A government ID — passport, driver's licence or national ID — plus a selfie, reviewed by a human on the Vantloop team. Approval unlocks applications and grants the blue verified badge. Rejected documents are deleted; the decision stays on record. What it proves: the person is real, named, and accountable. What it does not prove: skill — that is what the next rungs are for.

A complete public profile: discipline, skills, level, and shipped work with links and outcomes — what changed because the work existed. Profiles are written by the member in their own words, and only identity-approved members appear in the public directory. What it proves: a real, inspectable record of work. Inflated claims have nowhere to hide — the links either open or they don't.

A practical task in the member's discipline, reviewed against a published rubric, with human review weighted heaviest. Where a task simulates client work, it is paid. Assessment results join the profile as a separate badge — skills-verified is a different claim from ID-verified, and Vantloop never blends the two. Cohorts open category by category.

The first engagement with any client starts as a paid trial at the member's published band, with a two-week checkpoint: continue, adjust, or stop — in writing. No unpaid test projects, no weeks of free "hiring theatre". What it proves: the working relationship itself, on real work, before anyone commits to the long term.