Requirements for verification
You can be verified to run election ads as a political party, business, a government entity/public service undertaking (PSU) or nonprofit organization, or an individual. If you’re an agency or someone who manages multiple Google Ads accounts, each individual account planning to run election ads will need to apply for verification. Note that advertisers should verify the end advertiser, not the agency or intermediary acting on their behalf. For example, an agency advertising on behalf of a political party should verify as the political party.
- You're a political party if you are registered as a political party for the Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha Elections, or an entity authorized by the political party to run election ads on its behalf (for example, an advertising agency). For verification, the “Account type” selected for your Google Ads payment profile must be “Business.”
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You’re a business if you are an existing, incorporated, or registered company, trust, proprietorship, partnership, or society organized under the laws of, and based in, India, or an entity authorized by the business to run election ads on its behalf (for example, an advertising agency). For verification, the “Account type” selected for your Google Ads payment profile must be “Business.”
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You’re a government entity/public service undertaking (PSU) or a nonprofit organization if you are a government entity or a PSU or a non-governmental organization (NGO) or a charitable entity/organization organized under the laws of India, and based in India, or an entity authorized by the government entity or PSU, or nonprofit organization to run election ads on its behalf (for example, an advertising agency). For verification, the “Account type” selected for your Google Ads payment profile must be “Business.”
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You’re an individual if you are a political candidate, a current member of the Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha, or if you don’t meet the criteria for being verified as a political party, business, or nonprofit organization. If you need to be verified as an individual, the “Account type” selected for your Google Ads payment profile must be “Individual.”
As a reminder, Google requires that all election ads contain a disclosure identifying who has paid for the ad. For election ads, Google will generate, where possible, an in-ad disclosure that identifies who paid for your election ad. The disclosure will display the name of the entity that paid for the ad to users who see the ad.
Verification for political parties
You must be an authorized representative for your political party in order to complete the two steps of this verification process. If applicable, an authorized representative can also be a representative of the agency representing the political party. You’ll also need access to the political party’s Google Ads account.
Once Google verifies your political party’s eligibility to run election ads, you’ll receive an email and an in-account notification (in a red bar at the top of the Google Ads account), that guides you through the identity verification process in Google Ads. Keep in mind, once we send you an email and show the in-account notification, you’ll have 60 days to complete the identity verification process in Google Ads.
As noted above, you must be an authorized representative for your political party to complete this step.
Keep in mind, when you choose to verify as a political party, all ads in your Google Ads account will be classified as India Election Ads. This means that your ads will need to comply with Google Ads’ policy for India Election Ads, which requires that you also submit a pre-certificate for every election ad you want to run.
Verification for businesses
You must be an authorized representative for your business in order to complete the two steps of this verification process. To be an authorized representative, you need to be a full-time employee of the business, or if applicable, a representative of the agency representing the business. You’ll also need access to the business’s Google Ads account.
Once Google verifies your business’s eligibility to run election ads, you’ll receive an email and an in-account notification (in a red bar at the top of the Google Ads account), that guides you through the identity verification process in Google Ads. Keep in mind, once we send you an email and show the in-account notification, you’ll have 60 days to complete the identity verification process in Google Ads.
As noted above, you must be an authorized representative for your business to complete this step
Verification for government entities/PSU or nonprofit organizations
You must be an authorized representative for the government entity or PSU or nonprofit organization in order to complete the two steps of this verification process. To be an authorized representative, you need to be a full-time employee of the government entity or PSU or nonprofit organization, or if applicable, a representative of the agency representing the government entity or PSU or nonprofit organization. You’ll also need access to the government entity or PSU or nonprofit organization’s Google Ads account.
Once Google verifies your organization’s eligibility to run election ads, you’ll receive an email and an in-account notification (in a red bar at the top of the Google Ads account), that guides you through the identity verification process in Google Ads. Keep in mind, once we send you an email and show the in-account notification, you’ll have 60 days to complete the identity verification process in Google Ads.
As noted above, you must be an authorized representative for your organization to complete this step.
Verification for individuals
Keep in mind, when you choose to verify as a political candidate or a current member of the Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha, all ads in your Google Ads account will be classified as India Election Ads. This means that your ads will need to comply with Google Ads’ policy for India Election Ads, which requires that you also submit a pre-certificate for every election ad you want to run.
How Google uses your information
With the information you provide during the verification process, Google will verify your identity and eligibility to run election ads.
- For election ads that run in the region to which the ad content pertains, Google will:
- Generate, when possible, an in-ad disclosure that identifies who paid for your election ad. This means your name, or the name of the organization you represent, will be displayed in the ad shown to users. Election ads run by verified election advertisers in other regions where election ad verification is required will also contain a “Paid for by” disclosure.
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- Publish a publicly available Political Advertising Transparency Report and a political ads library with data on funding sources for election ads, the amounts being spent, and more.
- For all other ads, Google will:
- Generate, when possible, an in-ad disclosure using the information provided during the verification program. This means that your name, or the name of the organization or business you represent, and country, will be displayed in a disclosure shown to users. Find out more about Advertiser transparency and disclosures.
- Make information publicly available about your ad creatives, dates and locations ads served, ads removed and accounts suspended for legal or policy reasons, business contact info, and advertiser name change history, as described in our advertiser verification policy.
How to apply for verification
You can apply for step 1 of verification using the application form below. Once Google verifies your eligibility to run election ads, you’ll receive an email and an in-account notification for step 2 (in a red bar at the top of your Google Ads account) that guides you through the identity verification process in Google Ads. Step 2 identity verification can take up to 5 business days.
Google will review your application and send you an email notification about your verification status within 5 business days.