It seems that almost everyone on Instagram has a blue badge, right? Of course, it depends on who you are following. I’m not talking about your friends and family. I’m talking about celebrities, famous people, successful entrepreneurs, sports stars, etc.
It looks fancy, maybe exclusive, right?
The blue badge means authority, credibility, trust… It means that you are someone important. I have good news for you. You don’t need to be an American president to get that badge. You don’t even need hundreds of thousands of followers.
So, the question is – How to get verified on Instagram.
Until recently, there was no way to ask Instagram for verification. You could just hope that some employee finds you and decides you deserve the blue badge.
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Verification was exclusively for stars, celebrities, politicians, etc.
That time is gone…
Now everyone (ok, not everyone) can get their account verified.
There’s a simple process you can follow to request a verification of your profile.
Note: Obviously, not everyone who requests verification is successful. I’ve put together a step by step plan on how to set up your account for a bigger chance to get approved. There are certain criteria you need to meet in order to get verified.
Benefits of Instagram verification
Exclusivity – verified accounts are a part of an exclusive group. It’s easy to get that badge on Twitter. Pinterest gives that badge to every business account. Instagram doesn’t. In fact, famous people don’t need to post a single picture, and they can get the badge. Whereas you can have hundreds of thousands of followers, and Instagram may decline your request. That’s how it works.
Avoid brand identity theft – I’ve seen that a lot of times. You work hard to create an amazing brand, all images, videos or photos are branded, and someone tries to post them as their own. In those cases, if you have the verification badge – Instagram is much more likely going to help you by protecting you against these thefts. The more famous you become, the more copycats will try to copy and steal your stuff. That’s a reality.
Trust – Obviously, the blue badge in your Instagram bio is a symbol of trust. When someone visits your profile, even if they never heard of you, they are immediately going to think of you as a real deal.
Authority – It will help you differentiate your account from the competition. It means prestige. It means your account matters, and your following will definitely grow faster.
Get access to ‘beta’ tools – When Instagram is testing new features, verified users get access earlier than anyone else (most of the time). Remember when the swipe-up feature on Instagram stories became available? Only verified users could use it. It doesn’t matter how many followers they have. If you want to get this feature – you have to have at least 10k followers; verified users don’t.
How to get verified on Instagram:
1) Go to your settings – tap the 3 line icon in the top right corner and hit ‘settings’ at the bottom.
2) Hit ‘account’ and you see the option ‘request verification’.
3) Now, you need to submit the following items:
Instagram username (Type the username of the account that you want to have verified)
Your Full name (Type your full name as on your legal identification cards/documents. If you want to get a business account verified, enter the name of your company)
Known As (Again, it’s either your name or the name of your company)
Account Category (Make sure to select the closest match)
Valid photo identification (Instagram allows you to choose from driver’s license, national identification card, passport, and official business documents such as utility bills, electricity bills, bank account documents, tax papers, etc.)
4) That’s all. Simply press the ‘send’ button and wait… hours, days, weeks… There’s no certain time that Instagram has to process your request. Try to be patient. You can do nothing about it. There’s no way to speed up the process.
Must-have criteria you need to follow
Fortunately for us, Instagram tells us exactly what it wants and needs to get you the desired verification badge. You can find the four most important factors below.
Authentic – Your account has to represent a real person or a legal business.
Complete – Make sure your account is public and all sections in your profile are filled out. I mean all of them.
Unique – Your page needs to be unique. If you’ve built a page around topics like cats, dogs, sports stars, or if your account is a repost account (meaning you only repost stuff from other people), your request will be more likely be declined. The same is true for fan pages of famous celebrities and clubs.
Notable – The more followers you have, the more famous you are, the more well-known your brand is – the better chance that Instagram recognizes you as someone important and worth verifying.
Seek and explore verified Instagram accounts
Do your research and look for similar accounts and influencers in your niche that are already verified. You can learn a lot of valuable insights from your competition.
Ask these questions:
● How often do they post on their accounts?
● What type of content do they post?
● What’s their most viral content?
● How old is their account?
● Do they have a blog/website?
● How many Instagram followers do they have?
These insights will help you get an idea of what you need to do to receive the verification.
