Method
How an appraisal works.
Every application follows the same sequence. Payment is verified on our server before any appraisal work begins, and no report is released until a human assessor has reviewed the automated output.
- 01
You apply and upload one certificate
Complete the application form with your name, email, country, institution, certificate type and title, and any certificate number or issue date you can read from the document.
Upload the certificate as PDF, JPG or PNG under 4 MB. We check the file signature rather than trusting the file extension. Documents are stored in private storage and are never served publicly.
- 02
You receive a reference and pay
We create a unique application reference such as CS-7F3K-9QP2 and email it to you. The reference is the key to your application and your report verification page.
You continue to Payhip's hosted checkout. The application reference is attached to the payment as checkout metadata, which is how we match the payment to your file.
- 03
We verify the payment
Payhip notifies our server when a payment succeeds. We verify the webhook signature using Payhip's documented method, then validate the product, transaction identifier, amount, currency and application reference.
Only then does the application enter the appraisal queue. Returning to a browser page after checkout does not mark anything as paid. Duplicate notifications are ignored, and refunds are handled by a separate event.
- 04
Automated extraction and assessment
The document is processed to extract text and, where a vision-capable model is configured, examined as an image. The model records the holder name, institution, qualification title, dates and certificate number where visible.
It also records document quality, missing information and any inconsistency between the document and the details you supplied. The result is a structured assessment, not a verdict.
- 05
Human review
An assessor reviews the automated output, the document and the application. The assessor records the final outcome and may add verification notes.
Where a Verified outcome is recorded, the assessor must also record how the issuing institution was contacted and what it confirmed. The system refuses to issue a Verified report without those details.
- 06
Report and verification
We generate a signed PDF report containing the applicant and certificate details, the outcome, the verification method, the evidence and sources considered, the findings, the scope and limitations, and the issue date.
The report carries a QR code and a verification address. Anyone can open the verification page with the reference and see the report number, outcome and issue date without accessing your uploaded document.
The five outcomes
The outcome describes what the evidence supports. Only Verified involves confirmation from the issuing institution.
- Verified
- The award was confirmed independently by the issuing institution, and the confirmation details are recorded in the report.
- Inconclusive
- The available evidence was insufficient to establish authenticity. No material inconsistency was identified and no issuer confirmation was obtained.
- Discrepancy Detected
- Material inconsistencies were identified in the document, or between the document and the details supplied by the applicant.
- Unable to Assess
- Document quality, completeness or missing information prevented a meaningful assessment.
- Under Review
- Manual verification is ongoing. Any report issued at this stage is interim.
A note on automated assessment
AI document analysis is useful for extraction and for spotting inconsistencies. It is not independent proof of authenticity. A forged document can be described as visually consistent, and a genuine document can look unusual. That is why the report separates document assessment from issuer verification, and why the model is not permitted to record a Verified outcome.