What is Know Your Customer (KYC)?
Know Your Customer (KYC) is a regulatory system that originated from the banking industry. KYC is essentially customer information that is required to identify and verify an individual or business is who they say they are. It commonly consists of company name, registered address, business verification documents, authorized representative, etc. Over the past decade, carriers and regulators around the world have been working hard to create a more trusted and verified messaging and voice ecosystem for businesses to engage with consumers to protect consumers from spam, fraud, and bad actors.
Given the rise in scams and fraud over the last few years, the UK regulator issued updated Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines that our message provider is implementing in 2024. These new requirements will be put in place to protect consumers from fraud, spam, and bad actors by requiring businesses to submit and verify their businesses before they can begin texting or calling their customers.
September 30, 2024 - Last day to add additional Dedicated Phone numbers to your account
August 2024 - All UK accounts must submit their KYC information by the last day of the month to avoid texting disruptions.
June 2024 - UK accounts can now start their KYC registration process by submiting their information to GetThru's Typeform.
May 2024 - UK accounts can add and manage dedicated phone numbers. Once added, the phone numbers are required to build new UK texting campaigns.
What KYC information will be required for businesses in the UK?
UK GetThru clients will need to submit the following information to ensure that their messaging is KYC-compliant:
Business: Mobile Numbers
| Information Required | Required Documentation | Acceptable Documentation |
| Business Name | Proof of Identity (Documentation is required for businesses not using a UK Companies House Registration Number) | Excerpt from the commercial register |
| Registration Authority (Name of entity where your business is registered if it is not UK Companies House) | Proof of Identity (Documentation is required for businesses not using a UK Companies House Registration Number) | Excerpt from the commercial register |
| Business Registration Number | Proof of Identity (Documentation is required for businesses not using a UK Companies House Registration Number) | Excerpt from the commercial register |
| Website address | No documentation required | |
| Business Address Must be a valid address. May be anywhere in the world | No documentation required | |
| Emergency Address (if different from business address) May be a valid address. May be anywhere in the world | No documentation required | |
| Authorized Representative's* Name *The authorized representative should be a senior manager in the company who is responsible for phone numbers. | No documentation required | |
| Authorized Representative Phone Number This must be a valid mobile number only where the customer can be reached. This cannot be a number that you've acquired from GetThru. | No documentation required | |
| Authorized Representative's Work Email | No documentation required |
Frequently Asked Questions:
I am a business customer, and I don't have the company documents; what do I do?
If your business is registered in the UK house register, then you don't need to upload your documentation, just provide the information which we will verify. If you are not registered in the UK, then you must provide documentation.
What do you mean by emergency address?
Physical address of the actual organization where emergency services can send help in case of an emergency.
My business is not registered in the UK. Which long codes am I eligible to use?
Going forward GetThru will only offer UK Mobile numbers, which can be used if you have an EIN or CBN.
Please reach out to support@getthru.io with any questions or concerns.