--- title: The ABCs of Accreditation description: OurCrowd’s platform is currently set up to accept members with accreditation status in their country of residence. What are the criteria, and which actions are required on your part? We have the answers for you below. image: https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/hubfs/20_%20the%20ABCs%20of%20accreditation.jpg --- [![OurCrowd Logo Knowledge-1](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/OurCrowd%20Logo%20Knowledge-1.png?width=1323&name=OurCrowd%20Logo%20Knowledge-1.png "OurCrowd Logo Knowledge-1")](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/) - Invest - [Opportunities](https://www.ourcrowd.com/opportunities) - [How to Invest](https://www.ourcrowd.com/how-to-invest) - Portfolio - [Funded Portfolio](https://www.ourcrowd.com/funded-portfolio) - [Exits](https://www.ourcrowd.com/exits) - [Startup Application](https://www.ourcrowd.com/company/apply) - Network - [For Corporations](https://www.ourcrowd.com/strategic-collaboration-program) - [OurTalent](https://ourtalent.ourcrowd.com/) - [Success Stories](http://ournetwork.ourcrowd.com/success-stories/) - About Us - [About OurCrowd](https://www.ourcrowd.com/about) - [Team](https://www.ourcrowd.com/our-team) - [News](https://www.ourcrowd.com/ourcrowd-news) - [Blog](http://blog.ourcrowd.com/) - [Careers](http://careers.ourcrowd.com/) - [Contact Us](https://www.ourcrowd.com/offices/israel) - Events - [Global Investor Summit](http://summit.ourcrowd.com/) - [Events Calendar](http://events.ourcrowd.com/) - [Join](https://www.ourcrowd.com/join/register) - [Sign In](https://www.ourcrowd.com/signin) ![main pic](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/main%20pic.png?width=2000&name=main%20pic.png "main pic") # [Knowledge Center](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/) #### [Startup Investing 101](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/topic/startup-investing-101) # [The ABCs of Accreditation](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/the-abcs-of-accreditation) ![close](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2432204/AK-UI%20Builder/close-button.svg) ### Popular Stories [OurCrowd FAQs](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/faqs) Nov 18, 2018 [How OurCrowd Chooses Startup Investments](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/how-ourcrowd-chooses-startup-investments) Nov 19, 2018 [Invest in Venture Capital With a Self-Directed IRA](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/invest-in-venture-capital-with-a-self-directed-ira) Aug 08, 2019 [Investing in Venture Funds with OurCrowd](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/investing-in-venture-funds-with-ourcrowd) Nov 28, 2018 [Learn About the Different Ways to Build a Portfolio on OurCrowd](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/learn-about-the-different-ways-to-build-a-portfolio-on-ourcrowd) Nov 19, 2018 ### Categories - [Startup Investing 101 (16)](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/tag/startup-investing-101) - [About OurCrowd (6)](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/tag/about-ourcrowd) - [Get Started (4)](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/tag/get-started) - [Tech Sectors (4)](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/tag/tech-sectors) - - - Written by OurCrowd OurCrowd’s platform is currently set up to accept members with accreditation status in their country of residence. What are the criteria, and which actions are required on your part? We have the answers for you below. #### Why must I be accredited? Early stage, privately-held companies are high-risk investments, and therefore many countries require individuals to meet certain financial criteria before being allowed to participate in these investments. #### What are the overall criteria of accreditation? OurCrowd follows the rules of your country of residence – the one in which you pay taxes. These vary country-by-country, but all address the following two questions: - What are the criteria for the minimum level of income and/or net worth of investors who are allowed to participate in these types of investments? - What proof do investors have to give in order to satisfy their government that they meet these criteria? #### Accreditation by country: ##### **Criteria of accreditation for U.S. investors only:** In the United States, to be an accredited investor, one must have: - An **annual income of $200,000 ($300,000 if filing joint)** for the last two years with an expectation that their income level will continue - Or a net worth, **not including primary residence, of $1,000,000** in order to invest in early stage companies. ###### Paperwork for U.S. investors: U.S. investors self-certify that they meet the above criteria when joining OurCrowd. This grants them full access to OurCrowd's site. However, making an investment requires additional verification of a U.S. investor's accredited status. Upon an investor's first commitment to invest in a company, OurCrowd will provide a checklist and letter for the investor to have signed by one of the following professionals to verify their accredited status: - A