Before you can take payments, South African law (FICA) requires us to confirm who you are and where your money will be paid. Most people who run their business on their own finish in about 15 minutes, without uploading any documents.
Is this the right guide?
This guide is for you if you selected the following options:
Is your business registered with CIPC? → No, it's a sole prop, partnership, NPO or Trust
What best describes your business? → Just me, using my personal bank account
That's usually you if you run the business on your own, get paid into your personal bank account, and have never registered a company with CIPC, for example hairdressers, home bakers, tutors, market traders, freelancers and anyone self-employed. The official name for this is a sole proprietor (or 'sole prop'), and you'll see that term on some Yoco screens.
Not quite you?
If your business… | Choose this in the app | Guide |
Has a CIPC registration number, e.g. 2021/123456/07 | Yes, it's a (Pty) Ltd, CC or NPC | |
Is run by two or more owners who share it | A partnership | |
Runs for a cause or community, e.g. a church, school, charity or sports club | A non-profit organisation | |
Is managed by trustees on behalf of beneficiaries | A trust |
Why the right choice matters: We check your business type against your bank account. If they don't match, your bank details won't be accepted and your payouts are delayed. Picked the wrong one? Please contact Yoco Support via our in-app chat to reset your information.
When signing up have these ready:
South African citizens: your 13-digit ID number. That's usually all you need; no documents to upload.
Not a South African citizen: your valid passport and a valid work permit.
A transactional bank account that can receive and send payments. It must be in your name, or in the name of the person who will verify their ID (see 'Whose bank account can I use?' in Step 3).
The steps
Step | Usually takes |
1. Verify your email and mobile number | 2 minutes |
2. Add your business details | 3 minutes |
3. Add your bank details | Instant for most merchants. Pick the business type that matches your bank account to avoid delays. Manual checks take up to 7 working days. |
4. Verify your identity | Under 1 minute |
5. Upload your work permit (non-SA citizens only) | up to 7 working days to review |
The Yoco App (mobile or web) shows you each step in order and tells you what's still outstanding. This guide covers what to have ready and what to do if something goes wrong.
1. Verify your email and mobile number
We send a 6-digit code to each. Enter the most recent code; older codes stop working once you request a new one.
Code didn't arrive?
Email: check spam and junk. Also search for an older 'Verify your email' thread from [email protected], because new codes can land in it already marked as read. Work email addresses sometimes block automated mail; try a personal address.
SMS: only South African mobile numbers can receive codes. Wait a few minutes before requesting another one.
Typo in your email or number? Use Change email address or Change mobile number on the same screen.
'Too many attempts': every request counts, even if the code never arrives. If you requested 5 codes in 5 minutes, wait 5 minutes. If you requested 15 in an hour, wait up to an hour. If you've hit the daily device limit, wait up to 24 hours.
Each email address and mobile number can only be linked to one Yoco profile.
2. Add your business details
Business type: choose the correct business type as per above.
Business name: the name your customers know you by.
Online presence: your website or social media pages, if you have any. You can choose Not applicable.
Business category: choose what brings in most of your income. If nothing matches exactly, pick the closest option.
Why this matters: we check every category against what you actually sell. If the category or your website doesn't match, your profile goes for a manual review, which can add up to 7 days to approval. The most accurate category is the quickest way through.
3. Add your bank details
This is where most delays happen.
Whose bank account can I use?
Account in the name of… | Can you use it? |
You | ✅ Yes. This is the fastest option. |
A family member or someone else | ✅ Yes, but that person must complete the identity check in Step 4, not you. |
A registered company or CC, even one you own | ❌ No. Sign up as that company instead (Pty Ltd or CC guide). |
A savings or investment account that can't send and receive payments | ❌ No. It must be a transactional account. |
Enter the details exactly as your bank has them
Copy the account number from your banking app or a bank statement. It's usually 9–11 digits. Don't enter your 16-digit card number.
Choose the exact bank. Capitec and Capitec Business are different banks.
Enter the account holder's name and ID number exactly as they appear with the bank.
