How to Get Verified on X (Twitter): The Blue Check Guide

To get verified on X, you subscribe to X Premium or Premium+ and wait for X to review your account. There is no application form for individuals. According to X’s help center, once you subscribe, your account is automatically checked against a short list of requirements, and the blue checkmark appears if it passes. That review can take several business days.

One thing to understand before you pay: the blue check no longer means what it used to. X says it now shows an active Premium subscription, not that anyone confirmed who you are. This guide covers what each checkmark means, the requirements, the exact steps on web and mobile, what the check does and doesn’t give you, and how to spot fake “get verified” offers.

What the checkmarks mean on X today

X uses several badges, and they are easy to mix up. Here is how X’s help center describes them:

Badge	What it means on X	How you get it
Blue checkmark	An active Premium or Premium+ subscription, plus meeting X’s eligibility requirements. It can belong to a person or an organization	Subscribe, then pass the automatic review
Gold checkmark	An official organization account through Premium Business, shown with a square profile picture	Organizations sign up for Premium Business
Grey checkmark	A government or multilateral organization or official	Apply with a form and confirm identity, or subscribe to Premium Organizations
Affiliation badge	A small image of a Verified Organization’s profile photo, showing the account is connected to that organization	The organization invites the account
ID verified label	The account holder confirmed their identity with a government-issued ID	Optional, for individual Premium subscribers

The old program is gone. X says it began winding down legacy verification (accounts judged active, notable and authentic) on April 1, 2023, and it no longer accepts applications under those criteria. If you see someone with a check, X’s current definition is that they pay, not that they are famous.

X has also changed how it describes the check in Europe. Its help center says that after a European Commission decision on December 5, 2025, X stopped calling blue-check users “verified” in the EEA and calls them “Premium” users instead, while the way you get the check stays the same. X says it is appealing that decision.

How an individual gets the blue checkmark

X’s help center lists these requirements to receive or keep the blue checkmark:

• Complete profile. The account has a display name and a profile photo.
• Recent activity. The account was active in the past 30 days to subscribe.
• Confirmed phone number. You confirm it as part of signing up.
• No recent profile changes. No recent change to your profile photo, display name or username (@handle).
• Not misleading or deceptive. No signs of being misleading or deceptive.
• No platform manipulation or spam. No signs of spam or manipulation.

Notice what isn’t on that list. X’s published criteria don’t mention follower count, a business, press coverage or fame. They also don’t promise approval: the checkmark appears only if X’s team reviews your subscribed account and it meets the requirements.

Tier matters too. X lists the checkmark under Premium and Premium+. The cheaper Basic tier includes features like post editing and longer posts, but not the checkmark.

Since October 12, 2026, new customers are being moved to a bundled plan called The X Subscription, where the cheapest paid plan, Plus ($8 a month), includes a checkmark according to its launch announcement. Existing Premium subscribers keep their tier unless they switch. Our X Premium price guide compares both sets of plans.

How to subscribe, step by step

X’s help center gives the same path on every platform:

On the web (x.com)

1. Open x.com and select Premium in the left-hand navigation.
2. Choose a tier that includes the checkmark (Premium or Premium+).
3. Select Subscribe & Pay.
4. Verify your phone number if you haven’t already.
5. Confirm the payment.

On iOS or Android

1. Open the profile menu in the X app and tap Premium.
2. Choose Premium or Premium+ and tap Subscribe & Pay.
3. Verify your phone number if prompted.
4. Complete the in-app purchase through Apple or Google.

After that, your account is reviewed and, if approved, the checkmark is applied. Menu wording sometimes shifts between app versions, so if you don’t see “Premium” exactly where described, look in the profile menu or side navigation for the subscription option.

Prices vary by region and platform. X’s help center says app-store fees make prices on iOS and Android different from the web, and that buying on the web gives the lowest price. Plan names and prices change, so treat any figure you see online as a starting point and check the price shown at checkout.

How long the review takes

X says the review can sometimes take several business days, and tells new subscribers to wait for it. It doesn’t publish an exact turnaround. While you wait, don’t edit your profile photo, display name or username.

Those three fields matter because of how X handles changes. Its help center says that changing any of them, once you’re subscribed, makes you lose the checkmark until the account is reviewed again. No further changes are allowed during that review. If you plan to rename the account, do it before you subscribe. Our guide on how to change your X username walks through it, and X bio ideas can help you finalize your profile first.