registered broker-dealer - A registered investment adviser - A licensed attorney in good standing, or - A registered CPA in good standing Please note that this not an OurCrowd-only requirement. Every company that offers these types of investments must have a letter on file from each investor who makes an investment after September 23, 2013. The letter is valid for a year. In order to make further investments, you must get another letter from one of the professionals listed above to certify that you still meet the U.S. Government requirements. This third-party verification is due to regulatory changes that came into effect September 23rd, 2013. ##### **Criteria for countries other than the U.S.:** If your primary residence for tax purposes is outside the U.S., your country determines the minimum income or asset requirement that allows you to participate in OurCrowd investments. The sign up process for OurCrowd is country-specific: investors check off the requirements that they satisfy and specify, when necessary, the reason that they meet each requirement. ###### Paperwork for non-U.S. investors: All countries other than the US allow self-certification. When OurCrowd sends documents to investors once they have indicated that they want to invest in a particular company, the documents include a self-certification of the requirements appropriate for the investor’s residence country. When investors sign the self-certification, their government accepts their declaration that they satisfy the criteria of an investor able to tolerate the level of risk that the investment represents. #### For more information: If you have any questions about the accreditation process, don't hesitate to [contact us](mailto:investor.services@ourcrowd.com) for guidance. **Next Step:** [![Create Free Account](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/353882/d4391561-66c6-4b7b-b968-ff0802c55648.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/353882/d4391561-66c6-4b7b-b968-ff0802c55648) ![Subscribe](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2432204/99%20Template%20Pack/Background%20Images/message.svg "Subscribe") ### Weekly startup news, in your inbox. ### You may also like: [Startup Investing 101](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/topic/startup-investing-101) ## [Invest in Venture Capital With a Self-Directed IRA](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/invest-in-venture-capital-with-a-self-directed-ira) Increase Diversification & Defer Taxes As all investors know, diversification of investments is essential in any por... [Startup Investing 101](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/topic/startup-investing-101) ## [Take These 8 Steps to Become an All-Star Startup Investor](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/take-these-8-steps-to-become-an-all-star-startup-investor) Show of hands: Who here doesn’t want to invest in the next Facebook or Google? [Startup Investing 101](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/topic/startup-investing-101) ## [See Better Returns in Your Portfolio by Diversifying – with Private Investment](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/why-invest-in-startups) Most of us tend to associate the term “investments” with public equity. Many tend to consider a typical investment portf... ![main pic](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/main%20pic.png?width=2000&name=main%20pic.png "main pic") ## Weekly startup news, in your inbox Subscribe to receive a weekly curated roundup of top tech news from the desk of OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved. ![logo_TM](https://knowledge.ourcrowd.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Company_logos/logo_TM.png?width=292&name=logo_TM.png "logo_TM") OurCrowd is a global investment platform, bringing venture capital opportunities to accredited investors worldwide. A leader in equity crowdfunding, OurCrowd is managed by a team of seasoned investment professionals. OurCrowd vets and selects companies, invests its own capital, and invites its accredited membership of investors and institutional partners to invest alongside in these opportunities. OurCrowd provides support to its portfolio companies, assigns industry experts as mentors, and creates growth opportunities through its network of strategic multinational partnerships. ##### Explore [Opportunities](https://www.ourcrowd.com/funding-now) [Funded Portfolio](https://www.ourcrowd.com/funded-portfolio) [For Corporations](https://www.ourcrowd.com/strategic-collaboration-program) [Labs/02](http://www.labs02.com/) ##### Discover [How to Invest](https://www.ourcrowd.com/how-to-invest) [About OurCrowd](https://www.ourcrowd.com/about) [FAQ](https://www.ourcrowd.com/faq) [News](https://www.ourcrowd.com/ourcrowd-news) [Portfolio Insights](http://insights.ourcrowd.com/) [Blog](http://blog.ourcrowd.com/) ##### Connect [Contact Us](https://www.ourcrowd.com/offices/israel) [Startup Application](https://www.ourcrowd.com/company/apply) [Events Calendar](http://events.ourcrowd.com/) [Global Investor Summit](http://summit.ourcrowd.com/) Copyright © 2012-2019. 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