Claude Identity Verification Failed? How to Get Through It
If Claude's ID check keeps failing, read the on-screen message, make sure what you typed matches your ID exactly, and retake the photos in bright, even light. If that doesn't clear it, contact Anthropic, the company that makes Claude. Persona, the outside company that runs the ID check, says it can't change the result. Export your Claude data first if you still can.
I'm starting to get calls about this and see it more online, so I did the homework. I've used Claude since 2023, and I help clients choose AI tools, set up Claude and train their teams. What follows comes from Anthropic's and Persona's help pages as of November 2, 2026, and the advice is mine. I'm not affiliated with either company, and I'm a marketer, not a lawyer.
Start by figuring out what you're looking at
Claude has a few different checks, and people lump them together, but each has a different fix.
What you're seeing | What it usually is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
A request for your ID and possibly a selfie | The identity check, run by Persona | Follow the steps in the next section |
Your ID keeps getting rejected | A problem with the photo, the ID or what you typed | Fix what the message names, then use Anthropic's help form |
The link expired or won't load | A link or browser problem | Try the fixes below, then ask Anthropic for a new link |
A request to prove you're over 18 | An age check, run by another outside company called Yoti | Use the link in Anthropic's email; a selfie estimate needs no ID |
A "temporary limit" on Claude's Ultra plan | Automatic account verification, with no ID involved in the steps Anthropic describes | Nothing to upload; Anthropic removes it once your account is verified |
A notice that your account was disabled | File the appeal; a new photo won't help |
Before you do anything, save your work
If you can still get into your account, export your data now. On Free, Pro, Max and Ultra, go to Settings, then Privacy, then Export data. You have to do this from the web app or Claude Desktop, because the phone apps can't run it. The email link expires after 24 hours and you must be signed in to download it, so grab it when it arrives. On Team or Enterprise, an owner has to allow member exports first, and those exports leave out the contents of uploaded files.
How to get through verification
Anthropic asks for an original, physical government photo ID that's legible, undamaged and not expired, plus a phone with a camera. A passport, driver's license, state ID or national ID card works. Photocopies, screenshots, mobile driver's licenses, employee badges and temporary paper IDs don't. Companies also need their legal name, address and registration number.
Persona, the company running the check, publishes its own help guides. Here's the order I'd follow:
Read the on-screen message first, because Persona says it usually tells you why an attempt was rejected.
Match what you typed to your ID. Your name and other details have to match the document you're showing.
Lay the ID flat in bright, even light, keep the whole thing in the frame and hold still. Blur, glare and darkness are common reasons for a rejected ID.
Use your newest, cleanest ID. Persona warns that laminated, torn or faded documents may never scan, and Anthropic lets you try a different government ID.
Allow camera access and update your browser or app.
If it hangs on loading, switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data, turn off ad blockers and privacy extensions, then reopen the link.
You may see advice online to use a passport or match your billing card. A passport is an accepted option, but neither company says it works better, and neither page I read mentions your billing card.
If it still fails, contact Anthropic
Persona only runs the check. It says it can't approve, re-run or override a decision, because the company that asked you to verify makes the call, and here that's Anthropic. Persona also says that company may offer another route, such as a different document or a manual review, so ask Anthropic directly.
Once your attempts run out, use Anthropic's identity verification help form.
If you're signed in on Pro, Max or Ultra, or own a Team or Enterprise account, you can also message support: click your name in the lower left, choose Get help, then Send us a message. A support bot answers first and passes your request to the support team when it needs investigation.
If you're locked out, open the message icon on the Claude Help Center and choose "I can't login." Free accounts get the bot and help documents, with human help only for account deletion.
Write down the date, the ID you used and each error message, so you can give support the whole story in your first message.
If you paid and can't get in
Anthropic says payments are generally non-refundable unless its terms or the law say otherwise, but the route depends on where you bought, and a refund request doesn't cancel your plan:
Where you paid | How to ask |
|---|---|
Claude on the web | Get help, Send us a message, then Claude Refund Request |
Apple | reportaproblem.apple.com; Apple decides |
Google Play | Contact Claude support, with your Google Play email or order number if the plan is inactive |
Locked out | Email support from another address and CC the one on the account |
If your account was banned
A ban is a different problem from a failed check. Anthropic lists repeated violations of its usage rules, creating an account from an unsupported location and breaking its terms of service as reasons. To appeal, sign in with that account and fill out the form. Anthropic gives no timeline and says response times are running longer than normal.
It's also worth checking the list of supported countries, since availability depends on where you are and, for companies, where they're headquartered and who controls them. The news site Meduza has reported on users who said their accounts were banned after uploading Russian passports, and Anthropic had not commented on those reports.
What I wouldn't do
I wouldn't pay a site that sells verification help, because you'd be handing a stranger your verification link and maybe your ID. I wouldn't use someone else's ID, an AI-generated image or a VPN to look like you're somewhere else, since that could turn a fixable problem into a ban. And I wouldn't send your ID to anyone who offers help in a comment.
Where does your ID go?
Your ID and selfie go to Persona, not onto Anthropic's own systems. Anthropic says the data isn't used to train its AI and isn't shared for marketing, with an exception for valid legal requests. Its privacy policy says the data can include facial geometry templates, a kind of face data that may count as biometric data in some places. The policy says it's kept "as long as reasonably necessary," and its section for Korea lists three years at Persona and until account deletion at Anthropic. To ask about deleting your data, Persona says to start with the company that asked you to verify, and Anthropic lists [email protected].
How to make this a non-event for your business
Most of this gets easier when you plan before anyone gets a prompt, and I look at it the same way I look at an ad account. I get calls every week from people with ad account problems, which is why I'd sort out access early.
Give each person their own login, because verification uses a person's own ID. Make sure anyone who might be asked has a current physical ID, since a mobile license won't work. Keep your prompts, brand guides and client context in files the business owns, and schedule a regular export so one locked account is less likely to strand your work. Then pick a backup AI tool and try it once while nothing's wrong.
Check your plan too. Anthropic's July privacy update covers Free, Pro and Max, while Team and Enterprise run on other agreements. The identity article also has a path for organizations, so don't assume a business plan skips verification. Law firms and anyone handling sensitive data should take confidentiality and biometric questions to their own attorney.
I put all of this on one page with a fill-in table: Get the Verification Checklist for Claude Accounts. If you'd like a hand setting it up for your team, Hickey Media can help. Only Anthropic can reinstate an account, so that part stays with them.
Claude verification FAQ
Does every Claude user have to verify? No. Anthropic describes it as a rollout "for a few use cases," with prompts tied to certain features, routine checks and other safety and compliance measures. It doesn't publish exact triggers.
Can I use a mobile driver's license? No. Anthropic asks for the physical document and doesn't accept digital or mobile IDs.
Can I say no? The privacy policy says "if you choose to," but the help article doesn't say what happens if you decline. I'd expect you may not get access to whatever triggered the request.
How long does it take? The current article gives no time for verification or for a help form review.
Does a verified Ultra account mean I uploaded an ID? Not necessarily. Anthropic says it verifies Ultra accounts automatically, using factors like account and payment history.
This is general information from a marketer, not legal advice. Hickey Media isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic or Persona, and Claude is Anthropic's trademark. Policies change, so check the current help articles.
