diff --git a/e2e/freight/cypress/e2e/flows/onboarding.cy.ts b/e2e/freight/cypress/e2e/flows/onboarding.cy.ts
index bb077df6b..437c0e92e 100644
--- a/e2e/freight/cypress/e2e/flows/onboarding.cy.ts
+++ b/e2e/freight/cypress/e2e/flows/onboarding.cy.ts
@@ -42,21 +42,44 @@ function latestOnboardJourney() {
   });
 }
 
-/** Fill a labelled Mantine input (label[for] → input id). */
+/**
+ * Fill a labelled Mantine input (label[for] → input id).
+ *
+ * The input is resolved fresh for every action rather than captured once.
+ * Each wizard step persists and re-seeds asynchronously, and when a field
+ * remounts Mantine mints a NEW generated id — so both a subject and an id
+ * captured a command earlier can be stale by the time the next command runs.
+ * Going label → for → element each time always addresses what's on the page
+ * now.
+ */
 function fill(label: string | RegExp, value: string) {
-  cy.contains("label", label)
-    .invoke("attr", "for")
-    .then((id) => {
-      cy.get(`[id="${id}"]`).clear({ force: true }).type(value, { force: true });
-    });
+  const input = () =>
+    cy
+      .contains("label", label)
+      .invoke("attr", "for")
+      .then((id) => cy.get(`[id="${id}"]`));
+
+  input().clear({ force: true });
+  input().type(value, { force: true });
+}
+
+/**
+ * Fill an input that has no <label> — the wizard's company step renders its
+ * fields inside StepSection cards (the heading is the card's title, not a
+ * label), so they're reachable only by aria-label. Both TIN and VAT share the
+ * "0012345678" placeholder, which is why this matches on aria-label instead.
+ */
+function fillAria(ariaSelector: string, value: string) {
+  const selector = `.mantine-Modal-content ${ariaSelector}`;
+  cy.get(selector).clear({ force: true });
+  cy.get(selector).type(value, { force: true });
 }
 
 /** The wizard's phone inputs (react-phone-number-input, type=tel). */
 function fillPhone(index: number, national: string) {
-  cy.get('.mantine-Modal-content input[type="tel"]')
-    .eq(index)
-    .clear({ force: true })
-    .type(national, { force: true });
+  const selector = '.mantine-Modal-content input[type="tel"]';
+  cy.get(selector).eq(index).clear({ force: true });
+  cy.get(selector).eq(index).type(national, { force: true });
 }
 
 describe("customer onboarding journey", { retries: 0 }, () => {
@@ -86,20 +109,48 @@ describe("customer onboarding journey", { retries: 0 }, () => {
     cy.get(".mantine-Modal-content").contains("button", "Continue").click();
 
     // Ethiopian companies gate the "Owner identity" step on Fayda
-    // verification — a real popup + SMS OTP flow that can't run in e2e.
-    // Complete it via the API against fayda-mock-e2e (the profile this
+    // verification — a real eSignet redirect + SMS OTP flow that can't run in
+    // e2e. Complete it via the API against fayda-mock-e2e (the profile this
     // attaches to was just created by the nationality/role step above).
-    // The wizard already fetched `identity` once when this step mounted —
-    // completing verification out-of-band (no popup, so no onVerified
-    // callback fires) leaves that fetch stale, so reload to force a fresh
-    // one. Wizard progress resumes server-side, so this doesn't lose the
-    // nationality/role step just completed.
+    // The wizard already fetched `identity` once when this step mounted, and
+    // completing verification out-of-band skips the redirect that would
+    // normally remount everything — so reload to force a fresh fetch. Wizard
+    // progress resumes server-side, so this doesn't lose the nationality/role
+    // step just completed.
     completeFaydaVerification("owner");
     cy.reload();
     cy.contains("Confirm your VAT number", { timeout: 20000 }).should(
       "be.visible",
     );
 
+    // The owner's identity is the verification's output, never typed: the
+    // panel must show it verified and render the name/phone/email that came
+    // back from fayda-mock-e2e. Asserting the mock's own values is the only
+    // way to prove the payload travelled Fayda → API → UI rather than the
+    // panel simply flipping a "verified" flag.
+    cy.get(".mantine-Modal-content").within(() => {
+      cy.contains("Fayda verified").should("be.visible");
+      cy.contains("Abebe Bekele").should("be.visible");
+      cy.contains("+251911223344").should("be.visible");
+      cy.contains("abebe.bekele@example.com").should("be.visible");
+    });
+
+    // The verified sub is what locks the owner's fields server-side, so check
+    // it actually landed on the company rather than trusting the panel alone.
+    cy.task<{ rows: Array<{ owner_fayda_sub: string | null }> }>("db:query", {
+      sql: `SELECT c.attributes->>'ownerFaydaSub' AS owner_fayda_sub
+            FROM freight.companies c
+            JOIN freight.external_profiles ep ON ep.company_id = c.id
+            JOIN iam.users u ON u.id = ep.user_id
+            WHERE u.email = $1`,
+      params: [email],
+    }).then(({ rows }) => {
+      expect(rows, "company row").to.have.length(1);
+      expect(rows[0].owner_fayda_sub, "owner Fayda sub").to.eq(
+        "e2e-fayda-sub-0001",
+      );
+    });
+
     // Company step. TIN auto-triggers the eTrade lookup once it's a full 10
     // digits (mocked in e2e — see docker-compose.e2e.yaml's etrade-mock-e2e).
     // A successful lookup locks Company Name/Region/Zone/Woreda/Kebele/House
@@ -108,7 +159,7 @@ describe("customer onboarding journey", { retries: 0 }, () => {
     // Fayda-verified owner supplies contact details now). By label, not
     // placeholder: the VAT Number field on this same step shares the TIN
     // field's "0012345678" placeholder, so a placeholder selector matches 2.
-    fill(/^TIN Number/, tin);
+    fillAria('[aria-label^="TIN Number"]', tin);
     cy.contains("Verified with eTrade", { timeout: 15000 }).should(
       "be.visible",
     );
@@ -117,7 +168,7 @@ describe("customer onboarding journey", { retries: 0 }, () => {
     // after the badge appears. Typing into VAT immediately raced one of
     // those and detached mid-type; let it finish before touching the form.
     cy.wait(500);
-    fill(/^VAT Number/, vat);
+    fillAria('[aria-label="VAT Number"]', vat);
     cy.get(".mantine-Modal-content").contains("button", "Continue").click();
 
     // Personnel (general manager).
@@ -131,7 +182,16 @@ describe("customer onboarding journey", { retries: 0 }, () => {
     fillPhone(0, "911234569");
     cy.get(".mantine-Modal-content").contains("button", "Continue").click();
 
-    // PoA — optional for an importer.
+    // PoA — optional for an importer, and left unverified here. The DARS
+    // delegation paper authorises the representative the verification names,
+    // so with no verified PoA there is nothing for it to authorise: the
+    // upload must not be offered, and the step must not block on it. Asserted
+    // as "no file input on this step" rather than by label, so a reworded
+    // document setting doesn't turn a real regression into a passing test.
+    cy.get(".mantine-Modal-content")
+      .contains("Power of Attorney")
+      .should("be.visible");
+    cy.get('.mantine-Modal-content input[type="file"]').should("not.exist");
     cy.get(".mantine-Modal-content").contains("button", "Continue").click();
 
     // Documents: no company docs are configured in e2e, but every role needs