For many creators and businesses, becoming verified on Instagram is a big milestone.
While you can increase your advertising budget to generate more leads, Instagram verification is an official symbol of authenticity—a powerful way to gain attention and customers.
Put simply, being verified on Instagram can improve your brand’s image and help you hit Instagram marketing goals.
This guide will walk you through how to get verified on Instagram, including how to request Instagram verification, the Meta Verified subscription process, and tips to help you get a blue check.
What does Instagram verification mean?
An Instagram verified badge is a blue check mark next to your profile name. The check proves an account is owned by a real person or business.
Instagram describes verified badges as confirmation “that a notable account is the authentic presence for that person or brand.”
Like other social media platforms, Instagram has evolved the meaning of its verification badge. Previously, the symbol indicated that an account was owned by a well-known, highly-searched-for person or company.
While that meaning remains, Instagram check marks now serve a more general purpose of confirming an account’s authenticity.
Who can get verified on Instagram?
The good news is that anyone can apply to be verified on Instagram. You don’t need to be a public figure or celebrity.
It’s no secret how Instagram verifies accounts. Its guidelines state the eligibility requirements your account must meet:
- Authentic. As in you must be a real person, public figure, or registered business entity. You’ll need official business documents and ID to prove it.
- Unique. You can’t have multiple accounts for the same person or business (unless they are language-specific accounts). Instagram also doesn’t verify general interest (like memes) or fan accounts.
- Complete. At the bare minimum, your Instagram profile needs to be public, have an Instagram bio and a profile picture, and be active when you apply. “Active” isn’t defined, but you can take it to mean you post, share, or comment on content regularly.
- Notable. This is the tougher bit that most struggle with. Being notable means your account name represents a “well-known, highly searched for” person or brand. Instagram reviews accounts that are featured in multiple news sources, but not paid or promotional content.
These requirements are on top of the basic rules of following community guidelines and Instagram’s terms of use. As long as you follow them, you’re eligible to apply for verification. These criteria also mean you don’t have to have a certain number of followers to get verified—you could request verification as soon as you sign up and complete your profile.
💡 What if I don’t meet the eligibility requirements? These criteria apply to Instagram’s original method of account verification. Users who want a blue check mark but don’t meet the eligibility requirements can also verify their accounts by subscribing to Meta Verified.
How to get verified on Instagram
- Log into your Instagram account to start your request
- In your profile, head to Settings and Account to request verification
- Tap Request verification
- Fill out your application
- Make your submission
There are two ways to get a verification badge on Instagram. The first, original way is to request verification for your account. Here’s how, in five steps:
1. Log into your Instagram account to start your request
Make sure you’re logged in to the account you’re requesting a verified badge for. Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the app to enter your profile.
2. In your profile, head to Settings and Account to request verification
Once you’re on your profile page, tap on the hamburger icon (three lines) in the top-right corner and select Settings. On your settings page, toward the bottom, you’ll see the option to Request verification.
💡 Note: for professional accounts, you may find verification under Account type or Business tools.
3. Tap Request verification
Hit the Request verification option to open the application form and begin entering your details.
4. Fill out your application
From there, you’ll need to fill in details about your profile and business, such as:
- Your full name (or trading name): You’ll need to confirm your identity with a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license
- Official business documents: Provide any relevant business documents, such as registration papers or utility bills.
- Notability: Your online presence is confirmed by selecting your industry category and target audience. You’ll also have to list brand names you might also or otherwise be known as.
- Supporting links to help confirm your notability: Here you can link to other verified social media accounts, if you have them, news or press releases your brand is featured in, your website, or other (non-promotional) links you feel might be relevant.
5. Make your submission
Once you’ve filled in the verification application details, hit Submit and congrats: you’ve sent off your request.
Generally within about 30 days, Instagram will notify you in your activity feed whether your application was successful or not. If so, you’ll get the Instagram verification badge right away.
How to get verified on Instagram with Meta Verified
- Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements
- Go to Meta Verified on your mobile app
- Choose a profile to verify
- Pay
- Confirm your profile information
- Verify your account
There’s a second way to get a verification badge on Instagram: eligible users can pay to subscribe to Meta Verified for Instagram profiles. As part of your subscription, you’ll receive a blue check mark, along with some additional features.
Here’s how to subscribe to Meta Verified:
1. Ensure you meet the eligibility requirements
Even though Meta Verified is a more accessible way to earn a blue check mark, your account must still meet certain requirements.
