> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.instantcompliance.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Update a customer

> Partial update of a record you have ingested. Identity fields
(`fullName`, `email`) are frozen once the customer has been verified
— attempting to change them returns **422 validation_failed**.


Partial update of a customer record you have ingested. Use this to
sync CRM edits across (e.g. the customer changed their phone number).

## What you can update

| Field      | Editable after `VERIFIED`?                   |
| ---------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| `fullName` | No — identity fields freeze on verification. |
| `email`    | No — identity fields freeze on verification. |
| `phone`    | Yes                                          |
| `risk.*`   | Yes                                          |

Attempting to change `fullName` or `email` after `kyc_status` becomes
`VERIFIED` returns `422 validation_failed`. This is by design — once
the document-verified identity is captured, it must not silently drift.

## Idempotency

Like `POST`, supports `Idempotency-Key` for safe retries.

## What you cannot update

The API will not let you change:

* `type` (re-ingest with the correct type instead)
* `external_id` (treated as immutable once set)
* Any KYC / AML status field (those move via the verification flow,
  not the integration API)

Use `PUT /customers/{id}/designated-services` to replace the customer's
designated-service assignments without resending their identity details.


## OpenAPI

````yaml PATCH /customers/{id}
openapi: 3.1.0
info:
  title: Instant Compliance API
  version: 1.0.0
  summary: External integration API for Instant Compliance.
  description: |
    The Instant Compliance v1 API lets your systems push customers into
    Instant Compliance and pull their verification / AML status back out.
    Designed for server-to-server use (CRMs, Zapier, internal back-office
    tools).

    **Base URL:** `https://app.instantcompliance.ai/api/v1`

    **Authentication:** Bearer API key — `Authorization: Bearer ic_live_…`
    Issue keys from **Settings → Developers** in your Instant Compliance
    organisation.

    **Scope:** individual customers (`INDIVIDUAL` and `SOLE_TRADER`, KYC)
    live on `/customers`; entity customers (companies, trusts,
    partnerships, SMSFs — KYB) live on `/entities`.
  contact:
    name: Instant Compliance Support
    email: support@instantcompliance.ai
    url: https://instantcompliance.ai
  license:
    name: Proprietary
servers:
  - url: https://app.instantcompliance.ai/api/v1
    description: Production
security:
  - bearerAuth: []
tags:
  - name: Customers
    description: |
      Create, read, and update individual customer records ingested through
      the external API.
  - name: Entities
    description: |
      Create, read, and update entity customer records (companies, trusts,
      partnerships, SMSFs). Entities verify via KYB instead of KYC; the API
      ingests the record and reports status — verification is started by
      your back-office team in-app.
  - name: Designated services
    description: |
      Read-only catalog of the designated-service codes accepted when
      creating customers.
  - name: Groups
    description: |
      Create group workspaces (multi-party deals/matters — e.g. one per
      property for real-estate integrators) and discover the group
      templates available to your organisation. Requires the Groups
      feature to be enabled for your organisation.
paths:
  /customers/{id}:
    parameters:
      - in: path
        name: id
        required: true
        schema:
          type: string
        description: |
          Customer identifier. Accepts either Instant Compliance's UUID
          (`550e8400-…`) or your own `external_id`.
    patch:
      tags:
        - Customers
      summary: Update a customer
      description: |
        Partial update of a record you have ingested. Identity fields
        (`fullName`, `email`) are frozen once the customer has been verified
        — attempting to change them returns **422 validation_failed**.
      operationId: updateCustomer
      parameters:
        - $ref: '#/components/parameters/IdempotencyKey'
      requestBody:
        required: true
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              $ref: '#/components/schemas/UpdateCustomerRequest'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Updated customer record.
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Customer'
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/Unauthorized'
        '403':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ForbiddenScope'
        '404':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/NotFound'
        '409':
          description: >-
            Name + email already in use by another customer in this
            organisation.
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
        '422':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/ValidationFailed'
        '429':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/RateLimited'
components:
  parameters:
    IdempotencyKey:
      in: header
      name: Idempotency-Key
      required: false
      schema:
        type: string
        maxLength: 255
      description: |
        Caller-supplied unique key for safe retries. Repeat the same key
        within 24 hours and we replay the original response instead of
        repeating the side effect. Reusing the key with a *different*
        request body returns **409 idempotency_conflict**.
  schemas:
    UpdateCustomerRequest:
      type: object
      additionalProperties: false
      minProperties: 1
      properties:
        fullName:
          type: string
          minLength: 1
          maxLength: 255
        email:
          type: string
          format: email
          maxLength: 255
        phone:
          type: string
          maxLength: 32
          nullable: true
        risk:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/RiskAnswers'
    Customer:
      type: object
      required:
        - id
        - type
        - full_name
        - kyc_status
        - aml
        - added_via
        - created_at
        - updated_at
      properties:
        id:
          type: string
          format: uuid
          description: Instant Compliance customer UUID.
        external_id:
          type: string
          nullable: true
        type:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/CustomerType'
        full_name:
          type: string
        email:
          type: string
          format: email
          nullable: true
        kyc_status:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/KycStatus'
        kyc_started_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          nullable: true
