How to register and get verified

Verification builds the trust that gives homeowners confidence to hire you — but most of it is optional to get started. Document verification (ID, insurance) is optional throughout registration, and the only point you're required to verify your identity is before sending a quote on a marketplace job (a lead posted publicly on TruePro) — quoting your own direct customers never requires it. Each optional step takes a few minutes to submit, with review results typically within one to three business days. Your cellphone number and email address are different — both are required, and you'll need to verify them before you can use the rest of your workspace at all (see below). Banking details aren't part of registration at all — add them any time from Business Settings once you're ready to get paid.

Step-by-step registration

1. Create your account. Go to TruePro and sign up as a tradesperson. A cellphone number is required — TruePro and customers need a way to reach the business directly, not just by email. You'll also tick a box confirming you've read and accept the Pro Terms of Service and Privacy Policy — this is the one and only place you do this; there's no separate signing step later on. You don't need to verify your cellphone number with the SMS code right away — it doesn't hold up the rest of registration — but you will need to before you can use your workspace once you've finished the required steps below (see below), so it's worth doing early.
2. Enter your business details. Provide your trading name, CIPC registration number (if registered), and the trade categories you operate in. You can select multiple categories — for example, a plumber who also does solar installation can register under both. Choose one as your primary trade, which is shown first on your profile.
3. Set your service areas. Select the suburbs and regions you work in, or a radius from a base address. You will only receive leads from jobs posted in these areas. This is the last required step — as soon as you save it, your application is submitted; everything from here on is optional and can be finished later.
4. Upload proof of insurance (optional). If you carry public liability insurance, upload your current certificate. Verified insurance earns you the Insured badge and ranks you higher in customer searches. You can skip this step with the "Skip this step" button and add insurance later from your account settings.
5. Add a profile photo (optional). A clear photo of your face — customers see this when you message them or are assigned to a job. This is separate from ID verification and doesn't require any documents, so it's worth adding even if you plan to skip identity verification for now.
6. Upload your South African ID (optional, last step). A clear photo of the front and back of your green ID book or smart ID card, plus a selfie holding it. Your identity is checked against the Department of Home Affairs. The name on your ID must match the name on your account. If you already added a profile photo in the previous step, you won't be asked for it again here. You can skip this step — you'll only be prompted again when you go to send a quote on a marketplace job. Whether you fill it in or skip it, this is where registration ends — you're taken straight to verifying whatever's still outstanding next.

Once you've finished (or skipped) identity, you're taken straight to verifying whatever's still outstanding — your cellphone number (an SMS code) and confirming your email address (the link TruePro emailed you when you signed up) — before you can get into the rest of your workspace and start setting up your profile or browsing leads. Your profile then goes live — and you start receiving job leads — the moment both are done. Any optional steps you completed (identity, insurance, registered company name) are reviewed on top of that, but don't hold up going live unless one of them is still actively pending review. Banking is separate from all of this — it's never required to go live, only to receive a payout, so add it whenever you're ready from Business Settings.

You can revisit any step you skipped at any time from My Account (profile photo, identity, personal details) or Business Settings (insurance, banking, service areas, public profile).

Changed your number or moved to a new email address? Update either one from the Personal details card in My Account. Changing your cellphone number always sends a fresh SMS code to the new number, and changing your email always sends a confirmation link to the new address — in both cases the old one stays in effect until you verify the new one, so you're never locked out mid-change. This is your personal cellphone number, used for TruePro notifications and OTP codes — a separate business phone number that customers can call is set on your Public Profile page instead.

If you skipped identity and later try to send a quote on a marketplace job, you don't need to go find the identity page yourself — a box pops up right there on the quote asking for your ID document and selfie (plus a profile photo too, if you haven't already added one). Fill it in and hit "Verify & send quote" and you're done: your quote is queued and will go out to the customer automatically the moment your ID is approved (usually within 1 business day) — you don't need to come back and send it again.

Verification badges and what they mean

• Identity Verified — your South African ID has been confirmed. Required before you can send a quote on a marketplace lead (quoting your own direct customers never requires it).
• Identity Not Verified — a grey badge shown next to your listing while your South African ID is still outstanding. You're listed and can be found by homeowners either way — this badge just shows what's still outstanding until you submit your ID.
• Fully Verified — your identity and banking details have both been approved by TruePro. This means every claim you have made about yourself has been confirmed, and customers can see your profile is fully checked out.
• Insured — you carry verified public liability insurance. Insured pros appear at the top of customer search results and earn up to 23 bonus points on their trust score. This badge is separate from Fully Verified — a pro can be Fully Verified with or without insurance.

Each badge is displayed on your public profile. Homeowners can see exactly which checks have been completed before they decide to hire you.

What if my application is declined?

If a document is unclear or does not meet requirements, the TruePro team will contact you with specific feedback. Common issues include expired insurance certificates, ID photos that are too dark or blurry, or a mismatch between the name on the ID and the bank account. A password-protected insurance PDF is rejected immediately on upload rather than waiting for review — remove the password or upload a photo of the certificate instead. You can resubmit corrected documents at any time.