Artifact Signing organization identity validation repeatedly requests Category 1 documents with no reason given

Altana 0 Reputation points
2026-09-07T13:16:58.6166667+00:00 
I'm onboarding to Artifact Signing and my organization identity validation has returned to Action Required three times over the past week. Each time I get the same "identity validation requires additional documents to complete the request" email asking for a Category 1 document.

I have submitted two so far. First, a state issued certificate of good standing for the company. Second, a recent bank statement showing the company name and business address. Both were uploaded unaltered, and both show as uploaded in the portal, but neither completed the validation and the emails never say what was missing or insufficient.

The FAQ says onboarding cannot proceed once the three document attempts are exhausted... So I have the following questions:

1. Is there anywhere in the portal that shows the reviewer's reason? 

2. The address on the request includes a suite line. Neither document shows that suite line, though the street, city, state and postal code all match exactly. Does the address on the document have to match the request character for character, including a suite or unit? If so, which document type is typically accepted to evidence a suite address?

3. Is a shared office or mail forwarding address acceptable for an organization Public Trust validation at all? If it's not, I would rather withdraw the request and file a new one against a different address than exhaust the final attempt on a request that cannot succeed.

Has anyone been through this and gotten a straight answer on what the reviewers actually check?
Artifact Signing
Artifact Signing

A fully managed end-to-end service for digitally signing code, documents, and applications. (formerly Trusted Signing)

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  1. SHOUMIK CHAKRAVARTY 580 Reputation points
    2026-09-07T16:09:19.2966667+00:00

    Hello @Altana - Your current identity‑validation request likely can't be fixed by uploading a third document. The QuickStart says that if you need to change information after a request is created, you must submit a new identity‑validation request, so the address you entered isn’t something this request can revise. If the suite line is the mismatch, attempt three will almost certainly fail the same way as the first two.

    1. Why no reviewer reason in the portal? There's no portal surface that shows the reviewer's reason. The only way to get a specific reason is through an Azure Support case tied to your identity-validation request. The FAQ also notes that requests can't be expedited and creating additional requests doesn't help.

    2. Does the suite line matter? Yes. The Documents must list the company name and address as provided in the request. If your request includes a suite line but none of your documents do, that's a visible mismatch against that standard.

    For address evidence: the Microsoft PKI Services Third-Party CPS (the policy the Public Trust model is issued under) permits address verification via a bank statement, utility bill, credit card statement, or tax document so your bank statement was an acceptable type of evidence. That points more toward an address mismatch than a wrong choice of document

    Also, the QuickStart's named official business documents are the business registration form, business charter, and articles of incorporation. A certificate of good standing likely doesn't map to any of those, so it may not have carried the weight of a primary document even though it's a legitimate business record.

    3. Shared office / mail-forwarding address Microsoft doesn’t publish a rule on this. What is documented is that government agency records are listed first among the acceptable sources for verifying an organization’s identity and address. That isn’t described as “strongest,” but it is the source least likely to create a formatting mismatch. In practice, the address most likely to validate is the one on your state registration. If that filing leaves out the suite line and your request includes it, you’ve introduced a difference that none of your available documents can resolve.

    What to do next:

    Open an Azure Support case before using attempt three. Ask two things: • What exactly failed on the submitted documents? • Can the address you entered validate at all?

    Steps to open the support case:

    • Sign in to the Azure Portal.
    • Select Help + Support from the left menu.
    • Choose Create a support request.
    • Select Technical issue.
    • Choose your subscription and the Artifact Signing resource.
    • Pick the closest problem type available.
    • Describe the issue, include your identity‑validation request ID, and ask the two questions above.

    If support confirms the address is the blocker, delete the request and submit a new one using the exact address from your state registration, including omitting the suite line if the filing omits it.

    For the new request, use your articles of incorporation or business registration form as the primary document, and keep the certificate of good standing and bank statement as supporting evidence.

    The FAQ also notes that you can delete the Artifact Signing account if onboarding cannot proceed, so you are not billed for unused resources.

    Help make this community better for everyone: if this answer resolved your issue, please accept it or leave an upvote. If not, share more details in a comment so we can continue the discussion and find the right solution.

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