01 — Apply
The business submits an application with the information required for the certification level it has selected. That captures the legal identity, country of operation, industry and an authorised contact. Choosing the right level now saves a round trip later, so read the requirements first.
02 — Submit
The business provides the documents and supporting information VBC requests. At Basic this is registration and contact information. At Enhanced it also covers registered address and website ownership. At Trusted it extends to trading activity and a live check.
03 — Verify
A reviewer checks the business information and the supporting evidence provided, and consults independent sources where the level calls for it. Inconsistencies are queried rather than assumed either way.
04 — Evaluate
The submitted information is assessed against the relevant VBC verification and certification criteria for the level applied for. This is the stage where a decision is actually formed, and it is deliberately separate from collecting the evidence.
05 — Certify
Businesses that meet the applicable requirements receive VBC certification. There are three possible outcomes. Approved — the evidence supports certification at the level applied for. Returned — something is missing or unclear, and we say exactly what. Declined — the evidence does not support certification at that level; where a lower level would be supportable we say so.
06 — Publish
The certification status is recorded in the VBC public verification system. The certificate is issued with a unique certificate ID, an issue date and an expiry date, the register entry goes live, and the badge licence begins.
07 — Verify online
Customers, partners and other stakeholders can check the certification status at any time through the public verification system, using the certificate ID or the QR code on the certificate. No account is needed and the certified business does not have to be contacted first.
08 — Renew
Certification is subject to its stated validity period and renewal requirements. Certificates do not roll over; renewal is a fresh review against the criteria as they stand at the time. That is what allows a record to mean something about the present rather than about the day the business first applied.
Suspension and revocation
Where we learn that the facts behind a certificate have materially changed, the entry can be suspended while we look into it, or revoked. The record shows the change immediately, and any badge in use stops reflecting a valid certificate because it resolves to the live entry.