Last updated · reviewed by the Essentras editorial team
X (formerly Twitter)
How to get verified on X: blue, gold and grey checks explained
The short answer
To get verified on X, you pay: the blue check now comes with a subscription, not notability. New subscribers get it on The X Subscription’s Plus plan, $8 a month before tax, once X reviews the account: name, photo, confirmed phone, no recent changes. Gold checks are for organizations, from $200 a month; grey checks are for governments.
Checked on 4 Nov 2026 against X’s Help Center, X’s Purchaser Terms and xAI’s X Subscription documentationWritten by the Essentras editorial team
Essentras sells no X verification and is not affiliated with X or xAI. Only X grants a checkmark; every step here is done from your own account.
Free decision table
Start here in 1 click
Find who you are, then click your move. Prices are X’s US web prices as its pages showed them on the dates in the sources; local prices, taxes and app store prices can differ.
| You are | The check | How you get it | Price X shows | Your move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A person new to paid X | Blue | The X Subscription, Plus plan or higher, then X’s review | $8 a month or $80 a year, before tax | The steps |
| A person already on X Premium or Premium+ | Blue | Keep your plan; switching to The X Subscription is optional | Premium $8 a month; Premium+ $40 a month | What it costs |
| A person on X Premium Basic | None | Basic does not include the checkmark | $3 a month | What it costs |
| A company, brand or nonprofit | Gold | Premium Business, approved by X | From $200 a month or $2,000 a year | Organizations |
| A person or brand tied to a gold-check organization | Affiliate badge | Added by the organization on Full Access | $50 a month per affiliate | Affiliates |
| A government or multilateral organization | Grey | Premium Organizations, with an official government email | $1,000 a month on Full Access | Organizations |
| You want X to confirm your identity | ID verification label | A government ID and a selfie, checked by Persona or Stripe | Included with Premium tiers | ID verification |
| A parody, commentary or fan account | No check implied | A PCF label, plus the terms in your name and bio | Free | X’s rules |
| You lost the check after a profile change | Blue, paused | Wait for X to validate the account again | No extra cost | Keeping it |
| Your X account is suspended | None until it is restored | X’s own appeal first | Free; our help: free assessment first, then a price for your case before you pay | X account unban |
| You want a verified-looking result on Google, not X | A Knowledge Panel | Google decides from public sources | Essentras, from $650 | Knowledge Panel |
X can remove any checkmark at any time without notice, and no price above buys a decision: X reviews every account.
Want the badge on other platforms too?
Each platform verifies accounts its own way. Our guide maps the route, price and rules of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and more, from each platform’s own pages, with the date we read them.
How to get verified on every platformNobody can sell you an X checkmark
Every check comes from X, through X’s own plans. X’s Authenticity policy bans buying, selling or trading access to accounts, usernames or X products, including “pay for affiliation” schemes. Essentras does not sell X verification.
Key facts, checked on 4 Nov 2026
X says the blue checkmark shows an active X Premium subscription, not account verification.
X no longer accepts applications under its old notability criteria; legacy checks were wound down from 1 Apr 2023 unless the account subscribed.
X Premium is now part of The X Subscription, 1 plan for X, Grok and Cursor; new customers start there, and its Plus plan, $8 a month or $80 a year before tax, includes a checkmark.
X Premium’s US web prices for existing subscribers: Basic $3 a month (no checkmark), Premium $8 a month or $84 a year, Premium+ $40 a month or $395 a year.
To get or keep the blue check, an account needs a display name and photo, activity in the past 30 days, a confirmed phone number, and no recent changes to its photo, name or handle.
Changing your profile photo, display name or handle removes the blue check temporarily, until X validates the account again.
Gold checks come with Premium Business: Basic at $200 a month or $2,000 a year, Full Access at $1,000 a month or $10,000 a year, plus $50 a month per affiliate (US prices).
Grey checks are for governments and multilateral organizations; Premium Organizations costs $1,000 a month on Full Access in the US and needs an official government email.
X’s ID verification uses Persona and Stripe to check a government ID and a selfie; Persona deletes the selfie and the data taken from the ID after 30 days.
In the EEA, X now calls blue-check users “Premium” users, after a European Commission decision of 5 Dec 2025 that X is appealing.