Things to keep in mind before you request the verification
There’s no minimum follower requirement – As I mentioned earlier, there’s no minimum number of followers requirement. When the president of Germany requested a verification, he had less than a thousand followers. And his request was successful.
IG doesn’t provide reasons – When your request isn’t approved – Instagram is not going to explain the reasons. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t edit your profile, follow the instructions above, and ask for verification again.
IG is doing its own research – There’s an employee that’s doing their own research. Try to do your best to follow all the steps above on all other social media platforms. On your blog or website, etc.
IG has unlimited time for the process – It can take a couple of hours, days, or even months. You don’t have any other option than to be patient.
Last words
Since Instagram allows all its users to request a verification – it is worth trying. It won’t hurt you in any way, whether you are approved or not.
Follow the instructions in this tutorial, and you will be one step closer to the desired blue verification badge.
Thank you for sharing this information with us! I had been looking for it for quite a while!
Thanks for sharing this information. i will try it out.
Thanks for this! Question – if you’re trying to verify a business account / brand, will they change it to your Full Name given that’s what is being “verified” ? Or is that simply for verification purposes?
Pedro, good question! That’s only for verification purposes.
Thanks for sharing! I took action and made the blue badge request.
Great, let me know when you get approved!
I’m a contributor writer on Arianna Huffington’s Media/News company Global Thrive & when my article is published, when you search my name up on google and press news my article that I’ve written shows up so will that count for Instagram verification criteria?
Most definitely!
If i have 10 followers can i verified
Honestly? I don’t think so.
My Instagram followers only 92 can I verified
It’s not about followers, but the more, the better. At least when it comes to verification. Are you a public figure? Do you have a business? Website? Tell me more about you.
May I email you regarding an article please
[email protected]
Thank you for this – it was the first one I found that is being precise and helpful for real, thx
I appreciate your kind words!
I’m a recording artist an have a google knowledge graph panel with my information music an all .. I haha every thing why do I STILL GET DENIED?
Maybe because you are not popular. Every artist can have a Google Knowledge …
Do you recomend a company to help be verified account in Instagram, trying to have someone verified but all time they decline it and everything is true and ok in the account.
Hello, My Name Is Ravi Ajay Maurya, I’m professionaly a cricketer, I’m also on Wikipedia, but Why My instagram Verification was denied, i was Followed all rules which areentioned above. I was Submit My Aadhar Card as a Document. Please Tell Me, What is happening?
Hey Ravi, I’m not sure why your application was denied. I’d try to submit it again.
How long does Instagram take to review your account’s verification request? I am a DJ & Producer with 576 followers.
It can take a day or a week. You have to wait for it. There’s nothing you can do to speed up the process.
Thank you for sharing such a useful information. I hope it results in something beneficial for my Instagram account.
You’re welcome, Shagun!
Please verified my Instagram profile
Follow the instructions above to get verified.
None of the things anyone’s mentioned here will have any impact on getting verified, the piece showed how to apply, not how to get a badge. A badge on Instagram has nothing to do with verification and applying does nothing but verify to Instagram that you’re not famous enough to get a badge, unless you ARE a famous enough person (since that’s the only way can get a badge). If not, I would discourage people from applying at all for one, honestly.
Charles, thank you for the input. There are valid points. If you’re a famous person – it’s much easier, that’s a fact. But it is NOT a condition. If you focus on branding and have a business, you can get a verification badge even though almost no one knows you.
Okay does this work on computer, as I do not have a cell phone or any mobile devices?
I don’t think so, at least not now.
I have 143 followers on Instagram, I’m a blogger and also have another account. Will my account get verified?.
Impossible to say. How many articles you’ve published? Do you have consistent branding on other Social media sites? You can definitely try it.
i have 900 follower and i got 3000+ impress recently & 150+ likes on my post & account have 10 posts can i be verified
It’s not exactly about these numbers. Do you have a website? Have you published at least a few articles there? Do you have other social media profiles?
I have almost 73k followers and still haven’t been verified, why?
I have no idea, what’s your Instagram handle?
