can provide your MirrorID on demand, whether to buy alcohol at your local shop, or to prove your identity to your lawyer. You can present your MirrorID for age, identity or address verification, and share our website with retailers, lawyers, accountants and other professionals working in regulated industries. 

What if my utility or banking provider isn’t listed?
Don’t worry, you can still use any bank or utility provider to provide your proof of address. We have just included the top UK providers for ease of use. At the top of the Proof Of Address screen, you should see a box that states: ‘Tap a shortcut below or enter a URL’ (see image below). Here you can enter the URL of your preferred provider. If you get stuck, you can follow the instructions in our Guide.