How to Get Verified on Instagram in 2026: Meta Verified vs Free Badge

Checked against Instagram's Help Center, Meta's Meta Verified page and Meta's newsroom on October 1, 2026. This update replaces the April 2026 version, which had the web and app prices the wrong way round, listed two-factor authentication where Meta now asks for Advanced Protection, and quoted review times, follower rules of thumb and a profile-visit uplift we could not source.

Quick answer

Instagram's requirements page says there are two ways to get the verified badge: subscribe to Meta Verified, or apply for the badge if you are a notable public figure, celebrity or brand. The paid route is open to most adults who can prove their identity. The free route is reserved for accounts that are already well known, and follower count alone does not get you there: Instagram's creator FAQ says "there isn't a certain follower count or virality, each account is reviewed holistically."

In September 2026 Meta added another way to pay for a badge: Meta One, a subscription whose creator and business plans include verification. It is covered below.

Meta Verified vs the free badge

Sources: Meta Verified eligibility, Meta Verified pricing, plan benefits, badge requirements and what happens after you apply.

Route 1: Meta Verified

Who is eligible

According to Instagram's eligibility page, you need to:

• Be at least 18, or the age of majority where you live.
• Be located in a country where Meta Verified is available.
• Have a government-issued photo ID.
• Use an Instagram personal or creator account whose profile picture and name meet Meta Verified naming standards. Business accounts use the separate Meta Verified for businesses.
• Have Advanced Protection turned on and meet minimum activity requirements, which Meta does not define in detail.
• Not have changed things like your profile name, photo, username or account type too many times shortly before applying.

Plans and prices

Prices and plan contents come from Meta's Meta Verified page and benefits page, read on October 1, 2026. Meta says the Standard prices apply "in most regions," that you see local pricing when you start signing up, and that "plans, benefits, and availability may vary by region, by app, and by account." Standard costs less when you subscribe on the web. Each higher plan includes everything in the plans above it in the table.

Meta One: the new way to pay for a badge

Meta introduced Meta One on September 15, 2026. Its creator and business bundles start with Essential, from $14.99 a month, which includes "a verified badge" and impersonation protection "pending successful verification." Advanced (from $49.99) adds scheduling stories up to 30 days ahead, links in organic posts and reels, exportable analytics and deeper audience insights; Expert and Max start at $149 and $499. Meta Verified is still sold alongside it, and Meta says Meta One "plans, benefits, pricing, and availability may vary by region, by app, and by account." If you only want the badge and support, compare Meta Verified Standard with Meta One Essential in your own app before you subscribe.

How to subscribe

1. Match your profile to your ID first. Your verified profile name must match the legal name on your ID. Meta accepts some variations, such as abbreviations, spelling variations, first initials and compound names, but not symbols, numbers or titles, and a one-word legal name may be rejected.
2. Turn on Advanced Protection in your account's security settings, which Meta is moving from Accounts Center to Meta Account settings.
3. Start the sign-up in the Instagram app or on the web, where Standard is cheaper, and pick a plan.
4. Upload your ID. It must be a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with your name, photo and date of birth, with all four corners in frame. You may also be asked for a short video selfie; Meta says a snapshot is compared with your profile picture by human reviewers.
5. Finish within 3 days. If the verification isn't completed within 3 days, the subscription is canceled and refunded.

Rules once you are verified

• Name changes are limited and reviewed. On Instagram you can change a verified profile name twice every 14 days, and a review can take up to 3 days.
• Canceling ends the badge. A canceled subscription stays active until the end of the billing cycle, then you lose all Meta Verified benefits. Cancel at least 24 hours before the next payment date.
• Plan changes can only be made on the platform and device where you first subscribed; upgrades usually take effect within 24 hours.

Route 2: request the free verified badge

Instagram's requirements say an account must follow its Terms of Use and Community Standards and be:

• Authentic: "Represent a real person, registered business or entity."
• Unique: only one account per person or business, with exceptions for language-specific accounts. General interest accounts, such as meme pages, are not verified.
• Complete: public, with a bio and profile photo, and active when you apply.
• Notable: "a well-known, highly searched for person, brand or entity." Instagram reviews accounts "featured in multiple news sources" and doesn't count "paid or sponsored media content."

How to apply

1. Set your username to the one you want to keep. Once verified, you can't change it.
2. In the Instagram app, go to your profile and tap the menu.
3. Choose Account type and tools or Creator tools and controls, depending on your profile type, then tap Request verification. Instagram's instructions say this only works in the app.
4. Fill out the form, including your identification, and tap Submit.

You'll get a notification in Activity up to 30 days after applying. If the request is denied, you can apply again in 30 days. Don't apply several times while you wait: Instagram says that cancels your application.

How to improve your chances of the free badge

Nothing guarantees the badge, but each step below maps to one of Instagram's criteria:

• Earn independent coverage. Notability is judged on news sources, and paid or sponsored articles don't count. Genuine interviews, reviews and reporting about your work do.
• Make the account complete. Public, with a clear bio and profile photo, and posting when you apply.
• Connect your official presence. Instagram suggests linking to your Instagram account from your official website and other official profiles, which also shows people the account is really yours.
• Keep one main account. Only one account per person or business can be verified.
• Stay in good standing. Instagram can remove a badge if you advertise, transfer or sell it, use your profile to promote services that break its rules, try to verify through a third party or switch between public and private too many times.
• Be accurate. Instagram removes badges obtained with false or misleading information and may disable the account.

Which route should you choose?

• You are already covered by independent media: apply for the free badge first. It costs nothing, and you can still subscribe later.
• You need protection from impersonators or faster support now: Meta Verified Standard is the cheapest paid option, on the web.
• You want extra features such as links in reels: compare Meta Verified Plus with Meta One Advanced, and check whether the features are worth the monthly price for your account.
• You run a brand or shop: look at Meta Verified for businesses rather than the creator plans.

Keep expectations realistic. Meta lists search optimization among the paid benefits and a featured profile from Plus up, but it doesn't promise more followers or recommendations. Growth still comes from the content; our guide to Instagram growth tactics that work covers what Instagram says it rewards.

Verification for AI influencer and brand accounts

Both routes are built around real identities. Meta Verified for creators ties the badge to a legal name on a government ID, so a virtual character can't be verified in its own name on a creator plan. The free badge requires an account that represents a real person, registered business or entity, so a studio behind a character could only qualify if it is notable in its own right. Instagram also asks accounts built around an AI-generated person to use its AI-generated profile label; our guide to AI influencers on Instagram covers those rules.

Avoid verification scams

• Instagram says it "will never send you direct messages about your account in the Instagram app," and lists people "offering you account verification services" as a scam warning sign.
• You can see official emails Instagram sent in the last 14 days in your Instagram settings, so check there before trusting any message.
• Trying to get verified through a third party is a reason Instagram gives for removing a badge or disabling an account.

Instagram Verification FAQ

Related reads

• Meta One vs Meta Verified for creators
• How to make money on Instagram
• Build a personal brand on Instagram
• Instagram growth tactics that work
• Instagram bio ideas and templates