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I am in a unique situation of not owning or renting property and no need for utilities. I've tried to contact several exchanges to find out what are all the acceptable forms of proof of residency, but none of them respond. I don't want to send money until I am sure I can meet the AML requirements, but I can't figure out if I can meet them. And I don't want to deal with exchanges that are not AML compliant.

Is there a definitive list of documentation?

EDIT: It's been almost two weeks with no response from 3 different exchanges. Is there really no list of acceptable standards? Is it save to send money and just find out if they accept what I can provide?

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  • You could just try sending a small amount of funds. If it works then it works. The try with the full amount (keeping below the exchanges daily limits) As a general rule when you are done I would suggest you move your funds/coins off the platform quickly. This is in-case they are hacked etc (As they are not going to be gov guaranteed like a bank, Caveat emptor)
    – DarcyThomas
    Dec 21, 2013 at 5:49
  • Problem is I've read complaints from people who have done as you suggested only to have their full funds held up for weeks after the small transfer worked fine. I assume they eventually got it back or processed. But it seems odd there's no list of requirements.
    – user6972
    Dec 21, 2013 at 8:03

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There is not. You will not find a definitive list of allowable documents, endorsed by a government, regulatory body, trade group etc. You may find lists of generally accepted documents, however there is no guarantee that their acceptance is either uniform or universal.

Documents typically considered acceptable for the purposes of establishing residency at a given dress i.e. rental agreements, mortgage documentation and utility bills (such as gas, electric, water) are generally utilized (and accepted) by the financial institution as they tie the individual directly to the address thereby satisfying elements of AML/CFT, specifically the Know Your Customer and Customer Identification Programs.

Your only option is to await a response from the specific institution (in this case exchange) and inquire as to what documents they will accept in lieu of the aforementioned, if you are unable to provide them.

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  • I've waited over a week. My concern is they won't respond. And if I test the system with a small amount of money it might work, but then larger amounts could get held up. I worry about getting the funds back in this case.
    – user6972
    Dec 11, 2013 at 20:06
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From a gox employee:

What does the process involve?

First, we ask you to provide one piece of government issued photographic identification, which is usually either:

A driver's license,
A passport, or;
A military identification card (surprisingly, we have a large number of customers in the armed forces of various countries.)

We then ask you provide some form of proof of residence document, which is an official document issued within the last three months bearing both your name and full street address. For obvious reasons, we cannot accept addresses with PO Boxes. Usually, we receive one of the following:

A utility bill,
An internet bill,
A cell phone or mobile phone bill,
A tax return,
A residency certificate issued by your local government,
A voting registration form, or;
A medical insurance bill

Whilst many of our users submit bank statements as their proof of residence, we unfortunately cannot accept bank statements from our customers. This is because it is relatively easy for fraudsters to open an account at a less reputable banking service which does not check the accuracy of a person's stated address. It is then possible to use this bank's statement as a seed to open accounts at increasingly trustworthy establishments without ever having provided proof of residence in the first place.

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I don't think AML is unique to the US. Fundamentally, the answer is probably heavily correlated the ability of a government to enforce its jurisdictional laws upon individuals whether citizens or not. "US Persons" are subject to US laws even though they may not be citizens. A US Person has an active green cards. Binding a form of identity (e.g., driver's license, passport) to a location of where you live will be imperative. Otherwise, laws can't be enforced unless you can be found.

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  • My question was meant to imply required documents available to an average US resident.
    – user6972
    Jan 3, 2014 at 20:18

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