How to Get Verified on Instagram (Two Routes)

There are two ways to get verified on Instagram. You can subscribe to Meta Verified, a paid monthly plan that checks your government ID and usually turns the badge on within about 48 hours, or you can apply for free as a notable public figure and wait for a review that can take 30 days. Most ordinary accounts end up on the paid route, because the free one requires press coverage.

The blue check no longer means what it meant a few years ago. Since Meta Verified launched, the same badge is available to anyone who meets the basic identity requirements and pays the monthly fee, alongside the older free route that is still reserved for notable people and brands.

Both routes run through the Instagram mobile app, and both require a government-issued photo ID. Here is what each one asks for and where to find it.

What you need before you get verified on Instagram

Meta Verified has a fixed checklist, and the subscription screen will stop you if any of it is missing. According to Meta's published requirements, you need to be at least 18, live in a country where the subscription is offered, and use a full name and profile photo that match your ID. The photo needs to show your face.

You also need two-factor authentication switched on, and some prior posting history. Brand new accounts with no posts are turned away. Your account has to be in good standing under Instagram's Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.

The free route asks for something different: evidence that you are notable. That means news coverage about you or your business from independent outlets. Paid placements, sponsored posts and press releases do not count, and follower count on its own is not the test.

Where Meta Verified lives in the app

1. Open Instagram on your phone and tap your profile picture in the bottom-right corner.

2. Tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner to open Settings and activity.

3. Open Accounts Center, then tap Meta Verified. Some app versions put a Meta Verified entry directly in the main menu instead, so if you see it there, tap that.

4. Choose the profile you want verified, review the plan and the price shown for your country, then tap through to pay.

5. Upload a photo of your government-issued ID when prompted. The name and face on it have to match the profile.

Reported pricing for individual subscribers is around $14.99 a month when you sign up inside the iOS or Android app, and lower, from about $11.99 a month, when you subscribe through the web. Business plans are tiered and cost more. Prices vary by country and change over time, so treat the figure on your own checkout screen as the real one.

Review usually takes up to 48 hours. Once the badge is on, you cannot freely change your username, display name, date of birth or profile photo without going through verification again.

The free notable-figure application

The older application is still described as available in the app, though the menu wording has shifted between versions. The path most commonly reported is the three-line menu, then the For professionals section, then Business tools and controls, then Request verification at the bottom. Other guides describe it as Account type and tools followed by Request verification, so expect the label to differ depending on your app version and account type.

The form asks for your ID, a category for your account, and links that show notability. Submit once and wait. Sending a second application while the first is still pending cancels it. A decision typically arrives within 30 days, and if you are turned down you can apply again after another 30 days.

If you cannot find the option at all, your account type may not offer it, or it may not be available in your region. Making sure you are on the current release is worth a minute first, since these menus move between versions. Our guide on how to update Instagram walks through that.

What a verified badge does not do

Verification confirms identity. It does not boost your reach on its own, it does not unlock monetisation, and it does not protect you from account restrictions if you break the rules.

A Meta Verified subscription also covers one platform at a time. Verifying both Instagram and Facebook means two separate subscriptions, each billed on its own.

The badge is tied to your subscription. Stop paying and the check mark goes away, unless you were verified under the older notable-figure process.

Common questions

Does a private account qualify? Meta's requirements describe Meta Verified as working with a profile tied to your real full name, and public or private profiles are both covered, as long as the name and photo rules are met. If you are weighing that up, see how to make an Instagram private account.

Can a business get verified this way? Yes, through business plans rather than the individual one. Those ask for registration documents instead of a personal ID, and the tiers add features such as extra verified accounts for staff.

Can anyone sell you a badge? No. Services that offer a guaranteed blue check for a fee are not working with Meta, and handing them your ID or login is a bad trade.

If Meta Verified isn't in your settings

The most common reasons are region and age. The subscription rolls out country by country, and the entry simply will not appear where it is not offered yet.

After that, check the basics: two-factor authentication on, a profile name that matches your ID, a profile photo showing your face, and some posting history on the account. An account that fails one of those can see the option and still be refused at the identity step.

Note that Meta's own help pages are the final word here, and third-party guides disagree on the exact menu labels. If the wording on your screen differs from the steps above, look for the same words in a different place rather than assuming the feature is gone.