What the checkmark gives you (and what it doesn’t)

Premium is a bundle of features, and some of them are tied to the review. Per X’s help center:

What X says you get	Detail from X
Reply prioritization	X lists “reply prioritization” in every tier, larger on Premium and largest on Premium+. X says being a Premium subscriber is one factor it considers when ranking a reply higher, along with whether the original author replied and whether you follow the person
Fewer ads	Premium shows approximately 50% fewer ads in the For You and Following timelines. Premium+ is ad-free in most areas of X, with occasional sponsored content
Edit post	A 1-hour window to make a limited number of changes to original posts and quotes. See how to edit a post on X
Longer posts	Up to 25,000 characters
Replying to verified-only posts	Once verified, you can reply to posts limited to verified accounts
Optional ID verification	An “ID verified” label if you submit a government ID

Equally important is what it does not promise. X doesn’t say the checkmark guarantees reach, more followers, or income. Reply prioritization is described as one ranking signal among others, and X’s own text on visibility says the algorithm focuses on relevance, user interaction and community interests. Our guide to how the X algorithm works covers what actually drives distribution.

X also says it “does not endorse or validate the views expressed on accounts featuring blue checkmarks.” A check says nothing about whether the person is trustworthy.

How verification connects to monetization

Premium is a requirement for X’s creator payout programs, but it isn’t enough on its own. X lists Original Content Rewards as a Premium and Premium+ feature, with payouts based on qualified impressions from Premium users. You still need to meet the impression, follower and eligibility thresholds. Our X monetization requirements guide lays out the full list.

X’s ID verification policy adds another layer: it says it requires ID verification for creators receiving funds through its revenue-sharing and creator subscription programs. So the sequence for a creator is usually Premium first, the checkmark review, and ID verification later when payouts are involved.

Verified Organizations and government labels

Businesses and nonprofits. X’s Premium Business subscription is for organizations such as businesses, non-profits and political parties. Approved accounts get a gold checkmark and a square avatar. Full Access subscribers can invite related accounts, such as employees or brands, to be affiliated. Affiliates must accept the invite and then get a checkmark and an affiliation badge. To qualify, X requires a matching active X account, a current organization email address and a current website domain, and a complete profile. Personal accounts aren’t allowed, though X says it assesses some businesses built around personal brands case by case. X lists Premium Business pricing on its help center, notes that prices vary by region and can change, and says it accepts credit cards only.

Government accounts. The grey checkmark is for government and multilateral organizations and officials. X’s criteria include heads of state, ministers, members of parliament, government agencies and embassies. You apply through a form and confirm identity with documents or a government email address. Government entities that don’t qualify can look at Premium Organizations. A grey check is dropped when someone leaves office.

Why verification can be denied or removed

X may remove the checkmark at any time, per its help center. Common reasons:

• You changed your profile photo, display name or username. The check disappears until the account is reviewed again.
• Rule violations or suspension. X says it may remove the checkmark from accounts that break the X Rules, and that suspensions can end it too. If that’s your situation, read what to do if your X account is suspended.
• Signs of being misleading or deceptive, or of spam or platform manipulation. These are listed as grounds for not getting the check in the first place.
• You stop paying. If you cancel, X says your check remains until the end of the term you’ve paid for.

X also says it does not refund Premium subscriptions in most cases, even when a checkmark is removed, unless required by law. If your check is missing and you’re a new subscriber, the first thing to do is wait out the review. If you’re an existing subscriber, check whether you recently changed your photo, name or handle.

How to avoid “get verified” scams

Because the blue check now has a price, scammers target people who want it. Keep these rules in mind:

• There is one route. X’s help center says you must subscribe to Premium or Premium+, or become an affiliate of a Verified Organization. Anyone selling a “verified badge” through another channel isn’t offering something X lists.
• Never share your password or a login code with anyone promising a check. A legitimate subscription is purchased inside your own account, on x.com or in the official app.
• Be wary of DMs and emails claiming your account has been “selected” for verification or will be removed unless you click a link. Go to the Premium menu yourself instead.
• Don’t pay to get “approved faster.” X doesn’t publish any way to speed up review for a fee. Its help center only says ID verification may simplify review in the future.

OnlyTwitter’s services add engagement to your posts, but they can’t give you a checkmark, and purchased views don’t count toward Original Content Rewards payouts either.

Quick checklist before you subscribe

1. Finish your display name, handle and profile photo first.
2. Confirm a phone number you control.
3. Make sure the account has been active in the last 30 days.
4. Subscribe to Premium or Premium+ (not Basic) on the web for the best price, per X.
5. Don’t change your photo, name or handle while the review runs.
6. Decide later whether to add optional ID verification.

Key takeaways

• The only individual route to the blue check is a Premium or Premium+ subscription plus X’s review.
• X says the check means an active subscription, not a confirmed identity.
• Review can take several business days, and changing your photo, name or handle triggers a new one.
• The check can improve reply ranking and reduce ads, but X doesn’t promise reach or payouts.
• Gold is for organizations, grey is for governments, and everything else offered as a shortcut should be treated as a scam.