Before you start
Get ready in two minutes
Clear, current documents are the difference between a badge in seconds and a second try. The checks you see in the app depend on the trades you work.
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Have your phone and ID number with you
The two quickest checks take a minute each, and three others lean on your ID check.
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Photograph in daylight
A clear photo or a PDF. Daylight, no glare, every corner in frame, nothing covered.
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Use recent documents
Proof of address under three months old. A lease, a SARS letter or a policy schedule can be up to a year.
What you earn
The badges you earn
Your profile climbs a rung as each check passes. Homeowners see the rung on every quote you send.
- Listed Where every profile starts.
- ID Verified Your ID check has passed.
- Background Checked Your ID and background checks have both passed.
- Verified Pro Phone, ID, address and background, plus the registration your trade requires, where it has one.
Public liability, memberships and qualifications never hold a rung back. They are earned on top.
The checks
One by one
Open a check for what it proves, how it runs, what to have ready and what happens to your details.
Check 1 · Identity Phone number
A code by SMS. Done in a minute. About a minute
What it proves. That the number on your profile is yours and answers. It is the number a homeowner reaches you on once you are hired, so it has to be real.
How it works
- Type in your South African mobile number.
- We send a six-digit code by SMS. Type it in.
- The badge goes live the moment the code matches. Nobody reviews it, and nothing waits in a queue.
What you need
- A South African mobile number that can receive SMS
Good to know
- A code that has expired or was mistyped can be sent again. After too many wrong codes the check pauses for a few minutes, to keep your number safe.
Never shown on your profile. A homeowner gets your number only once you are hired.
Check 2 · Identity ID check
Your ID number and a selfie. Done in a minute. Under a minute
What it proves. That the person a homeowner is dealing with is you: your name and photo match a government-issued ID.
How it works
- Type in your 13-digit ID number.
- Take a selfie. It is matched against the photo Home Affairs holds for that number.
- Usually done in under a minute. The badge goes live the moment it clears.
What you need
- Your 13-digit South African ID number
- Your phone, for a live selfie. The check works best from a phone rather than a computer.
- Good light, straight at the camera, nothing in front of your face. Glasses off if you can.
Don't have a South African ID?
Upload your passport, and the permit or visa that lets you work in South Africa, photographed in daylight with every corner in frame. A person on our team reads it, usually within a few days.
Good to know
- Three attempts a day. If the selfie does not match, try again in better light.
- One ToolBox Pro account per ID number.
- If the check cannot decide on its own, a person on our team takes a look, usually within a day.
Checked in South Africa by VerifyNow against Home Affairs. The selfie is deleted once the check has run, and no picture of your ID is ever taken.
Check 3 · Identity Proof of address
A recent bill, statement or lease Seconds, or within a day
What it proves. That you or your business can be found at a real address. It is what makes a homeowner comfortable opening the door.
How it works
- We read the name, address and date off the first page and check them against your profile. Usually done in seconds.
- If anything needs a second look, a person on our team checks it, usually within a day.
- The badge goes live the moment it clears. Homeowners see the badge, never the document.
What you need
- Your home or business address on your profile. Either one counts.
- A PDF from your banking app, or a clear photo of the page.
- A JPEG, PNG or PDF under 10 MB, in your name or the business name
The quickest way: check your records first
Once your ID check has passed, we can confirm a home address from the records held for your ID number, or a business address from the CIPC register, where you are listed as an active director. No paperwork, a few seconds. If your records do not match, which is common, one recent document does it.
Or send one document
Dated in the last three months
- Bank statement
- Municipal account
- Levy statement
- Cellphone or fibre account
- Store account
Up to a year old
- Lease
- Insurance policy schedule
- SARS letter
- Tax certificate (IT3(b))
- TV licence
- Vehicle licence renewal
- CIPC document, for a business address
- For a business address
- An account in the business name from the municipality, the bank or the network, a levy statement, the CIPC registration document showing the address, a lease for the premises, or a SARS letter or tax certificate for the business.
- The account is in someone else's name
- A short signed letter from the person the account is in, saying you live at this address, with their account next to it in the same photo. A person on our team reads it.
Good to know
- A PDF locked with a password will not open. Save or print it as a new PDF first.
- Up to five documents a day.
- If you move, the badge comes off until you prove the new address.
We read the first page only, so cover the amounts if you like. Seen by our verification team, never by homeowners, and deleted a month after the check settles.
Check 4 · Safety Background check
Fingerprints at an MIE site, checked by SAPS About two days once your prints are in
What it proves. That you have no criminal record. Homeowners rate this above every other check, because it answers the question they will not ask you out loud.