My account is listed as business with name as username. My icon, however, is my logo because I have used it across all platforms (Facebook, twitter, searching, brick & mortar shops) and is how I am recognized. One of the steps mentioned is a photo. I have been turned down before. Could that be a possibility? Do you HAVE TO have personal photo?
I can’t say for sure, but it could be the reason. If your account name is your real name (not your business) – you should have a profile image of your face – not a logo.
Thank you for sharing this info with us. I am going to create a little more content and then apply this Sunmer.
Some of the replies are 🤦🏾♀️Reading is fundamental, guys.
Hi, would you know if there’s an exclusive feature for verified accounts to hide their following? Like it shows you have zero following but you really have and it’s hidden to public? Thank you for answering in advance!
Hey Lozza. I know what you mean, I’ve seen it too. But I’m 99% sure that it has nothing to do with verified accounts. In my opinion, it is NOT a feature but restriction.
Thanks for the insight! Can you be verified if your account is under a stage name? Or since an id must be provided do you have to go by your real name? Thanks again!
To be completely honest with you, I’m not sure. But I guess that you need to provide the same name that’s on your ID.
Hi Jan, thanks a lot for your helping. My question is, if I own a travel blog and an app about all bookings can I request for verified account with only 3k followers. Thank you
Hey Anca,
Sure, you can definitely try it. Will your request be successful? I have no idea. But there’s nothing to lose. You can apply again, even though if your application will be denied at first.
Hello, I have 114k Followers and I sent the request to verify my IG but I have no response from Instagram and it has been over 30 days and I have no positive or negative response.
Please can you give me any asnwer.
Thanks.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do right now. You need to wait.
If I have verified accounts following me, will that help with me getting verified.
It could, but it’s not going to be a huge factor.
Hello and thank you for the your on point information. I have been trying to get my account verified but every time I get a rejection. I have more than 10k followers and I’m a public figure and I’m on google search so why do you think I’m getting those rejections?
Have you published at least a few articles? Or is it possible to find some publications about you online?
This info is missing the BIGGEST consideration FB/IG takes into account. How much press or media coverage does the person or business have? Not sure why you didn’t make that a massive point or requirement. Media partners would also be a great way to request one and much faster than in app.
Andrew, you’re right. This is a more technical piece. It’s time to make the update.
Hi, thanks for this article, very interesting!
I have an instagram page about food close ups with almost 16k followers. Any chance I might get the blue check?
Thank you!
Jeremy (jeremylifeisgreat on instagram)
Hey Jereme,
To be honest, I don’t think so. It’s much easier to get verified if you are a public figure than just a niche page.
Is there any instance that you know of whereby a fanpage could be verified or is the very basis of being a fanpages a straight no.
Even if you try and stand out by being the only particular one that comes at it from a particular angle?
There are a couple of them, but it’s much harder to get verified than if you are a public figure.
Hi i have applied one month ago for Instagram badge, till now i didn’t got any reply from instagram.how do I know whether it is rejected or under process.
You can only wait.
Hi! Thanks for your help with this. I want to eventually validate my podcast / business. I am wondering if I validate using my name in the process, if I will be able to validate my personal account in the future (It’s remotely possible as the host of the podcast and an elite athlete that my personal account could grow)? Thanks!
Hey, I’d recommend using your real name. You have higher chances to get verified as a public figure.
Hey, I have 10k followers. But the thing is I’m 13 years old can I still get verified?
Hey Colton, is it possible to find real publications about you on the internet? If not, I wouldn’t say you have a real chance to get verified.
Can a meme page get verified? O please reply please!
Until you have a brutal following, I don’t think so.
Hi Jan,
I’m trying to verified my client, he’s a Celebrity Trainer. He has 87.6K followers. Is there a way I can verified his account without logging onto his account?
Hey Allie,
Unfortunately, there isn’t. You need to log in to his account or he has to request the verification himself.
I’m currently verified on Google, MusicMatch, Spotify, Tidal, iTunes, EquipBoard, and other webpages.
My Instagram username it’s exactly as my artist name (@darysson) and I’m still getting denied the verification, there are multiple accounts acting as me :(.
I’ve applied multiple times and I still get denied.
In that case, I’m worried I can’t help 🙁