Claude identity verification: passing the ID check

Why Claude asks for identity verification

Identity verification is Anthropic's way of confirming who is behind a Claude account. Anthropic's help center says the data is used only to confirm who you are and to meet legal and safety obligations, and its privacy policy names preventing fraud, abuse and Usage Policy violations among the purposes. The check itself is run by Persona Identities, an outside company Anthropic says it chose for its technology, privacy controls and security safeguards.

The rules are written down in Anthropic's privacy policy. The current version, in force since September 10, 2026, lists "Verification Data" as a category of personal data.

What Is Claude AI? Free Plan, Models, vs ChatGPT lays out the plans if you want to compare account types. The help page doesn't split the verification rules by plan, so they apply the same way to all of them.

When the Claude ID verification prompt appears

Anthropic says the rollout covers a few use cases. The prompt can appear when you reach certain capabilities, during routine platform integrity checks, or as part of other safety and compliance measures. The help page does not say which features count or what triggers an integrity check, so you can't predict when the prompt will show up.

The privacy policy is just as vague. It says Anthropic may ask you to verify your age or identity in certain circumstances, and that nothing is collected unless you choose to continue. The help page adds that verification data is used only to confirm who you are.

Business verification on Claude asks for company details

An organization needs more than a personal ID to verify. Besides a physical photo ID and a phone with a camera, you need the organization's legal name, address and business registration number. Anthropic lists a wrong registration number as one cause of failure, so copy it from your company records.

Some guides from June claim Team, Enterprise and API accounts are exempt from Claude ID verification, but the help page, dated August 11, 2026, names no exempt plan. The privacy policy has a line on business offerings, but it covers content Anthropic processes for business customers and says nothing about who can be asked to verify.

Claude age verification is a separate check run by Yoti

An email asking you to confirm your age comes from a different process. Claude is for people over 18 only, and when Anthropic's systems see signs that a user may be younger, the account can be disabled until an age check is passed. That check is run by Yoti, not Persona, and the link comes in the notification email.

Yoti gives you three options: a selfie for facial age estimation with no ID, a photo of an ID, or a verified "over 18" attribute from Yoti's Digital ID app. Data handling differs too: Yoti deletes the images once your age is checked and Anthropic receives only a pass or fail.

What you need for the Claude ID check

An individual account needs only a valid government-issued photo ID, the physical document in your hand, and a phone with a camera. The phone may also be used for a live selfie, so start somewhere with even light. "Physical" is the key word, because a copy or a phone version of your ID will not pass.

Accepted IDs for Anthropic ID verification

Persona accepts original government-issued photo IDs from most countries. Anthropic lists these as common examples:

• A passport
• A driver's license, or a state or provincial ID card
• A national identity card

Whatever you use must be government-issued, easy to read, undamaged, unexpired and carry your photo. Look at the expiry date first, since an expired ID is one reason Anthropic gives for a failed check.

Photocopies, mobile IDs, and student cards are rejected

Four kinds of document will not pass, according to Anthropic's help page. Using any of them sends you back to the start:

• Copies of any kind: photocopies, scans, screenshots, or a photo of a photo
• Digital or mobile IDs, mobile driver's licenses included
• Non-government IDs such as student IDs, employee badges, library cards, and bank cards
• Temporary paper IDs

A mobile driver's license is refused even if your state issued it, and Anthropic uses it as its example of a digital ID. Keep the plastic card or a passport nearby instead.

Is Claude identity verification safe?

Anthropic describes the process as safe, with two caveats. Persona holds your ID and selfie images, Anthropic does not copy or store them, the data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and identity data is not used to train models. The policy gives no separate retention period for verification data, though, and it says face data may count as biometric data.

Persona, not Anthropic, stores your ID and selfie images

Anthropic is the data controller for your verification data, meaning it decides how the data is used and how long it is kept. Persona collects and holds it, so your ID and selfie live on Persona's systems, not Anthropic's. When Anthropic needs to see a record, say to review an appeal, it opens it through Persona's platform rather than making a copy of its own.

Under contract, Anthropic's fraud prevention partners may use the data only to provide and support verification and to prevent fraud. They must also protect it with industry-standard security controls, and everything sent to or through Persona is encrypted in transit and at rest.

What the Claude privacy policy says about face data

The privacy policy lists what verification can collect, which varies by method. The list includes a picture of your government ID and the details printed on it, such as the ID number and date of birth, plus a photo or video of you, facial geometry templates and the result of the check.

Facial geometry templates may count as biometric data in some jurisdictions, the policy notes, and when you verify with biometric data, your consent is the legal basis. On retention, it says personal data is kept as long as reasonably necessary. It sets no separate period for verification data and points to its privacy center for more detail.

Anthropic does not train on or share verification data

Anthropic's help page lists a few things it says it does not do with your data. Identity data is not used to train its models, and only the minimum needed to verify you is collected. No one beyond you, Anthropic and its fraud prevention partners receives the data unless a valid legal process requires it.

Verification data is also kept away from marketing, advertising and anything unrelated to verification and compliance. These promises are on the help page, not in the privacy policy, so check the page's date when you come back to it. The version cited here is dated August 11, 2026.

What to do when Claude identity verification fails

Most failed Claude identity checks are problems you can fix on your own. Anthropic's help page sets out what to try and in which order, with a separate route for an account banned after the check.

Common reasons a Claude verification attempt fails

Anthropic gives five causes: a blurry photo, an unreadable document, an expired ID, a wrong business registration number, or a technical issue. If verification keeps failing, rule out the first four before anything else, because all of them come down to the photo or the paperwork.

A technical issue is the only cause you cannot fix yourself. Once the first four are ruled out, run the flow again, and turn to the help form if it still fails.

Retry, check your document, then contact support

The verification flow gives you several tries. Most failures clear up, Anthropic says, when you retake the photo in better light or switch to another government-issued photo ID. Before trying again, check that the card is undamaged and every line can be read.

If you run out of tries without passing, use Anthropic's help form and the team will review your case. The help page is updated now and then, so read the current version before writing in.

The URL to Markdown tool converts a web page into Markdown you can paste into Claude. Paste the converted help page into Claude and ask what it says about failed attempts. Claude then answers from the page text instead of from memory.

Appealing a Claude account ban after verification

Being banned after verification is a different problem from failing the check. Anthropic says it can ban accounts for a range of reasons. The one it names is repeated violations of its Usage Policy or Terms of Service, and passing the ID check doesn't protect you from that.

If you believe the ban is a mistake, submit the appeal form with your account details. Anthropic's Safeguards team then reviews why the account was disabled.