To subscribe your profile to Meta Verified:
- You must be at least 18 years old
- Your profile needs to show your full name, with a profile picture that includes your face
- Your account should have a history of activity, such as previous posts
- You need a government-issued ID that matches your profile name and picture
- Two-factor authentication must be enabled on your profile
Businesses subscribing to Meta Verified must also:
- Have a Meta business account
- Have a Facebook business page and an Instagram professional account with a history of activity
2. Go to Meta Verified on your mobile app
Open the Instagram app and log in. Tap your profile picture at the bottom right to go to your (or your business’s) profile.
Tap the menu icon in the top right, then tap Meta Verified.
3. Choose a profile to verify
Select the personal or business profile you want to subscribe. You can subscribe two eligible profiles (one Instagram and one Facebook).
4. Pay
Tap Pay and enter your payment details. You can pay through Google or Apple app stores, or with Meta Pay.
- For businesses, Meta Verified costs $44.99 per month per Instagram account.
- For individual creators, Meta Verified costs $14.99 per month.
After entering your payment details, tap Continue, then Subscribe. You’ll have three days to complete the verification steps below.
5. Confirm your profile information
Confirm or edit your profile name and picture.
If you’re a business, you’ll need to submit your business name, address, phone number, and website, along with other details.
Select your business from the results, choose a verification method, and tap Submit to move onto confirming your personal or business ID.
6. Verify your account
Confirm your identity by uploading photos of a valid government-issued photo ID. Make sure the information is readable, then tap Submit and Finish.
For businesses, select whether to receive a confirmation code via your company’s SMS or email.
Once you’ve completed these steps, your verified badge should appear on your profile, as well as in comments, search results, direct messages, Reels, and Stories. You’ll also get access to enhanced support and account protection features.
5 tips for how to get verified on Instagram
Don’t try to buy an Instagram verification badge
Under no circumstances does Instagram let users buy, sell, or otherwise transfer their verified badge. If you see an account that advertises the ability to get you one either for free or for a “small fee,” like the one below, don’t fall for the scam.
Use Instagram responsibly. Don’t try shady tactics like buying badges, followers, likes, or comments. Otherwise, you could find your account banned.
Instead of buying clout, get help with publicity
Team up with a PR agent or agency, or even a journalist, who can help you get your name out there. Some agencies also have access to Facebook’s Media Partner Support tools, where they can submit requests and get accounts verified through the portal.
To get publicity, you’ll need to do things considered newsworthy. What’s deemed newsworthy depends on your niche, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Participate in or create a local event (for charity or otherwise)
- Make a guest appearance on a podcast or other media channel
- Pledge to donate to a relevant cause, either a one-off or indefinitely
- Publish a white paper or other original data relevant to your target audience
Getting involved in activities outside of your brand is how you build awareness and get into media outlets. When the Instagram verification team checks to see if you are notable, they’ll find you in these news channels.
Grow your following with real followers
Likewise, don’t buy Instagram followers. Focus on the genuine, organic growth of your account. It’s easy to tell when someone buys followers because their account will have lots of followers but low engagement. These “followers” are often bots or inactive accounts, so they don’t interact with your brand. The lack of engagement means your posts won’t show up on the explore pages or in your audiences feeds.
Although your follower count doesn’t matter when it comes to verified badge decisions, a highly engaged following can help. Some ways to get more Instagram followers include:
- Using the right hashtags to get your profile in front of targeted audiences
- Publishing a mix of Instagram Stories, Reels, and feed posts
- Running giveaways
- Encouraging user-generated content
- Curating your profile grid
- Creating shareable content
Instagram followers are more than just a number, they are your community. Even if you don’t get verified, real followers will help increase traffic to your site, make more sales, and build influence in your space.
Remove links to other social media platforms
Instagram has guidelines against including links to other social media platforms (it’s competitors) in your bio.
According to these guidelines, accounts with cross-platform links may not be eligible for verification, or at least, may find it harder to earn the blue check. Therefore, it’s recommended to remove any external social media links.
With Meta owning both Instagram and Facebook, links to Facebook accounts are the exception.
Optimize your profile and bio
All verified accounts have one thing in common: complete profiles. Each of them has a concise and punchy Instagram bio, a strong profile photo, an external link (to either their website or a Linktree, linking to multiple sites), and well-designed Story Highlights.
Sure, the Instagram profile has the same structure for every account. But each Instagram bio—the small summary underneath the username—is unique. Users look at your bio when deciding whether or not to follow you on Instagram, so you have to make it count.
The bios of verified accounts accomplish a number of things:
- Highlight essential information about the business (brand name, category, company overview)
- Offer a way for users to get in touch
- Showcase the brands’ personality
- Establish a unique selling proposition
- Encourage a response with a call to action
A strong profile can make a good first impression on behalf of your brand and convince people to follow you.
