> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.useprivatus.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.useprivatus.com/compliance/kyc-and-travel-rule.md).

# KYC & Travel Rule

This page details identity verification and cross-border compliance mechanics for Privatus accounts.

***

## Verification by tier

What Privatus asks of you depends on the tier you use, because verification depth is matched to privacy depth.

**Shadow Lite and Shadow Agent** require an email address and an on-chain wallet attestation. No identity documents are collected. Agent accounts inherit this from the operator account that deploys them.

**Shadow Pro** requires identity verification, completed once through Privatus's KYC provider (Persona or an equivalent regulated provider):

1. Submit a photo of a government-issued ID
2. Complete a liveness check (a short selfie video, matched against the ID photo)
3. Provide proof of address (a recent utility bill or bank statement)
4. Verification typically completes within minutes; some cases route to manual review

**Shadow Enterprise** requires full KYB documentation: incorporation records and beneficial ownership information, reviewed directly by compliance before Layer 4 privacy features are enabled.

***

## Verification tiers and limits

| Tier                       | Daily limit        | Requirements                                       |
| -------------------------- | ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Shadow Lite / Shadow Agent | Up to $2,500       | Email, on-chain wallet attestation                 |
| Shadow Pro                 | Up to $25,000      | Government ID, liveness check, proof of address    |
| Shadow Enterprise          | Custom, negotiated | KYB documentation, beneficial ownership disclosure |

Limits above the Enterprise baseline are handled case by case and typically involve direct compliance review.

***

## Travel Rule mechanics

The Travel Rule requires financial institutions to share originator and beneficiary information for transfers above a jurisdictional threshold (the FATF baseline of USD/EUR 1,000 applies in most of Privatus's initial markets). When a transfer involves a regulated institution, Privatus supports compliance through three mechanisms:

1. **Counterparty screening:** before a transfer above the threshold settles, the recipient's address is screened against sanctions and risk lists via Chainalysis or TRM Labs.
2. **Selective disclosure exchange:** if the receiving institution is a regulated entity requiring Travel Rule data, the required originator and beneficiary information is exchanged directly with that institution's compliance system, using view key-based disclosure, not the public chain.
3. **Encrypted amount, disclosed identity:** the transfer amount itself remains encrypted on-chain throughout this process. Travel Rule compliance concerns identity information, not transaction amounts, and Privatus treats those as separable. Compliance data flows through compliance channels; the public ledger never carries plaintext amounts.

Because Privatus is non-custodial infrastructure, obligations that attach to custodial institutions remain with the regulated institutions on either side of a transfer, and with agent operators for their agents' activity. Privatus provides the disclosure tooling that lets those obligations be met without public exposure.

***

## What triggers additional review

* Transfers above your tier's limit
* Transfers to or from an address flagged by sanctions or risk screening
* Patterns consistent with structuring (multiple transfers just under a reporting threshold)

Flagged transactions may be held pending manual compliance review. If this happens to a transfer you've initiated, you'll be notified in-app.

***

## Next

* [Regulatory Framework](/compliance/regulatory-framework.md)
* [Selective Disclosure & Audit Export](/privacy-and-confidential-transfers/selective-disclosure.md)


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