If your bank details aren't accepted
What you see | What it means | What to do |
The account belongs to another person or business | The name or ID on the account doesn't match the person verifying | Use an account in your own name, or have the account holder do the identity check |
Account number or bank not valid | A typo, the wrong bank selected, or a card number entered | Copy the number from your banking app and check the bank selection |
Account can't receive payments | It's a savings or non-transactional account | Use a cheque or current account |
Account not open | The account is closed or dormant | Use an active account |
If we ask for a bank confirmation letter
Some banks can’t be checked automatically, so we’ll ask for an official letter from your bank. This applies to:
Capitec Business
Bank Zero
Bidvest Bank
Access Bank
Mercantile Bank
Al Baraka Bank
HBZ Bank
Old Mutual
The letter must:
be recent
be issued by the bank, not a screenshot of your banking app
show the account holder’s name, account number, branch code and account type, matching what you entered
How long it takes: most accounts are verified instantly. If we need to check your details manually, it can take up to 7 working days. You'll see the expected time in the app. Uploading the right letter straight away is the quickest way to get trading.
4. Verify your identity
The person who owns the bank account from Step 3 completes this step.
South African citizens: enter your 13-digit ID number and take a short live selfie. We match the selfie to your photo at Home Affairs. It takes seconds and you don't need any documents.
For the selfie to pass:
Use your phone where possible.
Face a light source; avoid a window or lamp behind you.
Remove glasses, hats and masks.
Keep a neutral expression and hold still until the scan finishes.
Asked to photograph your ID document?
This happens if Home Affairs doesn't have a photo of you on record, or if your selfie can't be matched to it after a few tries. You can still verify straight away:
Photograph one of these: your smart ID card, green barcoded ID book or South African passport.
Retake the selfie. It must be of the same person as the document.
Make sure the document is original, not expired, and fully in frame, with all four corners visible and no glare.
Not a South African citizen?
Select I don't have a South African ID. You'll photograph the photo page of your valid passport, then take a selfie. You'll also need a work permit (Step 5).
Asylum seekers and refugees: email a valid Asylum Seeker Temporary Permit, Formal Recognition of Refugee Status or Red Refugee Book to [email protected]. We'll review your document within 7 working days.
Other identity issues
Opening a new Yoco profile? You'll need to verify your identity again. We can't reuse the identity verification from a previous profile.
5. Upload your work permit (non-SA citizens only)
Your permit or visa must:
be issued by the Department of Home Affairs
be in your name and not expired
state that you may work, conduct business or be employed in South Africa
Visitor, entry and exit stamps don't qualify.
Renewing your permit? Upload the expired permit together with your renewal receipt. Passport expired but permit still valid? Upload the permit.
Review time: up to 7 working days.
After you submit
Once you've completed all the steps, we run our final checks automatically. This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes, so you don't need to contact us during this time.
Status | What it means |
Verified | Done, no action needed. |
In review | We're checking manually. This can take up to 7 days. The app shows the expected time. |
Action needed | We need something from you. The app shows exactly what's missing. |
Verification failed | Our final checks didn't pass. See "If your verification failed" below. |
If your verification failed
Once all your steps are verified, we run final checks on your business and on you. We check what you sell against the businesses we can support, and we run the screening checks we're required to do by law.
If these checks don't pass, we may ask you for more information first (you'll see Action needed). In some cases, we can't offer you a Yoco account. This can be because of what the business sells (see businesses we can't support from T&Cs) or because of the results of our regulatory checks.
If we can share the reason, you'll see it in the rejection message in the app. For legal reasons, we can't always share the specific reason for a decline.
We asked for more information
Sometimes we need extra checks before activating you, for example on your business category or website, or proof of address or income. You'll see a request in the app listing what's needed. Replying quickly is the fastest way to get activated.
When can I take payments?
As soon as every step shows Verified and our final checks are done, you'll see a success screen in the Yoco App. That means your profile is active and you're ready to take payments.
Need to change something?
Entered the wrong details before activation? Please reach out to Yoco Support via our in-app chat to reset your onboarding.
Wrong business type before activation? Please reach out to Yoco Support via our in-app chat to reset your onboarding.
Already live and need a different bank account? Please see article here.
Still stuck?
Chat to us in the Yoco App. To help us resolve it faster, tell us which step you're stuck on and what the error message says.