Trans–cis photoisomerization is generally described by a model in which the reaction proceeds via a common intermediate having a perpendicular conformation around the rotating bond, irrespective of from which isomer the reaction starts. Nevertheless, such an intermediate has yet to be identified unambiguously, and it is often called the ‘phantom’ state. Here we present the structural identification of the common, perpendicular intermediate of stilbene photoisomerization using ultrafast Raman spectroscopy. Our results reveal ultrafast birth and decay of an identical, short-lived transient that exhibits a vibrational signature characteristic of the perpendicular state upon photoexcitation of the trans and cis forms. In combination with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, it is shown that the photoexcited trans and cis forms are funnelled off to the ground state through the same, perpendicular intermediate.