There is no verification form to fill out on X (formerly Twitter). The blue checkmark is now granted through a paid subscription to X Premium or Premium+, and your account is reviewed automatically after you sign up rather than through a separate application. Businesses get a gold checkmark through a different paid product called Premium Business, and government officials and multilateral organizations apply for a grey checkmark through a narrow, non-paid process inside account settings.
So if you came looking for the old application form, the short version is: pick the right tier, make sure your profile meets the requirements before you pay, and the badge follows.
Which Subscription Tiers Include the Blue Checkmark
X sells three individual tiers, and only two of them come with verification.
- Basic ($3/month or $32/year on web): post editing and longer text, but no checkmark.
- Premium ($8/month or $84/year on web): the entry point for the blue checkmark, plus reduced ads and a reply boost.
- Premium+ ($40/month or $395/year on web): the blue checkmark, ad-free browsing, the largest reply boost, and analytics.
Prices are higher through the iOS App Store or Google Play because X passes on the app store commission. Premium runs about $11/month on mobile and Premium+ about $22/month. Subscribing through x.com in a browser is the cheaper route.
Eligibility Requirements Before You Subscribe
Paying does not automatically produce a checkmark. Your account has to clear a set of baseline conditions first, and this is the part that catches most people who assume the money is the only step.
- A display name and profile photo must both be set.
- The account must have been used within the past 30 days.
- A confirmed phone number must be linked to the account.
- Your display name, profile photo, and username cannot have been changed recently before subscribing.
- The account cannot show signs of spam, artificial engagement, or misleading behavior.
The no-recent-changes rule exists to stop someone from getting verified under one identity and then swapping into another. If you just updated your handle or picture, wait before you pay.
How to Subscribe
The whole process happens inside X’s own interface. On the web:
- Open X in a desktop browser and find the “Subscribe to Premium” prompt in the left sidebar or navigation menu.
- Choose Premium or Premium+ and pick monthly or annual billing.
- Click “Subscribe & Pay,” enter your payment details, and confirm.
Once payment goes through, X reviews your account against the eligibility list above. The blue checkmark appears on your profile after that review is complete and your account passes. X does not publish a specific timeline for the review. During the wait, everything else about your account works normally, and if the badge is denied you keep the other subscription features while you fix whatever caused the rejection.
Optional ID Verification
Premium and Premium+ subscribers can add an extra layer of identity verification on top of the standard checkmark. It takes about five minutes and involves submitting a photo of a government-issued ID and a live selfie. X uses a verification partner, AU10TIX, and the data is stored for up to 30 days.
The practical reason to bother is flexibility. Standard verified accounts temporarily lose the checkmark whenever they change their display name, profile photo, or username, because those trigger a re-review. ID-verified accounts can make those changes more freely without the disruption. If you rebrand often or rotate profile images, this is worth doing.
Organizations: The Gold Checkmark
Businesses and nonprofits do not use the personal Premium subscription. They subscribe to Premium Business, which comes in two tiers:
- Premium Business Basic: $200/month, includes the gold checkmark and a square profile avatar.
- Premium Business Full Access: $1,000/month, adds the ability to affiliate employee, leadership, and brand accounts under the organization’s badge. Each affiliated account costs an additional $50/month (or $600/year) in the U.S. and shows a small badge with the parent organization’s logo.
X’s help pages do not list documents like articles of incorporation or tax IDs as upload requirements. Organizations sign up through the Premium Business website or an interest form, and X handles verification internally against its terms of service.
Government and Multilateral Accounts: The Grey Checkmark
This is the one track that actually resembles the old application. The grey checkmark is assigned, not sold, and only to a narrow list of officials and entities.
Eligible individuals at the national level include heads of state and their deputies and spouses, cabinet members and ministers, members of Congress or Parliament, head spokespersons of government entities, and ambassadors. Governors and chief ministers qualify at the state level. Equivalent positions in countries with different governmental structures are accepted. Eligible organizations include government agencies, ministries, legislative bodies, embassies, consulates, and international governmental bodies such as the United Nations and its agencies.
Applying typically requires a profile that clearly identifies the official entity, an email address on an official government domain, and a link from an official government website that references the X account. You start the application inside X’s settings, under account information. Grey checkmarks are tied to the position rather than the person, so the badge leaves with the official when they leave office.
Keeping the Checkmark
Verification is not permanent. X states it can remove any checkmark at any time without notice. In practice the common triggers are:
- Changing your display name, profile photo, or username, which causes a temporary loss while X re-validates the account. This is the most frequent reason a badge disappears.
- Breaking X’s rules, including spam, manipulation, or impersonation, which can lead to permanent removal or suspension.
- Letting the subscription lapse or a payment fail.
- Going inactive for more than 30 days.
A checkmark lost to a routine profile change usually returns on its own after the re-review, assuming the updated profile still meets the requirements. One lost to a rules violation may not come back.
Refunds
All X subscriptions are non-refundable unless you are upgrading to a higher tier or local law says otherwise. That policy holds even if your account is suspended or you lose specific features. Upgrades produce prorated credit rather than a cash refund on the web; iOS and Android users receive prorated credit through their app stores. Downgrades never trigger a refund; the current plan runs to the end of its billing cycle before the lower tier takes over.
Because the checkmark is a feature of the subscription rather than a product on its own, there is no separate refund if the badge is denied. You continue to get the other Premium features you paid for.