FICA Verification
FICA (Financial Intelligence Centre Act) compliance is a legal requirement for accountable institutions in South Africa, including law firms and accounting practices. HeyKazi provides a structured, checklist-driven approach to FICA onboarding that guides your team through identity verification, document collection, and risk assessment for each client.
The FICA workflow integrates with the customer onboarding lifecycle and the information requests module. It surfaces a compliance status card on each customer’s detail page and supports both manual verification and AI-assisted document review.
Key Concepts
FICA Onboarding Status
Each customer has a FICA status derived from the progress of their onboarding checklist.
| Status | Badge colour | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Not Started | Grey | No FICA onboarding request has been created for this customer yet. |
| In Progress | Amber | An onboarding request exists and is awaiting client response or firm-side review. |
| Done | Green | All checklist items have been completed and signed off. The customer is FICA-compliant. |
The FICA status card on the customer detail page shows the current status, the date of last verification (when done), and a link to the originating information request.
Compliance Packs
FICA requirements vary based on the type of client. HeyKazi ships pre-configured compliance packs:
| Pack | For | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SA FICA — Individual | Individual clients | Covers identity document verification, proof of address, source of funds, risk assessment, and compliance sign-off. |
| SA FICA — Company | Company/entity clients | Covers company registration documents, director identification, beneficial ownership, and entity risk assessment. |
Each compliance pack defines a checklist template, custom fields for capturing structured data (such as ID numbers and risk ratings), and document retention rules.
Checklist Items (Individual Client)
The individual client FICA checklist includes the following steps, in order:
| Step | Required | Documents | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verify identity document | Yes | Certified copy of SA ID or passport | Confirm the client’s identity using an official document. |
| Verify proof of address | Yes | Utility bill, bank statement, or municipal account (not older than 3 months) | Confirm the client’s residential address with recent documentation. |
| Confirm source of funds | Yes | Source of funds documentation | Obtain documentation confirming how the client’s income or funds originate. |
| Perform risk assessment | Yes | — | Classify the client’s risk rating (Low, Medium, or High) based on the FICA risk matrix. Depends on identity verification being completed first. |
| Confirm FICA compliance sign-off | Yes | — | A senior compliance officer signs off on the client’s FICA compliance. Depends on the risk assessment being completed first. |
Some checklist items have dependencies. For example, the risk assessment cannot be started until identity verification is complete. These dependencies are enforced automatically.
Running FICA Onboarding
Step 1 — Open the customer detail page
Navigate to the customer who needs FICA onboarding.
Step 2 — Check the FICA status card
The FICA status card appears on the customer detail page. If the status shows Not Started, you need to initiate the onboarding process.
Step 3 — Create an information request
Use the Information Requests module to send a FICA onboarding pack to the client. This creates the checklist and notifies the client to provide the required documents.
Step 4 — Collect and review documents
As the client uploads documents (ID copy, proof of address, source of funds), review each one against the checklist requirements. Mark each item as complete when satisfied.
Step 5 — Complete the risk assessment
Once the identity has been verified, perform the risk assessment. Select the appropriate risk rating (Low, Medium, or High) using the custom field on the customer record.
Step 6 — Sign off
A senior compliance officer reviews the completed checklist and signs off on FICA compliance. The status moves to Done and the verification date is recorded.
KYC Identity Verification
For the identity verification step, HeyKazi provides an integrated KYC (Know Your Customer) verification dialog. This allows you to verify a client’s identity electronically against government databases.
Step 1 — Open the verification dialog
From the identity verification checklist item, click the verification action to open the KYC dialog.
Step 2 — Enter client details
Fill in the required fields:
- ID Number — the client’s South African ID number or passport number
- Full Name — the client’s full legal name
- ID Document Type (optional) — SA ID Card, Smart ID Card, or Passport
Step 3 — Acknowledge consent
Check the consent acknowledgement confirming that the client has given explicit written consent for identity verification against government databases, as required by POPIA and FICA.
Step 4 — Submit verification
Click Verify. The system sends the request to the configured KYC provider.
Verification Results
| Result | Description |
|---|---|
| Verified | The identity was confirmed against the government database. A provider reference and timestamp are recorded. |
| Not Verified | The identity could not be confirmed. A reason is provided (for example, ID number does not match). |
| Needs Review | The provider validated the format but could not confirm against a live database. Manual review of the physical ID document is required. |
| Error | A technical error occurred. Retry the verification or contact support. |
KYC verification requires an active integration with a verification provider (such as VerifyNow or Check ID SA). Configure this in your organisation’s integration settings.
AI-Assisted FICA Verification
When an AI provider is configured (via Settings > AI), HeyKazi can use AI to assist with FICA document verification. The AI reads uploaded documents and evaluates them against the checklist requirements.
Prerequisites
- An Anthropic API key must be configured in Settings > AI
- At least one document must be uploaded for the customer
- There must be pending checklist items to verify
How It Works
Click Verify with AI on the FICA Verification panel (visible on the customer detail page). The AI:
- Reads the uploaded documents for the customer
- Evaluates each pending checklist item against the document contents
- Produces a structured result with findings per item
- Creates execution gates for items that require human approval before changes are applied
The panel shows the AI’s findings, the execution cost, and the processing time. Items flagged for approval require a user with the AI Review capability to approve or reject before they take effect.
AI verification does not auto-complete checklist items. Every AI recommendation passes through an execution gate that requires explicit human approval. This ensures a human is always in the loop for compliance decisions.
Custom Fields
FICA compliance packs automatically provision custom fields on the customer record for capturing structured compliance data:
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SA ID Number | Text | The client’s South African identity number. |
| Passport Number | Text | The client’s passport number (for non-SA citizens). |
| Risk Rating | Select (Low / Medium / High) | The client’s FICA risk classification. |
These fields appear in the FICA Compliance field group on the customer detail page.
Data Retention
FICA compliance packs include retention rules that ensure records are kept for the legally required periods:
- Customer records: flagged for retention review 5 years (1,825 days) after offboarding
- Audit events: flagged for retention review 7 years (2,555 days) after creation
These retention flags surface in the system when the retention period elapses, prompting a review before any data is removed.
Tips and Best Practices
- Start FICA onboarding early — initiate the process as soon as a client is onboarded, before substantive work begins
- Use AI verification to accelerate review — AI can pre-screen documents and flag issues, but always have a compliance officer perform the final sign-off
- Keep documents current — proof of address must be no older than 3 months; set calendar reminders for periodic re-verification of existing clients
- Document the risk rationale — when assigning a risk rating, add notes explaining the basis for the classification
- Leverage information requests — use the information requests module to formally request documents from clients, creating a clear audit trail of what was requested and when
Related Features
- Customers — FICA status is displayed on the customer detail page
- Information Requests — FICA onboarding is delivered through information request packs
- Custom Fields and Tags — FICA compliance data is captured via custom fields
- AI Assistant — AI-assisted verification uses the AI infrastructure
- AI Specialists — the FICA Verification specialist reviews documents and proposes checklist completion (with attorney sign-off)