Troubleshooting
My document was rejected
Read the reason before uploading anything again: half of all rejections are fixed by the same document, better scanned.
**Start with the reason, not with hunting for another document.** A rejection nearly always comes with a short reason, and that reason decides whether you need something different or simply to send the same thing another way.
The four reasons, and what to do with each
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| It cannot be read | The same document, better scanned. The commonest |
| It has expired | Get the current one. If it takes time, say when you will have it |
| It is not the document they wanted | Ask which one before sending another |
| Something is missing (a signature, a stamp, a page) | Have it completed at source, do not assemble it yourself |
Important
**A rejection is not a complaint about you.** Whoever reviews usually works from a checklist and flags what does not fit; they are not judging your company or annoyed that you sent it. Treating it as what it is —another step in the process— avoids the two reactions that drag it out: taking offence, or parking it out of awkwardness.
If the reason is not clear
- 1
Ask what exactly is missing
«Rejected» with no reason is a badly closed request, not a mystery of yours.
- 2
Say what you sent and what else you hold
The way out is often a document you already have and they did not know about.
- 3
And confirm before uploading again
A minute confirming beats a second rejection.
Watch out
The most infuriating case and the easiest to avoid: **rejected because the photo is skewed, dark or has a finger across it**. There is nothing wrong with the document, only with how it arrived. If you are photographing it, do it with the paper flat, light in front, and check the corners and dates are legible before uploading. It is the number one reason for rejection and it is fixed on the spot, not by obtaining anything new.
›Do I have to start over?
Almost never. In half the cases the same document, better sent, works.
›It was rejected with no reason given
Ask. With no reason, the request is badly closed.
›Can I send several just in case?
That delays things most: whoever reviews has to decide which counts.
A real case
The situation
A certificate is rejected because the photo is dark and skewed.
What you do
- Re-photographs it with the paper flat and light in front, checking the corners
What you get
The same document is accepted first time, with nothing new obtained.
The situation
A rejection arrives with no reason and the document is parked for two weeks.
What you do
- Asks what exactly is missing and says what other documents they hold
What you get
It emerges that one they already had would do, and the request closes that day.
The situation
The same thing is uploaded again without reading the reason.
What you do
- Reads the reason before touching anything
What you get
Half the rejections are fixed with the same document.
The situation
The rejection is about scan quality.
What you do
- Retakes the capture with better light and framing
What you get
It is accepted second time without asking the issuer for anything.
The situation
The document has expired.
What you do
- Requests the renewal instead of resending
What you get
The real problem is solved rather than the symptom.
The situation
A page of the document is missing.
What you do
- Uploads the complete document
What you get
The rejection does not repeat for the same reason.
This article answers
- my paperwork was rejected
- why is my document being rejected
- what to do if they dont accept what i uploaded
- rejected document how to fix