Verify your identity or payment info

For certain Google Account activities, like sign-ups for Google products or services, transactions or payment method changes, we may need to verify your identity or ownership of the payment method used. We may ask for your:

• Legal name
• The name used on your Payments profile
• Address
• Date of birth

You might also need to provide us with:

• An image of your Government ID
• Proof of address
• An image of your payment method

Tip: These steps are for people who must verify info to purchase Google products or services. To verify your identity in the Google Pay app, follow these instructions.

Why we might ask you to verify

• To verify that your information is correct to access certain content.
• To verify your identity to complete a transaction with Google.
• We noticed unusual activity or transactions.
• We need more information for legal or regulatory reasons.

Important: If we ask you to verify your account, any pending transactions are cancelled. Pending charges on your bank statement disappear within 14 working days.

How we use your info

Google uses the info that you provide to:

• Verify your identity or payment method.
• Protect against fraud and abuse.
• Improve verification services for Google products.

Your verified info, like your name and address, is stored with your Google Account and you can manage it at pay.google.com.

The info that you submit is treated in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy and the Google Payments Privacy Notice where applicable.

How to complete verification

You may be asked to submit documents or request a code to verify your info.

Verify your payment method with a verification code

1. Go to pay.google.com.
2. Sign in to your account.
3. At the top right, click Alerts   Verify.
   • If there are no alerts, click Payment methods.
4. Next to the card that you want to verify, click Verify  Get code.
5. In your transaction history, you'll find a temporary charge of less than USD 1.95 called 'GOOGLE'. The verification code is the last six digits.
   • The amount varies by currency.
   • You should get the code straight away, but it can take up to seven days.
   • Tip: The charge or hold on your account is temporary. Charges are refunded within 30 days.
6. To complete verification, return to your account and enter the six-digit code.

Verify your identity or payment method with documents

To verify your identity or payment method, use the link in the verification request to find a list of accepted documents and instructions.

Make sure that your documents:

• Use the same full name in all the documents that you submit
• Are current and not expired
• Are legible

Make sure that the image that you upload:

• Is an image of a document and nothing else
• Is legible
• Is in colour, not in black and white
• Doesn't have blurring, glare or dim light
• Shows the full document with all four corners

Tips:

• Make sure that your name, address and payment info are up to date at pay.google.com.
• After you've submitted your documents, verification may take a few days.

Can't find the email or form requesting you to verify your identity?

1. Go to pay.google.com.
2. At the top, click Alerts .
3. Click Verify now.
4. To verify your identity, follow the on-screen instructions.

Fix issues with a verification code

Learn how to fix issues when you try to verify payment methods with a verification code.

Fix issues with document verification 

To resolve the issue:

• If you received an email or got an error message, follow the instructions in the message.
• If you need help from our team to resolve the issue, we'll contact you after we review your information.

Failed verification

If you failed verification, you'll receive an email shortly after the decision. To appeal the decision, follow the instructions in the email.