The 3 checks
Blue, gold and grey: what each X check means
Before 2023, a Twitter check meant the account was active, notable and authentic. Today each color tells you how the account pays for or holds its place on X, not that X vouches for it.
| Check | Who it is for | How X grants it | What it does not mean | X’s page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | People with a paid plan, and affiliates of organizations | An active Premium or Premium+ subscription (or a paid X Subscription plan), after X reviews the account | Not an identity check: X says it is not account verification | About the blue checkmark |
| Gold | Businesses, nonprofits and political parties | Premium Business, after X approves the organization; it also gets a square profile photo | Not a quality rating of the business | Premium Business |
| Grey | Governments, multilateral organizations and officials | Premium Organizations, or X’s grey checkmark application for officials | Not available to affiliates through the application route | Premium Organizations |
| Affiliate badge | People and brands tied to a gold or grey organization | Added by the organization; shows the organization’s profile photo next to the check | It ends when the organization removes the affiliation | Profile labels |
| ID verification label | Premium subscribers who verify a government ID | Persona or Stripe check the ID and a selfie; the label shows in the pop-up when someone clicks the check | Not an endorsement, and not a sign of importance, says X | Verification policy |
X’s Help Center pages did not load for our reader, so they were read in Internet Archive copies of 30 Sep to 28 Oct 2026; capture dates are in the sources.
In the EEA, the blue check is called “Premium”
X says it stopped calling blue-check users “verified” in the EEA after the European Commission decided on 5 Dec 2025 that the check misled users and breached the Digital Services Act. X is appealing in court; the requirements stay the same.
The source pages:X Help: profile labelsX Help: legacy verification policyX Purchaser Terms (effective 1 Aug 2025)
Step by step
How to get the blue check on X, step by step
The check comes after you subscribe and X reviews the account. Get the profile ready first: a profile change during the review pauses it.
How to get verified on X
- 01Finish your profileAdd a display name and a profile photo, and use the account: X requires activity in the past 30 days.
- 02Confirm a phone numberX requires a confirmed phone number, and asks you to verify it during sign-up if it is missing.
- 03Settle your name, photo and handleMake any change before you subscribe. Changes during or after the review take the check away until X validates the account again.
- 04Subscribe from your own accountOpen Premium in the side menu on x.com, or the Profile menu in the app, and pick a plan that includes the check. New customers are offered The X Subscription.
- 05Pay through the platform you useApple or Google in the apps, or Stripe on the web. X says prices vary by location, taxes and payment method fees.
- 06Wait for X’s reviewThe check appears once X’s team reviews the account and finds it meets the rules. X states no review time.
Optional: verify your ID afterwards for X’s ID verification label (below).
X’s eligibility rules for the blue check
From X’s blue checkmark page. Subscribers must meet them to receive the check and to keep it.
| X’s rule | What X asks | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Complete | A display name and a profile photo | Fill both before you subscribe |
| Active use | Activity in the past 30 days | A dormant account does not qualify; X lists no minimum account age |
| Security | A confirmed phone number | Add it in your account settings first |
| Non-deceptive | No recent changes to the photo, display name or handle | Plan rebrands before you subscribe |
| Non-deceptive | No sign of being misleading or deceptive, of platform manipulation or of spam | Impersonation or spam can block or remove the check |
X also says it may set waiting periods for new accounts in the future, at its discretion.
The source pages:X Help: how to subscribe to X Premium (archive, 12 Oct 2026)X Help: about X Premium (archive, 21 Oct 2026)
Prices
What the blue check costs in 2026
X is moving its subscriptions into The X Subscription, 1 plan for X, Grok and Cursor. New customers start there; existing X Premium subscribers keep their plan, price and features until they choose to switch.
Plans that include a checkmark, and 1 that does not
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Checkmark | Where X or xAI states it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The X Subscription: Plus | $8 | $80 | Yes, with creator tools and fewer ads | xAI docs, updated 11 Oct 2026 |
| The X Subscription: Premium | $30 | $300 | Yes: full X Premium+ benefits | xAI docs |
| The X Subscription: Super | $100 | $1,000 | Yes: full X Premium+ benefits | xAI docs |
| The X Subscription: Ultra | $200 | $2,000 | Yes: full X Premium+ benefits | xAI docs |
| X Premium Basic (existing subscribers) | $3 | $32 | No | X Help, archive 21 Oct 2026 |
| X Premium (existing subscribers) | $8 | $84 | Yes, after review | X Help |
| X Premium+ (existing subscribers) | $40 | $395 | Yes, after review | X Help |
US list prices. xAI says The X Subscription’s prices exclude sales tax; X lists X Premium’s web prices by country and says app prices can differ. Only personal X accounts can be connected to The X Subscription.
