Verify your identity or payment info

To keep your money safe and comply with regulations, Google Pay may need to verify your identity. This article explains why we might ask you to verify and what information is needed.

About identity verification

Why we might ask you to verify your info

Important:

• If we ask you to verify your account, any pending transactions are cancelled.
• Transactions placed on hold will return to your account within 14 working days.

Identity and payment info verification is required to:

• Confirm that your info is correct before you access specific content.
• Confirm your identity when you buy from Google.
• Confirm your identity when you add a new payment method to Google Pay.
• Secure your account if we notice any strange activity with your account.
• Ask for additional info when we need it for legal or regulatory reasons.

Learn what info you can provide

You need to provide:

• Legal name
• The name used on your payments profile
• Address
• Date of birth
• An image of your government ID
• Proof of address
• An image of your payment method

Know how Google uses your info

With your info, Google:

• Confirms your identity and verifies if your payment method is correct.
• Protects against fraud and abuse.
• Improves the verification process for all Google products.

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

We use your info in compliance with Google Privacy Policy and the Google Payments Privacy Notice.

Verify your information

1. Go to payments.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 must be verified, click Verify.
5. To verify your info, follow the on-screen instructions.
6. To verify other payment methods, repeat the same steps.

Learn how to verify your identity or payment info.

Different ways to verify your info

To complete verification, you can use one of these methods:

Get a verification code

1. Click Get code.
2. Go to your bank's website.
3. Sign in to your account.
4. In your recent transactions, you should find a temporary charge from Google for less than $1.95.
   • The last six digits are your verification code.
   • The amount of the charge depends on the type of currency that you use.
   • You should get the code straight away, but it can take up to seven days.
5. Enter the six-digit code into the box.
6. Click Verify.

Tips:

• The charge or hold on your account is temporary. Charges are refunded within 30 days.
• In some cases, you might initially receive a five-digit code. You'll have the full six-digit code once the bank approves the transaction. If you don't receive the six-digit code, contact your bank.

Upload documents

Important:

• The info that you upload is used only to verify your identity.
• This method isn't available for YouTube and Google Store purchase verification.
• To verify your identity or payment method, find the verification request.
• To find a list of accepted documents and instructions, use the link in the verification request.

Make sure that your documents:

• Use the same full name on all of the documents that you upload
• Are up to date and not expired
• Are easy to read

Make sure that the image that you upload:

• Is just a picture of the document
• Is easy to read
• Is in colour, not black and white
• Doesn't have blurry parts or glare
• Shows all four corners of the document

To cover up info on your documents

1. Draw a dark box over any sensitive information.
2. If you upload bank statements, cover:

• Your full account number. Keep the last four digits visible.
• Your account balances or any transactions. This information isn't required for verification.

Tips:

• Make sure that your name, address and payment info are up to date at payments.google.com.
• After you upload your documents, the review process can take one to seven days.

Fix issues with verification

Fix issues with verification codes and temporary holds

If you need to verify your payment method, we might put a temporary hold or charge on your card transaction history or statement. If you have issues with verification codes, follow these steps.

Important: The code might not show up in your transactions straight away. Wait a couple of days before you try to fix the problem.

To fix the problem quickly, you can

• If the option is available, you can upload documents to verify.
  • The 'Upload document' method isn't available for YouTube and Google Store purchase verification.
• Use a different payment method.

For more info, go to fix issues with payment method verification codes.

Fix issues with document verification

• If you get an email or an error message, follow the instructions in the message.
• If you have issues when you submit documents, contact support.
• If you need help from our team to fix the problem, we'll contact you after we look at your info.

Verification failed

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

Fix issues with the image of your payment method

If you're asked to provide an image of your payment method and you have a numberless card, you can complete verification once you submit:

• A screenshot of the last four digits of your account on your mobile or desktop application.
• A copy of your recent statement with a valid government ID.

Related resources

• Fix issues with payment method verification codes
• Learn about refunds

Need more help?

If you still have issues or any questions, you can ask the community or contact us.