Instagram sometimes asks for a government ID or a video selfie to confirm you're a real person and that the account belongs to you. This happens during appeals, age verification, or when the system flags suspicious activity.

The identity check is where most applications stall. Here's what gets accepted and what gets rejected on sight.

What Instagram accepts

A current, government-issued photo ID: driver's license, passport, or national ID card. The document must show your name, photo, and date of birth [citation:13][citation:9].

Instagram stores your ID securely and deletes it within 30 days of completing verification [citation:9].

The name problem (most common rejection)

Profiles rarely carry a legal name. They carry a stage name, a shortened name, or a business name. Instagram matches the document to the account, so a mismatch reads as a failed check [citation:13].

Before you apply: temporarily change your profile name to match the spelling on your ID. You can change it back afterwards [citation:13].

What gets rejected on sight

  • Expired documents. Obvious, and still one of the most common causes [citation:13].
  • Photographs of a screen. A picture of your ID displayed on a laptop is not a picture of your ID [citation:13].
  • Cropped edges. The whole document, corners included [citation:13].
  • Glare. Move away from ceiling lights. Daylight, no flash, flat surface [citation:13].
  • Business documents in place of personal ones. A trade license proves a company exists, not that you are you [citation:13].

The video selfie

Instagram may ask for a short video selfie to confirm a live person matches the document. This isn't scored on presentation — it's a liveness check [citation:13][citation:18].

  • Good even lighting, plain background.
  • No hat, no sunglasses.
  • Follow the on-screen prompts at the pace asked — don't rush [citation:13].

If it gets rejected

A rejection at the identity stage is usually mechanical, not a judgment about your account. It's fixable [citation:13].

  • Check that your profile name matches your ID exactly.
  • Retake the photo in daylight, full frame, no glare.
  • Complete the video selfie in one attempt.
  • Don't submit repeatedly — it doesn't speed up review and can look like a problem [citation:13].

What to do with this

Set your profile name to match your ID before you apply. Photograph the document flat, in daylight, full frame. Complete the video selfie once, in a quiet well-lit room. Then leave it alone. Repeated submissions don't help.

Next: read what to do when you've lost your two-factor authentication, or go back to the pitfalls section.