Two trust tiers
Every listing on The Diaspora App falls into one of three states. The badges are awarded by Diaspora moderators, never self-applied.
Verified businesses
Free · awarded by inspection
- Physical site visit by a Diaspora moderator
- Trade licence / business registration on file
- Owner identity confirmed
- Hygiene, safety, or craft credentials reviewed
- A short public visit report attached to the listing
- Listing surfaces above unverified results in search
Premium businesses
Paid subscription · must already be Verified
- Everything from Verified, plus:
- Quarterly re-inspection by Diaspora moderators
- Priority placement in city + category search
- One free paid placement slot per month (Featured Spotlight, On the Menu, In the Chair)
- Direct contact channel to a Diaspora editor for support
- Trust mark on your storefront, social, and website
- Highest tier badge — visible across the app
How verification works
Apply
Email hello@thediaspora.app from your business email with your listing URL, trade licence number, and best contact for a site visit.
Schedule
A city editor reaches out within 5 business days to schedule a 30-60 minute on-site visit. You'll get a checklist of records to have ready.
Visit
The editor inspects the premises, verifies records, takes a few photos for our archive, and writes a short visit report.
Verdict
If you pass, your listing receives the blue tick within 48 hours. If we can't verify yet, we'll send specific feedback so you can fix and re-apply.
What we check
- The premises exist and match the listing. Address, hours, signage.
- Trade licence / business registration. Active and in the owner's name (or a director's where applicable).
- Owner identity. Photo ID matched against the registration.
- Category-specific credentials. Restaurants: hygiene rating + halal / kosher cert if claimed. Salons / barbers: cosmetology licences if required by jurisdiction. Photographers: portfolio + commercial use rights. Tailors: physical workshop or atelier.
- Customer-facing safety. Visible fire exits, first-aid, sanitation.
- Owner is reachable. Working WhatsApp / phone / email.
- Diaspora connection. The business is owned, operated, or built around the global diaspora — that's our entire point.
How Premium works
Premium is the highest trust tier. To qualify you must:
- Be Verified (blue tick) first.
- Pay the Premium subscription (monthly or annual; your city editor will share rates for your market).
- Pass a short re-inspection — we want to confirm the premises, records, and credentials remain in good standing before the gold mark goes live.
Premium businesses are re-inspected quarterly. If conditions slip materially, we revert to Verified or remove the badge entirely. We refund any unused balance pro-rated to the day.
What badges do not mean
- Verified is not a guarantee. It's a snapshot of due diligence on the day we visited.
- Premium is not pay-to-win. You cannot buy Premium without first being Verified, and you cannot stay Premium without passing re-inspections.
- Sponsored placements (Featured Spotlight, On the Menu, In the Chair) are advertising slots — they do not affect verification status. A Sponsored ad from an unverified business will never show a blue tick.
Apply now
Start with verification — it's free, and it's the gateway to everything else.
Request verification → Apply for Premium →
Already a seller? You can also start the conversation from your seller dashboard.