How it works
- You agree, and we book you in with MIE, the background-screening company whose sites take fingerprints for the police.
- Walk into any MIE fingerprint site within 20 days. It takes about ten minutes; bring your ID.
- SAPS checks your fingerprints, usually within two days. Once the clearance reaches us, we update your ToolBox profile and your Safety badge goes live.
What you need
- Your ID check, passed first. The SAPS booking is made in that name and ID number.
- Your ID and your booking reference at the MIE counter
- Nothing to pay. ToolBox pays for this check.
Good to know
- Your booking reference arrives by notification, usually within a working day, with the fingerprint sites near you.
- A booking is valid for 20 days. If it runs out, book again whenever you are ready.
- A clearance is valid for two years. We ask you to renew it after that.
- A record found is not an automatic no. A person on our team weighs the outcome MIE sends us against a written policy, and tells you privately in the app.
Your fingerprints are captured by MIE and checked by SAPS. We keep the result and the reference, never the report.
Check 5 · Trade credentials Trade registration
The registration your trade requires by law. Seconds, or within a day
What it proves. That you are registered or accredited for the work with the body that governs your trade. Verified Pro asks for at least one registration that covers your trade. Add every one you hold: each shows as its own badge.
How it works
- Type in the number on your card.
- Add a photo of the card or certificate.
- For PIRB, NHBRC and SAQCC Gas, we check the number on the register the moment you submit, and a clean match goes live in seconds. Anything else, a person on our team reads, usually within a day.
What you need
- Your registration number, as printed on your card
- A clear photo of the card or certificate
- Your ID check, ideally passed first. The name on the register has to match it.
Find your trade
- PIRB registration Renews
Plumbing Industry Registration Board
- Plumber
- Geyser specialist
- Borehole & water specialist
Have ready: PIRB registration number and card
Checked on the register the moment you submit · Look it up (opens in a new tab)
- Registered electrician Held for life
Department of Employment and Labour
- Electrician
- Solar & backup installer
- Security installer
Have ready: Department of Labour registration number and certificate
Read by a person, with the body's online lookup · Look it up (opens in a new tab)
- NHBRC registration Renews
National Home Builders Registration Council
- Builder
Have ready: NHBRC registration certificate
Checked on the register the moment you submit · Look it up (opens in a new tab)
- SAQCC Gas registration Renews
SAQCC Gas
- Geyser specialist
- Braai & fireplace builder
- Aircon & heating specialist
Have ready: SAQCC Gas registration card
Checked on the register the moment you submit · Look it up (opens in a new tab)
- PV GreenCard Renews
SAPVIA PV GreenCard
- Solar & backup installer
Have ready: PV GreenCard installer accreditation
Read by a person, with the body's online lookup · Look it up (opens in a new tab)
- PSIRA registration Renews
Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority
- Locksmith
- Security installer
Have ready: PSIRA registration certificate or card
Read by a person, with the body's online lookup · Look it up (opens in a new tab)
- Electric fence installer Held for life
- Security installer
- Fencing & walls specialist
Have ready: Department of Labour electric fence installer registration
Read by a person on our verification team
- PCO registration Renews
- Pest control specialist
Have ready: P-number and PCO registration certificate
Read by a person on our verification team
No registration body for your trade? Tiler, Handyman, Landscaper, Carpenter, Painter, Appliance repair specialist, Roofer, Thatcher, Damp & waterproofing specialist, Ceiling specialist, Pool specialist, Paving specialist, Tree feller, Plasterer, Skip hire & waste removal, Bee removal specialist: there is nothing to register, and your identity and safety checks carry your profile.
Good to know
- Do your ID check first if you can. The name on the register has to match the name on your ID for the badge to go live without a wait.
- When the PIRB, NHBRC and SAQCC Gas register itself confirmed your number, we check it again every month, and nightly in the weeks before it expires, so a renewal shows up on its own.
- If a registration lapses, the badge comes off and your quotes show it as lapsed. Send the renewal and the badge is back the day we verify it.
Your number is checked on the body's own public register. The card is seen only by our verification team, never by homeowners.
Check 6 · Optional Memberships, qualifications and cover
They lift a profile and never count against one. Usually within a few days
Why add them. None is required, and a pro without them is exactly as complete. Each one you add is checked by a person on our team and shows on your profile as its own badge, which is often what wins a close quote.
Memberships and accreditations
Optional. Bodies you belong to and accreditations you hold. They lift a profile and never count against one.
- IOPSA member Institute of Plumbing South Africa. For plumber, geyser specialist, borehole & water specialist.
