How to Get Verified on Instagram in 2026

Which verification route fits you?

Both routes end with the same blue check next to your name. The difference is what Meta checks. The free request is judged on notability. Meta Verified is judged on identity: a government ID, a real-looking profile and a subscription. If you already have a notability badge, you can still add Meta Verified for its support and protection features.

Here's how I'd sort it in about ten seconds.

Meta Verified price in 2026, tier by tier

Meta offers four creator plans, billed monthly per profile and renewing automatically. Standard is the only one you can buy on the web, and it's cheaper there than in the app. Plus, Premium and Max are sold in the mobile app only. Every tier includes the badge, impersonation protection, enhanced support and discovery features such as search optimization and a featured profile.

The tiers mainly differ in how much help you get when something goes wrong.Meta has also started offering these features inside Meta One, its newer subscription, so your app may show that name instead.

You can verify one Instagram and one Facebook profile together in the same Accounts Center, and Meta gives a discounted price for that bundle. For a solo creator I'd start on Standard via the web and only move up if you actually need faster case handling.

Meta Verified requirements and how to subscribe

Subscribing takes a few minutes. Open Settings, then Accounts Center (or Meta Account settings), tap Meta Verified, choose the profile and plan, set up payment and confirm your identity. Finish within three days or the subscription is cancelled and you become eligible for a refund. Meta then sends a decision on your verification within three working days.

Before you start, check Meta's eligibility list. It's short and specific:

• Be at least 18, or the age of majority where you live, in a country where Meta Verified is offered.
• Use an Instagram personal or creator account. Business profiles go through Meta Verified for businesses instead.
• Have a government-issued photo ID that matches your profile name, and a name and photo that meet Meta's naming standards.
• Turn on Advanced Protection on the profile you're verifying.
• Meet Meta's minimum activity requirements for the account.
• Avoid a burst of recent edits to your name, username, photo or account type right before applying.

Free badge requirements: what notable actually means

For the free badge, Instagram checks four things on top of its Terms of Use and Community Standards. Notability is the one that decides most requests.

Notable means a well-known, highly searched-for person, brand or entity that's featured in multiple news sources. Paid or sponsored articles don't count. In practice that means things like a profile in your local newspaper, an interview in a trade publication, or coverage of something you launched. A press release on a wire service isn't the same thing.

There's no follower number in Instagram's criteria. But being searched for and being written about tend to follow a visible, active audience; editors look at your profile before they quote you. If you want more people in your niche to find your profile while you work on press, our Instagram growth plans promote your public profile to people who match your niche, with daily numbers in your dashboard.

Before applying, run a free profile scan to catch the basics: a public account, a filled-in bio, a clear profile photo and recent posts.

• Authentic: a real person, registered business or entity.
• Unique: one account per person or business, except language-specific accounts. Fan and meme pages don't qualify.
• Complete: public, with a bio, a profile photo and recent activity.
• Notable: featured in multiple news sources that weren't paid for.

How to get verified on Instagram for free, step by step

You can only do this in the Instagram app, not on a computer. Settle your username first, because once you're verified for notability you can't change it.

• Go to your profile and tap Menu (the three lines) in the top right.
• Below Your insights and tools, tap Professional dashboard, then tap Settings in the top right.
• Tap Request verification.
• Fill in the form, then tap Submit.
• Watch Activity: tap Notifications in the top right. Instagram's decision arrives there within 30 days.

How long verification takes, and what to fix if you're denied

Meta Verified is fast: three working days for the review once you've submitted your ID. The free request can take up to 30 days. Don't resubmit while you're waiting; Instagram says applying multiple times before a decision cancels your application.

If the answer is no, you can apply again after 30 days. I'd use that month to fix the specific gap rather than resubmitting the same thing:

• Thin coverage: aim for two or three independent articles that are about you, not just mentioning you.
• Sponsored pieces: swap them for earned coverage, since Instagram ignores paid media.
• Incomplete profile: public account, real photo, a bio that says who you are, and recent posts.
• Duplicate accounts: if you run several, request the badge for the main one only.
• Still not notable yet: subscribe to Meta Verified now and reapply for the free badge later.

Keeping the badge and spotting verification scams

Instagram can remove a notability badge if you sell, transfer or advertise it, use your bio or name to promote things that break its rules, try to get verified through a third party, or switch between public and private too many times. Meta Verified ends with your subscription: if you cancel, the badge stays until the end of the billing cycle, and you need to cancel at least 24 hours before the next payment.

The scam version is a DM or email offering a guaranteed badge for a fee, or warning that your account will be deleted unless you log in through a link. Real Meta email comes from addresses such as @meta.com or @facebookmail.com. If you clicked something, reset your password, log out of devices you don't recognize and turn on two-factor authentication. Our safety page explains how Ganicly works without ever needing your login, which is a useful yardstick for any service that contacts you.