Refusals and appeals

When a case is refused

You see the decision and its reason in the portal. Reasons come from a fixed list, so you always know what the reviewer found: for example that the video did not show a live person clearly, that the face matched another member’s, or that the phone could not be confirmed.

A refusal does not take your Federal ID away. You keep your number and your account at Level 0.

One appeal

You may appeal once, within 30 days of the decision. A different reviewer looks at the case, and for Level 3 two reviewers must agree. Their decision is final for that case.

Reapplying

After a refusal you can apply again 30 days later. A case that was closed as “ask for more” is not a refusal: answer the request and you keep your place in the queue.

Possible duplicates

If your face fingerprint is close to an existing member’s, your case is not refused by a machine. It is flagged to the reviewer, who sees both cases side by side with the other signals (phone, membership account) and may ask the existing member for a fresh capture. The same goes for a phone number or a membership account used on more than one Federal ID.

What is kept after a refusal

• Your face video and any photographs are deleted 90 days after the final decision, appeal included.
• If a case was refused for fraud, the face fingerprint is kept for two years as a deny-list, so the same face cannot simply try again under a new account. This period is subject to legal review.
• The decision, its reason, the reviewer and the time stay in the audit log.

Full detail is in the retention schedule.

If you think the decision is wrong

Appeal in the portal first. If you believe OFIS handled your case or your data unfairly, write to grievance@federal.africa.