UPDATE: I think I know the reason the issue occurred (and I have "resolved" it). I am an individual (I don't have a limited company) but the payments profile used to buy the google play console access is an organisation one so it was trying to verify me as an organisation. There is no way to fix this without creating a new account and moving your apps over (or starting a limited company), so I created an individual payments profile and google play console account and moved the apps over. Pro tip: don't make your payments profile or google play console an account an organisation unless you have created an organisation such as a limited company.

EDIT: I've posted an update on this, and it's not good news: https://redd.it/12hcsw0

TL;DR I am a long time app developer and my google payments verification failed (even though forms filled in as instructed), google won't tell me exactly why, doesn't provide a way to appeal and support don't help. Do you know a way to help?

Background: I've been on the Google Play Store since 2015, one of my games has been moderately successful so I get a small side income from it, most of my revenue is in-app purchase.

In October, I was told by Google "To comply with those regulations, please provide us with additional information about your business for your payments profile ID through this form." (https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/contact/verification_svida)

It asks for your ID, proof of address and bank account that payments go in to. I filled it in.

No response from Google.

Just over a month later I get emails from users that they can't make in-app purchases in my app. I investigated and it ends up Google has suspended by payments account.

I talk to support saying I filled it in and had no response. Always got told they need to contact the verification team and they will get back to me soon.

It took many attempts with support to finally get a response from the verification team. And it said:

"After reviewing this account, it was decided that it has failed the verification process due to a Developer Programme Policies or Google Payments Terms of Service violation. As a result, it will remain suspended. Please refer to one of the above links if you have any further questions."

It does not specify what the violation is and I had a read and I don't see anything I could be doing wrong. And provides no way of appealing even though the support page says:

"If you failed verification, you'll receive an email shortly after the decision. To appeal the decision, follow the instructions in the email." https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/answer/7159033?hl=en

I got in contact with support repeatedly again specifying that I need to know the reason why.

And I finally got a response from the payment verification team again, with the same generic message!

This is pretty shocking to me. I've had apps with no issues for years and there is no real support in solving why they can't verify my identity.

Has anyone experienced this issue before? Do you know how to help?

Thanks so much for reading, let's hope we can get this solved!

Hi everyone, I'm having an ongoing issue with the identity verification process on Google Play Console, and I need your help. I am trying to create a developer profile, but every time I submit documents for proof of address, they are rejected. I have submitted a government-issued certificate of residence and utility bills, but all of them have been rejected. Google support keeps telling me that the documents I submitted are not supported, but they don't provide a clear explanation why. I need to understand why my government-issued document is being rejected and what specific criteria it fails to meet. Additionally, I need guidance on what type of document I can submit to successfully complete the verification process. If anyone has faced similar issues or knows how to resolve this, please share your insights. It's causing significant delays and frustration. Thank you in advance for your help!