No refunds, unless the law requires them
X says all subscriptions are non-refundable unless required by law, and it may remove a check at its discretion without a refund.
Cancelling
After you cancel, the blue check stays until the end of the term you paid for, unless X suspends or removes it.
Prices outside the US
X publishes a web price table by country; in the UK, Premium shows as 8 GBP a month or 84 GBP a year.
Ways to pay
X’s Purchaser Terms list Apple and Google in-app purchases and Stripe on the web, and promise reasonable notice of material price changes.
Switching is optional
xAI says existing X Premium subscribers keep their plan unless they change or cancel; a switch to The X Subscription is permanent.
The source pages:xAI docs: The X Subscription pricingxAI docs: X Premium on The X Subscriptionx.ai pricing page (archive, 4 Nov 2026)
Keeping it
How to keep the check, and why X removes it
A check is never permanent. X lists the changes that pause it and keeps the right to remove it.
Profile changes pause it
A new profile photo, display name or handle removes the check until X validates the account again. X asks for no further changes during that review.
X can remove it at any time
X says it may remove an account’s checkmark at any time without notice, including for breaking the X Rules.
Inactivity and spam
The rules ask for activity in the past 30 days and no signs of platform manipulation or spam, both to receive and to retain the check.
Liveness checks
X may ask for a selfie video or a device biometric check at sign-up or when an account is flagged. They cannot be started voluntarily.
Suspended accounts lose more than the check
If X suspends the account, appeal through X’s own form first; it is free. Essentras works suspended X accounts only through X’s official appeal process, after a free assessment, and X decides.
Optional
ID verification: the optional label for Premium subscribers
ID verification is separate from the blue check. It adds a label confirming that X’s partners checked a government ID.
Who checks it
X uses Persona and Stripe as its ID verification partners. It is available worldwide for X Premium.
What you send
An image of a government-issued ID and a selfie, which include face data. X says the account must have been active in the past 30 days.
How long the data stays
X says Persona deletes the selfie and the data taken from the ID after 30 days.
What the label means
A label in the pop-up when someone clicks your check, and prioritized support. X says it is not an endorsement.
When X requires it
For creators paid through Ad Revenue Sharing or Creator Subscriptions, and X may ask for ID in impersonation reports or grey check applications.
Organizations
Gold and grey checks for organizations
Organizations do not use the personal plans. Businesses, nonprofits and political parties get gold through Premium Business; governments and multilateral organizations get grey through Premium Organizations.
Premium Business and Premium Organizations, US prices
| Plan | Check | Monthly | Yearly | Affiliates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium Business: Basic | Gold | $200 | $2,000 | Not included |
| Premium Business: Full Access | Gold | $1,000 | $10,000 | $50 a month or $600 a year each |
| Premium Business: Enterprise | Gold | Not listed: contact X | Not listed | Included, with affiliate packages |
| Premium Organizations: Full Access | Grey | $1,000 | $10,000 | $50 a month or $600 a year each |
Plus tax and fees. X says prices vary by region and may change, and offers tailored plans to governments. The Enterprise plan is from the live x.com plan page; the rest from X’s Help Center (archive, 26 Oct 2026).
What X asks of organizations
- An organization account: businesses, nonprofits and political parties for gold; personal accounts are not allowed, apart from personal brands case by case.
- A matching active X account, a current organization email address and a current website domain, with a complete profile.
- Governments: an official government email address, for example .gov.
- Payment by credit card only. Premium+ benefits start at once; the gold check only after approval.
- Cancelling Premium Business removes the gold check at once, and affiliates lose their checks and badges.
Officials and the grey check
X’s grey checkmark page describes an application for governments, multilateral organizations and officials: a form, then ID documents or a linked government email, then review. Officials lose the grey check once they leave office. The only copy we could read is from 7 May 2026.
