How to Get Verified on Instagram: the Free Request and Meta Verified

There are two routes to the same badge. One checks whether you're notable, the other checks your ID and charges monthly. Neither counts your followers.

Updated October 2026

What are the two ways to get verified on Instagram?

A verified badge is the check mark next to an account name that tells people Instagram has confirmed the account belongs to the person or brand it represents. Since 2023 there have been two ways to get one:

• The free request, reviewed on notability. Instagram decides whether the account belongs to a well-known person, brand or entity that's likely to be impersonated or searched for.
• Meta Verified, a paid monthly subscription. Meta checks your identity against an ID, and the badge comes with extras such as impersonation monitoring and account support.

What is the difference between the blue check and Meta Verified?

To a visitor, nothing. The badge looks the same on a profile either way. The difference is what was checked and what keeps it there. A badge from the free request says the account is notable and authentic, and it stays as long as the account keeps meeting the rules. A Meta Verified badge says Meta confirmed the person's identity, and it stays only while the subscription is paid.

How many followers do you need to get verified on Instagram?

None, officially. Instagram doesn't publish a follower minimum for the free request, and Meta's subscription page doesn't list one for Meta Verified.

Why do so many verified accounts have large followings, then? Because notability and audience tend to arrive together. A musician with national press coverage usually also has a lot of followers. Instagram is checking the press coverage. The followers are a side effect of the same fame.

The reverse doesn't hold. A large account with no coverage outside Instagram is often denied, while an account for a newspaper columnist or a local business with real media mentions can be approved with a modest following.

How do you request the verified badge for free?

The request is made inside the app. Menu labels have moved several times, so if a step doesn't match your screen, search Settings for verification.

1. Open your profile, tap the menu and go to Settings.

2. Find the account type and tools section and tap Request verification. On some accounts this lives under Meta's Accounts Center.

3. Confirm your full name and attach a photo of an official ID, or official business documents for a brand.

4. Choose a category and country that describe the account.

5. Add links to articles about you or your brand from independent news sources. Paid or promotional content doesn't help here.

6. Submit. Instagram says a decision can take up to 30 days, and it notifies you either way.

Only one account per person or business can be verified, apart from language-specific accounts, so request it for the account people actually look for.

How much does Meta Verified cost?

As of October 2026, Meta's own Meta Verified page lists four plans for creators in the US: Standard at $14.99 a month per profile, then Plus, Premium and Max at $49.99, $149.99 and $499.99. The higher plans add more support and protection features; the badge is the same on all of them.

The price can be higher when you subscribe inside the mobile app than on the web, because app store purchases carry their own pricing. Subscribing for Instagram and Facebook together is offered as a bundle. Prices change, so treat Meta's page as the only reliable source on the day you subscribe.

The requirements, from Meta's eligibility page:

• You're at least 18, or the age of majority where you live.
• You have a government photo ID that matches your profile name and photo, and the profile photo shows your face.
• Two-factor authentication is turned on.
• The account meets minimum activity requirements, such as having a posting history, and follows Instagram's rules.

Why was my Instagram verification request denied?

Instagram doesn't say. A denial arrives as a notice that the account doesn't meet the criteria, without a reason. The usual causes, in order of how often they apply:

• Not enough independent coverage. Notability is the criterion most accounts miss, and links to your own site, press releases or paid placements don't count for much.
• An incomplete profile. The account needs a bio, a profile photo and at least one post before Instagram considers it complete.
• A second account. If you, or the brand, already has a verified account, a second one in the same language won't be approved.
• Duplicate requests. Submitting again before the first is reviewed can cancel the request.

When can you apply again?

After 30 days. Use the time to fix the cause, usually by earning coverage that names you, rather than resubmitting the same application. If you just want the badge and qualify on identity, Meta Verified doesn't depend on notability at all.

Can you lose your verified badge?

Yes, on either route, for different reasons.

A Meta Verified badge goes when the subscription does. Cancel it, or miss a payment, and Meta removes the badge. Profile changes are also limited: Meta allows only a set number of name and username changes in a given period, and changing details it verified, such as your username or date of birth, can mean going through verification again.

A badge from the free request can be removed if the account breaks Instagram's rules or stops meeting the criteria it was granted on. Misleading people about who runs the account is the clearest example, since that's exactly what the badge exists to prevent.

None of this depends on the follower count going up or down. Instagram account status is the place to check whether anything on the account is in trouble.

Does a verified badge change how Instagram treats your account?

Instagram doesn't promise more reach for verified accounts, and Meta doesn't claim it for Meta Verified either. What verification does reliably is protect the account: it's harder to impersonate, and visitors can tell the real account from copies.

It doesn't change monetization either. Instagram's own earning tools, covered in does Instagram pay you for views, have their own eligibility rules, and the badge isn't one of them.

YouTube, by contrast, does tie its badge to a subscriber threshold, and how to get verified on YouTube explains that rule. TikTok follows Instagram's model, without a paid option, in how to get verified on TikTok.

Where followers fit, and where they don't

Followers make an account look established to the people who land on it, and they matter to brands, collaborators and anyone deciding whether to follow. That's a real job, and it's the one Instagram followers do: the count on the profile goes up, with no password asked and payment in crypto or PayPal.

What they won't do is get you verified. Neither verification route counts followers, and anyone selling a badge, or promising one with a follower package, is selling something Instagram doesn't let them deliver. A verified-looking account built that way is also exactly what Instagram removes badges for.

If the account's numbers matter to you, keep them clean as well as large; how to remove fake followers on Instagram covers cleaning up a list. For posts, Instagram likes and the rest of the catalog are on the Instagram page.

Questions people ask about Instagram verification