There are two ways to get the blue tick on Instagram. You can subscribe to Meta Verified, a paid monthly subscription for eligible creators and businesses that confirms your identity with a government ID, or you can request free verification based on notability, which only works if you're well known and covered by several news sources.
The badge looks the same on your profile whichever route you take. What differs is who qualifies, what you have to prove and whether you pay. For most small business owners, that makes the choice simpler than it looks.
The two routes side by side
| Meta Verified (paid) | Notability request (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Creators and businesses who want the badge as proof they're real | Public figures, brands and organisations that are widely known and searched for |
| What you need | To meet the eligibility rules, a matching government ID and two-factor authentication turned on | An authentic, unique, complete and notable account, with press coverage that isn't paid for |
| What you get | The blue badge plus the subscription features listed in the app | The blue badge |
| What it takes | A paid monthly subscription; check the current terms in the app | Nothing to pay; a request form and a decision |
| Hearing back | After Meta reviews your ID | No set timeframe; the decision arrives in your notifications |
Route one: subscribe to Meta Verified
Meta Verified is open to eligible creators and businesses. For creators, the requirements include being at least 18, meeting minimum activity requirements on the account, having a government ID that matches your profile name and photo, and having two-factor authentication turned on (Meta Verified help pages). If you're not sure why Meta wants your ID at all, here's why Instagram asks for ID verification.
- Turn on two-factor authentication first, in Accounts Center under Password and security, if it isn't on already.
- Open Accounts Center and tap Meta Verified. You can also reach it from the menu on your profile.
- Choose the Instagram account you want to verify.
- Check the eligibility details and the current subscription terms shown in the app.
- Upload your government ID when asked, making sure the name and photo match your profile.
- Confirm the subscription and wait for Meta to review your details.
Before you start, it helps to know what Meta Verified is for. It confirms that you are who you say you are. It doesn't say you're famous, and it doesn't change how Instagram ranks your posts. Think of it as an ID check with a badge on top, plus whatever extra features the app lists for your country at the time you sign up.
Don't change your profile name or photo while the review is running. A mismatch between your ID and your profile can hold up the review.
Route two: request verification for notability
This is the free route, and it's the one Instagram used before Meta Verified existed. You ask, Instagram reviews your account against its notability criteria, and it says yes or no.
- Go to your profile and tap the menu (three lines).
- Open Settings, then Account type and tools.
- Tap Request verification, if your account shows it.
- Fill in the form: who you are, your category, the country you're best known in, and any links to coverage the form asks for.
- Send it and watch your notifications for the decision.
If a menu name looks different in your version, search the app's settings for 'verification' and it should come up.
The notability checklist Instagram uses
Instagram's Help Center lists four things it looks for. Read them as a pass or fail test, not a scale.
- Authentic: the account represents a real person or a registered business.
- Unique: one account per person or business. Language-specific accounts are the only exception.
- Complete: a public account with a bio, a profile photo and at least one post.
- Notable: the person or brand is well known and highly searched for, and has been featured in several news sources. Paid or promotional content isn't counted as a news source.
A quick way to test yourself: search your name or brand in a news search. If the results are mostly your own website, your own social accounts and directory listings, you're not notable in the way Instagram means yet. If several independent publications have written about you, you've got a case worth making.
That last point is where most requests fall down. A press release you paid to distribute, an advertorial or a feature you arranged in return for money won't count. Instagram wants independent coverage.
If you're turned down: you can submit a new notability request after 30 days (Instagram Help Center). Use that time to build real coverage rather than resending the same form, because nothing about your account will have changed.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Blue tick scams to ignore
Instagram never DMs you offering a badge, and it never asks you to pay through a DM or an outside form. Anyone selling a 'verification service' or a 'guaranteed blue tick' is running a scam. At best you lose your money; at worst you hand over your login and lose the account. Buying a badge from a third party also breaks Instagram's rules, so even if one somehow appeared, you'd risk losing it.
- A DM from an account called something like 'Verification Team' or 'Meta Support'.
- A form that asks for your password or a login code.
- A promise of the badge within hours, for a fee paid outside the app.
- Pressure to act fast or 'lose your eligibility'.
If one of these has already got hold of your login, change it straight away using my steps for resetting your Instagram password, then turn on two-factor authentication.
If you also run a TikTok account, the rules there work differently; my guide on how to get verified on TikTok covers that side.
Which route should a small business pick?
If you run an ordinary small business, the notability route is a long shot unless you've had real, independent press. Meta Verified is the realistic option, as long as the subscription is worth it to you after reading the current terms.
If it were my business, I'd only pay for the badge if people were already impersonating my account or customers kept asking whether I was the real one. Otherwise I'd put that effort into content and reviews, because the badge alone doesn't bring in a single customer.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to get verified on Instagram?
The notability request is free, but it only works for well-known accounts with independent press coverage. Meta Verified is a paid monthly subscription; check the current terms in the app.
Does the Meta Verified badge look different from the notability badge?
No. The blue badge looks the same on your profile whichever route you used to get it.
How long until I can reapply if Instagram says no?
If a notability request is turned down, you can submit a new one after 30 days, according to Instagram's Help Center.
Can someone sell me a blue tick?
No. Instagram never offers badges by DM or charges through outside forms. Badge sellers are scammers, and buying a badge breaks Instagram's rules.
