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Before you can withdraw earnings from Fokus, your account needs to pass identity verification. This protects you and your buyers, and lets us comply with Philippine financial regulations on payouts. We don’t process your personally identifiable information. The verification is handled through our identity partner Didit. You will need to do the following:
1

Submit a valid government‑issued ID

Photo of the front (and back, if applicable) of a valid ID.
2

Submit a selfie liveness check

A short, guided selfie that proves the ID belongs to you and that you’re a real person — not a photo of a photo.
3

Confirm your email address

A one‑time link sent to the email address on your Fokus account. Make sure to use the same email you used to signup/login in Fokus.
The whole flow usually takes about 3 minutes. Decisions typically come back instantly. In some cases, it might take a few minutes to a few hours to confirm your identity. In rare cases, someone from the Fokus team will reach out to you to complete the verification process.

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When you need to verify

You can browse Studio, create collections, and accept sales without verifying your identity. You will be prompted to complete verification when:
  • You request your first withdrawal, or
  • A platform admin asks you to (for example, after an unusual sales pattern).
Once verified, you don’t need to repeat the flow unless your verification expires (typically after 2 years) or you change the legal name on your account.

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What you’ll need before you start

Have these ready before you begin — once you start the flow, you have ~10 minutes to finish before the session expires.

A valid government‑issued ID

Philippine passport, driver’s license, UMID, National ID, Residence Permit. Must be unexpired and clearly readable. SSS or TIN cards alone are not accepted.

Decent lighting

Avoid glare on the ID. Plain background works best for the selfie.

A working camera

Phone or laptop. Front-facing camera is fine. You’ll be guided through positioning.

Access to your email

The email on your Fokus account. You’ll need to submit the OTP sent in your inbox to complete the verification process.

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The verification flow, step by step

1

Choose your ID type and capture the front

Select the ID you’ll use from the list. Hold it flat in good light. Follow the on‑screen guide that frames where to place the ID. The app captures automatically once everything’s aligned.
2

Capture the back, if applicable

Driver’s licenses, UMID, and PhilSys IDs need both sides. Passports don’t.
3

Complete the selfie liveness check

Look at the camera, then follow the prompts — typically turning your head slowly side to side and/or blinking. This proves you’re a live person, not a held‑up photo.
4

Confirm your email

Open the email titled “Verify your Fokus account” and click the link inside. The link is single-use and expires after 24 hours.
5

Wait for the decision

Most decisions land within a few minutes; complex reviews can take a few hours. Rest assured when you’re approved, you can then request withdrawals.

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If verification fails

The most common reasons:

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Privacy and what we store

Fokus does not store copies of your ID images or your selfie. Didit holds these securely on our behalf and provides us only with the verification decision and the personal data you’d see on the ID (legal name, date of birth, ID number).
What Fokus retains after a verification decision:
  • Your verified legal name and date of birth — used to populate payout records and TIN reporting if required.
  • The decision (verified, rejected, expired) and its date.
  • The type of ID used (not the ID number itself, unless required by the payout institution).
  • A reference token that lets us re-query Didit if needed.
What gets deleted at Didit after the decision is final:
  • The ID images you submitted.
  • The selfie liveness frames.
  • Any biometric data extracted during the check.
For more detail, see Didit’s (https://didit.me/privacy) and our own (https://fokus.ph/privacy).

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Next step

Request a withdrawal

Once you’re verified, you can move your available balance to your receiving institution.