The source pages:X Help: Premium Business (archive, 26 Oct 2026)X Help: Premium Organizations (archive, 26 Oct 2026)X: Premium Business plans (live)
Rules and scams
Parody accounts, impersonation and checkmark scams
X’s Authenticity policy sets what a profile may claim, and bans the trade that verification scams depend on.
Impersonation is banned
You may not pose as another person, group or organization to deceive others; X may require profile edits, then suspend repeat offenders.
Parody, commentary and fan accounts
They must meet all of X’s rules: the PCF label, a profile photo that is not identical to the real account’s, and the PCF terms in the name and the bio.
No trading in accounts or affiliations
Buying, selling or trading access to X accounts, usernames or X products is banned, including “pay for affiliation” schemes.
Affiliation is the organization’s call
Affiliate badges come only from an organization’s own plan, and X removes the check and badge as soon as the affiliation is removed.
Red flags: what scammers offer, and what X’s pages say
| The offer | Why it fails | Source |
|---|---|---|
| “We can verify you without a subscription” | X no longer accepts applications under the old criteria; the blue check needs a paid plan | About the blue checkmark |
| “Buy an aged account that already has a check” | Account sales are banned, and a new name or photo removes the check pending review | Authenticity policy |
| “Pay us for an affiliate badge” | “Pay for affiliation” schemes are banned; badges come from the organization’s own plan | Authenticity policy |
| “Gold check for any account” | Gold needs an organization account, an organization email and a website domain, then X’s approval | Premium Business |
| “A permanent check, in writing” | X may remove any check at any time without notice | About the blue checkmark |
| “Send us your password and we will set it up” | Not needed: you subscribe from your own account, and X’s plans are sold by X | How to subscribe |
Beyond X
When an X checkmark is not what you need
A check on X proves a subscription. If the goal is to look established where people search for you, other routes do more.
Verified on Instagram and Facebook
Meta has its own routes, rules and prices. Our guides cover them from Meta’s own pages, with the date we read them.
Verified on TikTok
TikTok sets its own criteria for its badge. Our guide covers what it asks for, from TikTok’s own pages.
Every platform on 1 page
Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Google and Snapchat, side by side.
A Google Knowledge Panel
The box Google shows for your name or brand. Google decides; Essentras builds the sources, from $650 for a person and $1,200 for a business.
Check your panel readiness first
A free check of whether Google has what it needs for a panel, before you spend anything.
A suspended X account
Appeal through X first. If you want help, Essentras works the official appeal after a free assessment.
Optional
Often added
Optional. Essentras sells no X checkmark; these help elsewhere.
- A Google Knowledge Panelfrom $650; $1,200 for a businessThe panel Google shows for your name or brand, built from public sources. Google decides whether to show it.
- X account unbanFree assessment first, then a price for your case before you payFor a suspended X account, through X’s official appeal process only. X decides.
Optional
Not ready yet?
Start with the free steps.
FAQ
Getting verified on X: FAQ
How do I get verified on Twitter (X) now?▾
Subscribe to a plan that includes the checkmark and meet X’s rules: a display name and photo, activity in the past 30 days, a confirmed phone number and no recent profile changes. X reviews the account, then shows the blue check. Organizations use Premium Business (gold) or Premium Organizations (grey).
How much does the blue check cost on X?▾
New customers start on The X Subscription, where the Plus plan includes a checkmark for $8 a month or $80 a year before tax (xAI docs, updated 11 Oct 2026). Existing X Premium subscribers pay $8 a month for Premium or $40 for Premium+ on the web in the US. Local prices differ.
Can you get verified on X for free?▾
Not as a person: X no longer accepts applications under its old notability criteria, and the blue check comes with a paid plan. X also says it is not offering free trials of Premium. People affiliated with an organization can get a check through that organization’s paid plan.
What do the blue, gold and grey checks mean on X?▾
Blue shows an active paid subscription that passed X’s review. Gold marks an official organization on Premium Business. Grey marks a government or multilateral organization, or an official. None of them means X endorses the account.
Does the blue check mean X verified my identity?▾
No. X says the blue check shows an active X Premium subscription, not account verification. ID verification is a separate, optional step: Persona or Stripe check a government ID and a selfie, and a label appears in the pop-up when someone clicks your check.
