Exchange AML review deadlines: you get 72 hours, they get forever

The asymmetry, stated plainly

When an exchange asks you for documents, your clock is explicit: miss the window and the request auto-fails. When you ask the exchange how long its review will take, the answer is "we are working on it". There is no published ceiling on the exchange side, anywhere. This is not a conspiracy; it is how exchange AML screening is built: escalation tiers have no committed end date. But it means the only deadline that is enforceable in your case is yours.

The deadlines, exchange by exchange

Our digest of official help pages, current as of publication:

• Bybit: a withdrawal-triggered verification gives you 72 hours to submit documents, or the withdrawal is auto-rejected. The claimed reply time is "within 24 hours"; real EDD holds can run 30+ days.
• Bitget: 18 calendar days to submit EDD documents.
• OKX: documents must be issued within the last 3 months; bank statements covering 1-3 months; a selfie with a handwritten note and date. Standard reviews take 1-2 business days; legal holds run for weeks.
• Binance: security suspensions auto-lift in 24-48 hours; appeals go through "Withdraw appeal", and officially "not all restrictions are open for appeal" (law-enforcement holds are a separate track). P2P appeals have a 2-hour review SLA, but P2P evidence must be a digitally issued PDF bank statement covering 3 months: photos and cropped statements are rejected, and this format point alone decides many P2P disputes.
• MEXC: officially "1-3 business days, up to 30 days for AML". Documented cases run for months; one public $3.15M case ran from July to November 2025.
• KuCoin: standard EDD in 1-2 business days; "serious allegations" freezes come with no explanation and no timeline at all.

Rule #1: a partial submission restarts the queue

The single most expensive mistake is drip-feeding documents. Send half the package "to show good faith", and when the rest arrives the case re-enters the review queue from the back. File one complete, internally consistent package: every document present, every date and amount agreeing with every other document and with your written explanation. A contradiction between your statement and your own bank statement costs more time than a late but coherent package.

How to work the deadline

1. Note your deadline immediately. The moment the letter or status arrives, write down the exact window (72 hours is not "about three days") and the exact list of what was requested. This is the first move of the first-24-hours plan.
2. Build the package against the request, item by item, not against what you happen to have on hand. If a required document cannot be obtained in the window, say so in the response and state when it will arrive; a declared gap reads better than a silent one.
3. Mind document freshness. If the exchange wants statements issued within 3 months, a 4-month-old PDF is a rejection, not a technicality. Order fresh exports from your bank first; they are usually the slowest item.
4. Use a proven skeleton for Source of Funds: our open SoF template covers the structure compliance actually reads.

Bottom line

You cannot make the exchange's review faster by asking. You can avoid making it slower: hit your window, file once, file complete, keep every version of your story consistent. If the request is unclear, the amount is large, or you have already burned one submission, get a free assessment before sending anything else. We will say honestly whether the package needs professional work or whether you can close it yourself.