How the dispute resolution process actually works — a plain-language walkthrough

The dispute resolution framework is published in the Announcements category (see: "Dispute resolution framework published — full details"). This post is the plain-language version of how it works in practice. **When would you use it?** The dispute process exists for two scenarios. First: someone claims your business is fraudulent or misrepresenting itself in the registry, and you want to contest that claim. Second: you believe another business in the registry is misrepresenting itself, and you want to flag it. **What happens when a dispute is filed** When a dispute is filed against a passport, the passport holder is notified immediately. The passport is not suspended at this point — it remains active while the dispute is under review. The dispute is reviewed by the AI Verified team within 5 business days. If the dispute has merit (the evidence suggests the passport data is inaccurate or the business is misrepresenting itself), we contact the passport holder and give them 48 hours to respond. If they can provide evidence that the passport data is correct, the dispute is dismissed. If they can't, the passport is suspended pending further review. **What counts as evidence** For disputes about business identity (wrong name, wrong registration number, wrong address): official documents from the relevant national registry are the primary evidence. Companies House records for UK businesses, CIPC records for South African businesses, and so on. For disputes about domain ownership: DNS records and WHOIS data. For disputes about fraudulent representation: this is harder to adjudicate and takes longer. We err on the side of caution — if there's credible evidence of fraud, we suspend the passport while we investigate. **What we don't adjudicate** Commercial disputes between businesses. If you had a bad experience with a verified business, that's not a passport dispute — it's a commercial matter. The dispute process is specifically about the accuracy of the identity record, not about the quality of the business's products or services. **The appeals process** If a passport is suspended following a dispute and the passport holder believes the decision was wrong, they can appeal. Appeals are reviewed by a different team member than the one who made the original decision. The appeal outcome is final.