Customer Due Diligence (CDD) helps you meet your anti-money laundering (AML) obligations before you provide a designated service. It gives your team a structured checklist for each client: assess the risk, verify who you are dealing with, screen for sanctions and PEPs, record the purpose of the engagement, and sign it off. Each completed case is kept as an audit record.
CDD works the same way in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and South Africa. The checklists, review periods and business lookups are set up for your country. This article explains how CDD works in OnboardMe and links to a detailed article for each part.
Note: OnboardMe uses the term designated service for any service your AML rules apply to. That's a designated service in Australia, a captured activity in New Zealand, a service regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations in the UK, and an activity that makes you an accountable institution in South Africa. See CDD by country.
Why use Customer Due Diligence
One consistent process. Every case follows the same sections, so nothing is missed and every team member works the same way.
Built into your proposals. CDD switches on automatically when a proposal includes a designated service, so it happens before the work starts.
Less chasing. Send the client a short information request and their answers flow straight back into the case.
An audit trail you can produce. Every case keeps an activity history and can be downloaded as a PDF with evidence and ID certificates attached.
How it fits together
You mark your designated services. Services your AML rules apply to are flagged in your service templates.
A case is started for each client. This happens from a proposal's Customer Due Diligence step, from the client record, or from the Identity & AML page.
OnboardMe picks the checklist. The checklist (template) is chosen from the client type: individual or sole trader, company, partnership or association, or trust.
Your team works through the sections. Risk assessment, ownership and control, identity, sanctions and PEP, nature and purpose, final checks and sign-off.
You can request information from the client. Questions such as "Why are you engaging us?", source of funds and beneficial owners can be sent as an information request.
Medium and high risk cases are approved. A nominated approver, usually your AML Officer, approves the case before it can be completed.
The case is completed. The client's risk rating and AML due date are updated, and the case is ready to download as a PDF.
The sections of a case
Section | What you record |
|---|---|
A. Risk assessment | Risk factors for the designated service, client, delivery channel and country, and the initial risk rating |
B. Delayed CDD | Shown for medium and high risk only. Whether you are delaying verification, why, and your plan to finish it |
C. Ownership and control | For companies and trusts: the structure, beneficial owners and controllers |
D. Identity | Identity evidence for the client, their representatives, and beneficial owners and controllers |
E. Sanctions and PEP | A screening record for each person, plus source of funds and source of wealth |
F. Nature and purpose | Why the client is engaging you, and whether it is plausible |
G. Final checks | Final onboarding checks, escalation check and final risk rating |
H. Sign-off | Who signed off, their role, the date, and the date the designated service started |
See Working through a CDD case for each section in detail.
Case statuses
Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
Draft | The case has been created and is being worked on |
Awaiting Client | An information request has been sent to the client |
Client Submitted | The client has answered the information request |
Completed | The case has been signed off |
Cases can also be archived. Archived cases are hidden from the list unless you turn on Show archived.
Review periods
Each case belongs to a review period, named after the year your financial year ends. The period depends on your country:
Country | Period runs | A case started in October 2026 is in |
|---|---|---|
Australia | July to June | 2027 |
New Zealand | April to March | 2027 |
United Kingdom | April to March | 2027 |
South Africa | March to February | 2027 |
A client normally has one CDD case per period. If you try to create a second one, OnboardMe asks whether you want to use the existing case or create a new one.
Who can do what
Role | Access |
|---|---|
Owner, Admin | Everything, including CDD checklist templates and the AML / CDD settings |
Other staff | Create, complete, approve and archive cases |
Read Only | View cases only |
Before you start
Mark your designated services. See Setting up Customer Due Diligence.
Choose your AML Officer and review renewal periods in your business settings.
Optionally, customise the checklists. See Customising CDD checklists.
Important: OnboardMe gives you the tools to record and evidence your customer due diligence. Your own AML program decides what you must do for each client. Check your regulator's or supervisor's guidance (AUSTRAC in Australia, the DIA in New Zealand, HMRC or your professional body in the UK, the FIC in South Africa) and confirm your process with your AML compliance officer.
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