Follow the community guidelines
As long as your brand is consistent and you’re only posting your own content (content that is safe for public viewing), you’re most likely already following the community guidelines and ticking this box for verification.
Though to be more specific, Instagram has given a short version of what the community guidelines cover:
We want Instagram to continue to be an authentic and safe place for inspiration and expression. Help us foster this community. Post only your own photos and videos, and always follow the law. Respect everyone on Instagram; don’t spam people or post nudity.
What to do if you don’t get verified on Instagram
Even if you follow all of the tips above, there’s still a chance Instagram won’t approve your application. So what happens then? Try a few of the following actions:
Double-check the verified badge requirements
As simple as it sounds, it’s worth double-checking the four main requirements we saw earlier: authentic, unique, complete, and notable.
Make sure you have the most appropriate business document to prove authenticity. Be sure to remove/delete any old accounts you might have set up. Compare your level of profile completeness to those who are already verified.
Lastly, do a Google search on your brand. If you don’t see any mentions of it outside of your own website, that could be the issue.
Wait and reapply
If your verification request gets rejected by Instagram, all is not lost. You can apply again after 30 days. Be patient though—repeated applications within 30 days will mean the request will be canceled.
Give yourself that month to figure out ways of improving your chances using the tips above rather than hope you’ll get approved in the following 30 days without making any changes.
Show authenticity in other ways
If you’ve tried all of the above and can’t get approved for a blue check, you can still use Instagram to promote your business—you’ll just need to demonstrate your brand’s authenticity in other ways.
Instagram recommends linking your account to your official website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. As for posts, why not create content that shows you or your team behind the scenes?
Showing how your business looks day to day is a great way to gain trust, but also follows the recommendations of multiformat content to grow followers.
Free Webinar:
How to Grow and Monetize Your Instagram Account
A free workshop with field-tested Instagram marketing tips. Learn how to grow your Instagram audience and monetize it with an online store.
Why get verified on Instagram?
Wondering why you should care about getting verified on Instagram? Here are seven reasons to apply for a blue tick:
Stop impersonators
The main reason the verification badge exists is to make sure accounts holders are who they say they are. The blue check on your profile shows followers and visitors that you’re the real deal, not a fake account.
Become a trusted voice that people listen to
When Instagram users see that you have an officially recognized account, they’re likely to find you more credible and trustworthy. As a result, verified accounts have a 30% higher engagement rate, on average.
Gain clout
Data suggests that the majority of bigger Instagram accounts are verified. Because of this, many see the blue tick as a status symbol that shows users your account is worth following.
Access exclusive features
Verified accounts are often first in line for new tools and content, such as stickers for your Stories and Reels.
Get collaboration offers
Instagram may say that verification badges are no longer a sign of notability, but that doesn’t stop many people from seeing them that way.
For many, a verified badge shows that you are an authority in your industry or niche. That status can attract the attention of creators looking to collaborate on content for posts, or partner with you to release limited-edition products.
Boost your followers
If your account is verified and users search Instagram for content that’s within your topic category, you’ll appear above non-verified accounts in search results.
That increased visibility means you can attract new followers directly from search, and you should receive an overall increase in brand awareness.
Boost your sales
If you sell products through your Instagram account, the increased search visibility (and therefore larger following) that comes with verification may translate into increased sales.
Don’t stress if you can’t get verified
Getting the verification badge on Instagram (or any social media for that matter) is a big milestone for your business. It proves your account is worth watching and engaging with. However, all the benefits come with a challenge—it can be hard to get approved.
Getting the basics right matters, and so does building your brand outside of your immediate social bubble. Following the tips in this guide will help you toward fulfilling those requirements.
That said, verified or not, making money on Instagram is still possible by funneling traffic to your ecommerce store, setting up an Instagram shop, becoming a brand affiliate, and more.
Illustration by Dan Page
Instagram verification FAQ
An individual person or small business can get verified on Instagram. The profile must represent a real person or business, and it must be the only legitimate Instagram account representing you or your business.
How many followers do I need to get verified on Instagram?
Instagram doesn’t give an official number needed for verification. One study found that accounts with as few as 1,000 followers had verification badges. It also found that the more followers an account has, the more likely they are to have a verification badge.
Can you pay to get verified on Instagram verified?
The verification application is free through the Instagram app. There are businesses you can pay to help you through the process of getting verified, but that’s not recommended. You can also pay to join the Meta Verified program, but still need to apply and verify your account to receive your blue check.
How do I get verified on Instagram?
- Log in to the Instagram account you want to verify.
- Tap the hamburger icon.
- Tap Settings > Account > Request Verification.
- Enter your name and provide the required information.
- After you complete the form, send it and wait 30 days for a response.
