Verification Process

Join the Verified Freight Network

Our verification process is engineered for security, compliance, and speed. Whether you operate an FTL fleet or arrange freight as a forwarder, this guide walks you through every step from submission to lane activation.

Why Fleet Verification Matters

CargoPay operates within EU freight regulations, processes B2B settlement transactions, and connects carriers and forwarders who depend on verified counterparties. Rigorous KYC and credential validation protects every participant on the network and maintains the operational standards our community demands.

Two Account Types, One Verification Standard

Our platform serves two distinct freight market participants, each following the same rigorous verification pathway.

For Carriers

FTL/LTL fleet operators and transport companies

Fleet operators, owner-drivers, and transport companies that execute lane movements across European corridors. Carriers are the operational backbone of the platform — moving freight, maintaining on-time performance, and ensuring cargo integrity from origin to destination.

Execute FTL/LTL lane movements across Europe
Maintain fleet capacity and driver compliance
Manage CMR documentation and POD submission

For Forwarders

Freight forwarders and logistics intermediaries

Freight forwarders, NVOCC operators, and logistics intermediaries who source carrier capacity and arrange lane movements for shippers. If you negotiate lane rates, coordinate multi-leg transport, or manage consignments on behalf of clients, this is your account type.

Source carrier capacity for client consignments
Negotiate lane rates and manage routing
Coordinate multi-modal transport operations

The Verification Journey

Eight structured steps from initial submission to full lane activation. Each step validates your business credentials and ensures network integrity.

Step 1

Submit Your Company Credentials

The process begins with a structured form capturing essential business details for KYC verification.

What you'll need ready:

Valid business email address
Company's registered legal name
EU VAT number (VIES-registered)
Registered business address
Fleet size and vehicle types (carriers)

Automatic validation includes:

Email verification (no duplicate accounts)
Address validation (trusted registries)
VIES VAT number validation (real-time)
Country consistency cross-check

Step 2

Automated Credential Validation

Upon submission, our system immediately validates your credentials against EU registries and VIES databases.

Address matching thresholds:

85%+
High confidence — Auto-approved
60–84%
Moderate match — Brief admin review
<60%
Low match — Additional verification required

Step 3

Address Similarity Cross-Check

As a fraud prevention layer, we compare your submitted address against the address registered with your VAT number in the VIES database.

Account status types:

Pending Payment	Verification fee required
Pending Documents	Awaiting credential submission
Active	Fully operational — lanes open
Suspended	Temporarily deactivated

Step 4

Account Status Assignment

After validation, your account receives a status that determines the next steps in the onboarding workflow.

Typical documents required:

CMR operating licences Cargo insurance certificates Fleet registration documents Forwarder certifications Community licence authorisation

Detailed Requirements

Each document category has specific requirements. View the complete documentation guide

Step 5

Operational Document Verification

Where required, you will submit operational credentials for administrative review and compliance validation.

Secure payment includes:

Encrypted transaction processing
PCI-DSS compliant card processing
All major corporate payment methods

Step 6

Verification Fee Processing

If your account type requires the one-time verification fee, you will be directed to a secure Stripe payment page.

Stripe Connect includes:

UBO identity verification
Settlement account configuration
AML and sanctions compliance checks

Step 7

Stripe Connect Onboarding

The final integration step. CargoPay uses Stripe Connect to handle B2B freight settlement securely between carriers and forwarders.

Welcome email contains:

Remaining onboarding steps
Dedicated support contact details

Step 8

Lane Access Activated

Once verification is complete, you receive a welcome email with login credentials and immediate access to the freight network.

After Verification: What's Next

Once your account is active, you can immediately begin creating lanes and processing freight settlements on CargoPay.

First Steps After Verification

Required actions for all newly activated accounts

Create Your First Counterparty

Add a customer or carrier record to begin. All users must set up counterparties before processing freight settlements.

Create a Freight Payment Request

Once your counterparty is configured, you can create payment requests to process lane settlements through the platform.

Common Questions

Everything you need to know about the fleet verification process.

This can happen for several common reasons:

Incorrect format: EU VAT numbers start with a two-letter country code followed by alphanumeric characters.
Newly registered VAT number: It can take several days for new VAT numbers to propagate to the VIES database.
Weekend or holiday timing: The VIES system occasionally undergoes scheduled maintenance.
Special characters included: Use only letters and numbers — no spaces, hyphens, or punctuation.

If the issue persists, our compliance team can verify your VAT status manually.

Minor differences are normal and expected. Common acceptable variations include "Street" versus "St." or different formatting of postal codes. Our system accounts for these normal variations. Only significant discrepancies trigger a manual compliance review.

Form submission: 1–2 minutes
Automated VIES validation: 5–10 seconds
Document review: 3–7 business days
Stripe Connect onboarding: Usually instant, up to 48 hours in some cases

For a complete list of required documents, see our Required Documentation page

First, check your spam or junk folder. If the email is not there, verify you entered your email address correctly during registration, wait up to 15 minutes, and contact support if the email still has not arrived.

Yes. Most information can be updated through your account settings. However, changes to your VAT number or legal company name may require revalidation and could temporarily affect your lane access status.

Security and Data Protection

We protect your operational data with industry-standard encryption and comply with all EU data protection regulations.

AES-256 encryption at rest and in transit
Personal identifiers masked in audit logs
No data sold or shared with third parties
Right to erasure at any time

GDPR Compliance

As an EU-based freight platform, we fully comply with all GDPR requirements:

Right to access your data
Right to rectify inaccurate information
Right to erasure (right to be forgotten)
Right to data portability

Audit and Compliance Trail

Every action on your account is logged in a secure, immutable audit trail for regulatory compliance.

Complete transaction transparency
EU regulatory compliance logging
7-year retention period

Support During Verification

Our compliance team is available to assist with any onboarding questions.

When to Contact Support

Error messages you don't understand
VIES validation consistently fails
Special circumstances registration
Missing emails after reasonable time

What to Have Ready

Email address used to register
Company VAT number
Brief description of the issue
Any error messages received

Response Times

Business hours Usually within 2 hours
Evenings Next business day
Critical Prioritised immediately

Ready to Join the Verified Network?

Begin your verification today and join the CargoPay network of verified carriers and trusted forwarders executing lanes across Europe.