        kyc_completed_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          nullable: true
        identity:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/Identity'
        aml:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AmlBlock'
        added_via:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AddedVia'
        created_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
        updated_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
      example:
        id: 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000
        external_id: crm-7741
        type: INDIVIDUAL
        full_name: Jane Doe
        email: jane@example.com
        kyc_status: VERIFIED
        kyc_started_at: '2026-06-23T01:00:00Z'
        kyc_completed_at: '2026-06-23T01:12:00Z'
        identity:
          verified_legal_name: JANE DOE
          verified_country: AUS
        aml:
          status: CLEAR
          screened_at: '2026-06-23T01:12:00Z'
          last_reviewed_at: null
          flags:
            pep: false
            sanctions: false
            adverse_media: false
            terrorism: false
        added_via: INTEGRATION
        created_at: '2026-06-22T22:14:00Z'
        updated_at: '2026-06-23T01:12:05Z'
    Error:
      type: object
      required:
        - error
      properties:
        error:
          type: object
          required:
            - code
            - message
          properties:
            code:
              type: string
              enum:
                - unauthorized
                - forbidden_scope
                - not_found
                - validation_failed
                - conflict
                - insufficient_credits
                - rate_limited
                - idempotency_conflict
                - feature_disabled
                - internal
            message:
              type: string
            details:
              type: object
              additionalProperties: true
    RiskAnswers:
      type: object
      description: |
        Optional risk pre-answers. Your back-office team will complete the
        full risk assessment in-app before triggering KYC; these values
        seed it.
      additionalProperties: false
      properties:
        isNewCustomer:
          type: boolean
          description: New relationship vs an existing client of yours.
        isDesignatedService:
          type: boolean
          description: |
            Whether you provide a designated service to this customer.
            Prefer `designatedServices` (the specific service codes) — when
            that list is present this flag is derived from it, and sending a
            contradictory value is rejected with `422`.
        handlesCashOrCrypto:
          type: boolean
          description: Whether the engagement handles physical cash or cryptocurrency.
    CustomerType:
      type: string
      enum:
        - INDIVIDUAL
        - SOLE_TRADER
      description: |
        Individual customer types — `/customers` only ingests these.
        Entity customers (companies, trusts, partnerships, SMSFs) live on
        `/entities` with their own `EntityType`.
    KycStatus:
      type: string
      enum:
        - NOT_STARTED
        - PENDING
        - IN_PROGRESS
        - VERIFIED
        - FAILED
        - NOT_REQUIRED
        - AWAITING_RESUBMISSION
    Identity:
      type: object
      nullable: true
      description: |
        Populated only when `kyc_status = VERIFIED`. Deliberately minimal —
        full date of birth and full address are never exposed.
      properties:
        verified_legal_name:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: Legal name extracted from the verified ID document.
        verified_country:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code.
    AmlBlock:
      type: object
      required:
        - status
        - flags
      properties:
        status:
          $ref: '#/components/schemas/AmlStatus'
        screened_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          nullable: true
        last_reviewed_at:
          type: string
          format: date-time
          nullable: true
        flags:
          type: object
          required:
            - pep
            - sanctions
            - adverse_media
            - terrorism
          properties:
            pep:
              type: boolean
            sanctions:
              type: boolean
            adverse_media:
              type: boolean
            terrorism:
              type: boolean
    AddedVia:
      type: string
      description: How the record entered Instant Compliance.
      enum:
        - ADMIN_MANUAL
        - AI_EXTRACTED
        - CONTACT_PORTAL
        - BULK_IMPORT
        - INTEGRATION
        - SYSTEM
    AmlStatus:
      type: string
      enum:
        - NOT_SCREENED
        - IN_PROGRESS
        - CLEAR
        - NEEDS_REVIEW
        - RESOLVED
  responses:
    Unauthorized:
      description: Missing, invalid, expired, or revoked API key.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            error:
              code: unauthorized
              message: Invalid or revoked API key.
    ForbiddenScope:
      description: API key lacks the required scope.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            error:
              code: forbidden_scope
              message: This API key does not have the required scope. customers:write
              details:
                required_scope: customers:write
    NotFound:
      description: No customer matching the supplied id in this organisation.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            error:
              code: not_found
              message: Customer not found.
    ValidationFailed:
      description: Request payload failed schema validation.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            error:
              code: validation_failed
              message: Invalid customer payload.
              details:
                issues:
                  email:
                    - Must be a valid email address.
    RateLimited:
      description: Burst or daily rate limit exceeded for this API key.
      headers:
        Retry-After:
          schema:
            type: integer
          description: Seconds to wait before retrying.
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/Error'
          example:
            error:
              code: rate_limited
              message: Rate limit exceeded. Slow down and retry shortly.
              details:
                limit: 60
                window_seconds: 60
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      bearerFormat: API Key
      description: |
        Bearer API key issued from **Settings → Developers** in your
        Instant Compliance organisation. Format: `ic_live_…`.

````