How long does it take to get the blue check?▾
X states no time. Its pages say the check appears once X’s team reviews the subscribed account and finds it meets the requirements. Changing your photo, name or handle during the review restarts the wait.
Why did my blue check disappear?▾
Usually a profile change: a new photo, display name or handle removes the check until X validates the account again. It also goes when the paid term ends after you cancel, and X says it may remove any check at any time without notice, including for rule breaks.
How does a business get the gold check?▾
Through Premium Business, from $200 a month or $2,000 a year in the US. X asks for a matching active X account, a current organization email and website domain, and a complete profile, takes credit cards only, and shows the gold check after it approves the organization.
Who can get the grey check on X?▾
Governments and multilateral organizations, and officials such as heads of state, ministers and legislators. Organizations get it through Premium Organizations with an official government email; X’s grey checkmark page also describes an application for officials, who lose the check when they leave office.
Can I buy a verified X account or a checkmark from someone?▾
No. X’s Authenticity policy bans buying, selling or trading access to accounts, usernames or X products, including “pay for affiliation” schemes, and a changed name or photo removes the check pending review anyway. Every check comes from X’s own plans.
Does Essentras sell X verification?▾
No. Only X grants a checkmark, through its own plans. Essentras sells a Google Knowledge Panel (from $650), which Google decides, and works suspended X accounts through X’s official appeal process after a free assessment.
Next steps
- 01Find your checkBlue, gold, grey or none, in 1 table.Open the decision table
- 02Get the account readyX’s 5 eligibility rules.The steps
- 03Pick a planEvery plan with a check, priced.What it costs
- 04Verified elsewhereInstagram, Facebook, TikTok and more.Every platform
- 05Check your panel readinessFree, before any spend.Readiness check
- 06Own your Google resultA Knowledge Panel, from $650. Google decides.Knowledge Panel
Related guides and services
Sources and method
Sources, read on 4 Nov 2026
Checked on 4 Nov 2026
X’s Help Center blocks automated readers, so its pages were read in Internet Archive copies; the capture date follows each title. X’s Purchaser Terms, its logged-out Premium Business page and xAI’s docs were read live. Wording is paraphrased.
- X Help: about the blue checkmark (archive, 20 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: about X Premium (archive, 21 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: how to subscribe to X Premium (archive, 12 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: verification policy, February 2025 (archive, 30 Sep 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: profile labels (archive, 1 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: Premium Business (archive, 26 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: Premium Organizations (archive, 26 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: grey checkmark (archive, 7 May 2026, the latest copy) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: Authenticity policy, April 2025 (archive, 28 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: legacy verification policy (archive, 14 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Help: liveness checks (archive, 19 Oct 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X: Premium Business plans, logged-out page (live) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- X Purchaser Terms of Service, effective 1 Aug 2025 (live) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- xAI docs: The X Subscription overview, updated 12 Oct 2026 (live) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- xAI docs: The X Subscription pricing, updated 11 Oct 2026 (live) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- xAI docs: X Premium on The X Subscription, updated 12 Oct 2026 (live) · Read 4 Nov 2026
- x.ai pricing page (archive, 4 Nov 2026) · Read 4 Nov 2026
What we could not read, so this page does not claim it
- The live X Help Center (HTTP 403 to automated readers); archive copies may lag a change made after their capture date.
- How long X’s review takes, a minimum account age, and whether the check can be hidden: none of the pages we read states them.
- Whether X still gives Premium free to accounts with many verified followers: no X page we read says so today.
- App store prices for X’s plans, and the price of the Premium Business Enterprise plan.
- The current grey checkmark application page: the latest copy we could read is from 7 May 2026.
Spotted an error? Tell us and we will check it against the source. Report an error
General information. Essentras is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by X Corp. or xAI. X alone grants and removes checkmarks, and its plans and prices change: check X’s own pages before you subscribe.
Adds us as a preferred source, so our guides surface for you in Search and AI answers. One click, and you can undo it any time.
Free tool · Authority Audit
Where does your authority actually stand?
Before you fix one piece, see the whole picture. A free Authority Audit scores your presence across Google, AI, Wikipedia, reviews, and press, and shows you exactly where to start.