Claiming and verifying a place

Claiming and verifying are two different things.

Claiming asks Abonten to move a listing into your account. Verification asks Abonten to review documents and show a Verified badge on it. You can be the owner of a listing without it being verified, and you only claim a listing that is already on Abonten under someone else.

Claiming a listing that is already on Abonten

A place may already be listed — added by another user, or by an Abonten field team — while you, the actual owner, have no control over it.

1. Sign in and open the place page.
2. Choose Claim this place. It appears only when you are not already the owner.
3. Add a note, a contact phone and email, and any supporting documents.
4. Submit. You can have one pending claim per place.

Abonten staff review claims. When a decision is made you are notified in the app:

• Approved — the listing moves to your account and is marked claimed. You can now edit everything.
• Rejected — the listing stays as it was. You can claim again with better evidence.

Approving a claim moves ownership. It does not on its own put a Verified badge on the listing — that is a separate review, below.

If the place is not on Abonten yet, do not claim. Add it yourself.

Verifying your place

Verification is optional and free. Your listing works either way.

1. Open Manage › Places, pick the place, and go to the Verification tab. In the app it is Account › Places › your place › Verification.
2. Read what the badge means and what you can send.
3. Choose Start verification.
4. Add at least one document. Photograph it, pick it from your gallery, or attach a PDF.
5. Add the registered name and a note if anything needs explaining.
6. Choose Send for review.

What you can send

You do not need all of these, and there is no single document Abonten insists on. Send whatever you have that shows the business is real and connected to you:

• a business registration certificate
• a business operating permit from your district assembly
• a licence or permit for your kind of business
• a TIN certificate
• a lease or tenancy agreement for the premises
• a recent utility bill addressed to the business
• a letter on the business's letterhead saying you manage it

If the documents are in someone else's name — a parent, a spouse, a business partner — say so in the note and send a letter from them if you can. A reviewer would rather read the explanation than guess.

What happens next

• Sending documents does not verify you on its own. A reviewer looks at what you sent.
• We may come back and ask for something else before deciding.
• You are notified when a decision is made, and told the reason if it is not approved.
• If it is not approved, you can send a new request with different documents.

Abonten does not publish a review time. You will be notified when your request has been looked at.

What a Verified badge means

It means Abonten reviewed documents supporting this business's registration and its link to the account that manages the listing.

It is not a statement about the business's service, prices, safety or quality, and it is not an endorsement by Abonten.

Owners cannot set the badge themselves. It is granted only by an Abonten reviewer.

When a badge is removed

• If the listing changes owner, the badge is removed automatically. The new owner can apply again.
• If evidence turns out to be false, a reviewer removes the badge and tells you why.
• If a listing is unpublished or archived, the badge simply stops being visible. Publishing it again brings it back.

Your documents

They are stored privately. Only Abonten reviewers can open them, through links that expire after a few minutes. They are never shown on your listing, never given to other users, and are deleted once they are no longer needed. The retention period is being confirmed — see the Privacy Policy.

Disputes

If someone else claims a place you own, Abonten reviews both sides' evidence. Claiming a business you do not own, or sending documents that are not yours, breaks the Terms and can lead to account restriction.

Listings made by an Abonten field team

If an Abonten team member listed your business with your consent, the listing was created under your account from the start — you do not need to claim it. Sign in with the phone number that received the consent code to find it under Account › Places in the app, or Manage › Places on the web.

A field-team listing is not verified by that process. If you want the badge, apply for verification the same way as any other owner.