- ECA(SA) member Electrical Contractors' Association. For electrician, solar & backup installer, security installer.
- CIDB grading Construction Industry Development Board. For builder.
- Master Builders member Master Builders South Africa. For builder.
- SAIDSA member Intruder Detection Services Association. For security installer.
- LASA member Locksmiths Association of South Africa. For locksmith.
- NSPI member National Spa and Pool Institute. For pool specialist.
- SALI member South African Landscapers Institute. For landscaper.
- SABI member South African Irrigation Institute. For landscaper.
- KSA member Kitchen Specialists Association. For carpenter.
- AAAMSA / SAGGA member Aluminium, glass, glazing, ceilings and partitions. For ceiling specialist.
- ITC-SA registered Institute for Timber Construction. For roofer.
- TASA member Thatchers Association of South Africa. For thatcher.
- SAPCA member South African Pest Control Association. For pest control specialist.
- Registered beekeeper Department of Agriculture. For bee removal specialist.
Qualifications
That you trained for the work, and where. Not required by law and never counted against you: it is an extra homeowners see once a person on our team has read the certificate.
A clear photo or PDF of the certificate, with your name, the qualification and the issuer readable.
Public liability
That if something goes wrong on a job, the homeowner is covered. Optional, and a real edge when you carry it.
Your policy schedule, showing the insured name, the cover amount and the renewal date. We will ask for that date once you have chosen the file.
Seen only by our verification team. Never shown to homeowners.
Questions
What pros ask us
How long does vetting take?
Your phone and ID checks take a minute each. Your address clears in seconds from your records or a clear document, and within a day when a person needs to look.
A registration on a live register clears in seconds, otherwise usually within a day. For the background check, your booking reference arrives within a working day, you walk in within 20 days, and SAPS usually answers about two days after your prints are taken.
Anything a person reads, like a passport, a policy schedule or a certificate, usually clears within a few days.
When do I start getting leads?
As soon as your phone, ID and address are verified. Until then no homeowner's job reaches you, and Browse does not show you. After that, among pros near a job, those who have also passed their background check and, where the trade has one, its registration are offered work first; after them, the more required checks passed, the sooner. Insurance and memberships earn badges but do not change the order.
Does vetting cost me anything?
No. None of the checks carries a fee, and ToolBox pays for the fingerprint background check.
In what order should I do the checks?
Phone and ID first: a minute each, and your ID check unlocks three others. The records check for your address, the SAPS booking and the name match on a register all use it. Then your address, then book your fingerprints, then add your trade registration while you wait.
What do homeowners see?
The badges you have earned, each named for its check, and the rung you have reached. Never your documents, your ID number or the report behind a check. Your phone number and your street address reach a homeowner only once you are hired.
What if a check does not go through?
The app tells you why in plain words, and what to change: a clearer photo, a more recent document, the number exactly as your card prints it. Most checks can be tried again straight away.
If we ever decline an application as a whole, we tell you why, unless that would compromise a safety concern or an investigation, and you can apply again once it is fixed.
What if my background check finds a record?
It is not an automatic no. A person on our team weighs the outcome MIE sends us against a written policy, and you hear from us privately in the app. We see that one-line outcome, never the SAPS report, and homeowners see neither.
What happens when a registration or my cover expires?
The badge comes off on the expiry date, and your quotes show the check as lapsed. It is not a sanction; it is what the badge means. Upload the renewal and it goes straight back into review. Where the PIRB, NHBRC and SAQCC Gas register confirmed your number, we keep checking it, so a renewal usually shows up on its own.
I do not have a South African ID.
Upload your passport, and the permit or visa that lets you work in South Africa, photographed in daylight with every corner in frame. A person on our team reads it, usually within a few days.
My trade has no registration body.
Then there is nothing to register, and nothing held against you for it. Your identity and safety checks carry your profile, and you can still reach Verified Pro. That covers 16 trades, among them tiler, handyman, landscaper, carpenter, painter.
Who sees my documents, and how long do you keep them?
A person on our team reviews whatever a register or an automatic check cannot settle on its own. Documents are seen only by our verification team, never by homeowners.
Your selfie is deleted once the ID check is settled, and a proof of address a month after its check settles. We never receive your fingerprints or the SAPS report. For the ID check, the background check and the records lookup, you can withdraw your consent from the Trust Hub at any time, and the badge that rested on it comes down.
Ready when you are
The Trust Hub in ToolBox Pro shows what is done, what is next and what to have ready.
Hiring, not joining? Here is what the badge means for you.