How to Verify Your Identity on ID.me: Documents and Video Options

To verify your identity on ID.me, create an account with your email and a strong password, secure it with multi-factor authentication, upload clear photos of a valid government-issued photo ID, take a short video selfie for a liveness check, and let the system cross-check your details against records. If any step fails, the platform routes you to a live video call with an agent who can finish the verification with you on camera. Most people who have their documents ready finish in under ten minutes.

What To Have Ready Before You Start

Gather everything before you open the verification page. You will need a primary photo ID, your Social Security number, a current mailing address, and a U.S. phone number on a plan in your name to receive verification codes.¹ You also need a device with a working camera.

For the automated self-service path, one primary document is enough. Accepted primary documents include:

A U.S. driver’s license or state ID showing your name, date of birth, photo, valid expiration date, and ID number.
A U.S. or foreign passport or passport card showing the full machine-readable zone on the photo page.
A U.S. permanent resident card with your name, date of birth, photo, and valid expiration date.

An expired driver’s license or state ID is accepted only if it expired within the last 12 months and you also upload a renewal, extension, or temporary replacement. Military IDs, temporary paper documents, and IDs without photos will not work as primary identification.²

If you end up on a video call instead, you will need either two primary documents or one primary and one secondary. Secondary documents connect your personal information to an official record: a Social Security card, a health insurance card, a W-2, a birth certificate with an official seal, a bank or loan statement, a pay stub, or a utility bill.²

The Automated Verification Steps

Start by creating your account with an email address and a strong password. As soon as the account exists, the system walks you through multi-factor authentication. The default is a six-digit code sent to your phone by text message, but you can also choose push notifications, a code generator app, or a physical security key.³

Next comes the document upload. Photograph the front and back of your ID in good light, with no shadows or glare, against a plain background. Self-service accepts .jpeg and .png files only. iPhones set to Live Photos produce HEIC files, which the uploader will reject, so turn Live Photos off before you take the pictures.⁴

After the ID uploads, the system asks for a short video selfie. This is a liveness check: facial comparison technology confirms you are physically present and match the face on your ID. If the selfie is rejected, you can retry right away. Repeated failures push you into a video call with a live agent instead.⁵

The last automated step is a data cross-check. The platform compares what you entered against public and private records. When everything lines up, verification finishes in minutes. You then authorize the specific government agency you came from to receive your verified status, which is what actually gets you into the tax account, benefits portal, or health record you were trying to reach.

Fixing the Problems That Usually Stop People

Most verification failures come down to a handful of fixable issues.

Camera permissions blocked. Your browser needs access to your camera. If you never see a permission prompt, open your browser or device settings and enable camera access manually.
Wrong file format. Self-service only takes .jpeg and .png. On an iPhone, disable Live Photos before capturing your ID.
A broken link from a text message. Clear your browser’s cache and cookies, update your browser, or switch to Chrome or Firefox.⁴
Name or data mismatch. Enter your legal name exactly as it appears on your ID. If you recently changed your name but have not updated your Social Security records, the cross-check will likely fail. Update SSA first.
No camera on your computer. The process needs one. Use a smartphone or a device you can borrow.

If the selfie step throws a “Something went wrong” error, tap “Try again” and retake it. Make sure your face is well lit, centered, and not covered by glasses, hats, or a mask.⁵

When To Switch to a Video Call

If the automated checks cannot confirm you, or you do not have a qualifying photo ID or a U.S. phone plan, you can verify through a live video call with an ID.me agent, sometimes called a Trusted Referee.¹ You can also choose this path from the start if you would rather work with a person.

The video call puts you in a digital waiting room with an estimated wait time. Actual waits can stretch during tax season or after major benefit announcements. Scheduling an appointment is almost always faster than sitting in the open queue. You can book up to a week out, and same-day slots open two hours from the current time.⁶

Have your physical documents in hand before the call. The agent will ask you to hold each one up to the camera, and may ask you to tilt it so holographic security features catch the light. Video calls accept .jpeg, .png, and .pdf uploads if the agent asks for a file. ID.me supports video calls in over 240 languages; if you need an interpreter, tell the agent at the start of the call and they will bring one in.⁷

Once the agent confirms your identity, they send you a secure link that returns you to the government portal to finish what you originally came to do.

In-Person Options if Online Will Not Work

When neither the automated flow nor a video call is workable, there are in-person paths, though they run through Login.gov rather than ID.me. Login.gov offers identity verification at participating U.S. Post Office locations in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Enter your personal information online, verify your phone number, and Login.gov emails you a barcode. Bring that barcode (printed or on your phone) and your driver’s license or state ID to a participating Post Office within seven days. Passports are not accepted for this in-person path.⁸ Login.gov is a separate sign-in service that the IRS, SSA, and VA also accept, so an account there will work for most of the same federal tools.

For an IRS-specific problem, taxpayers who receive a Letter 5747C can visit an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center in person. Bring the letter, the tax return it references, a government-issued photo ID, and at least one additional form of identification such as a Social Security card, mortgage statement, utility bill, or voter registration card.⁹

Verifying From Outside the United States

If you live abroad but have a Social Security number, you can still verify. On the verification screen, choose “I don’t live in the United States” or “I don’t have the above documents.” The system then lets you enter a non-U.S. address and routes you through an alternative flow built for overseas residents.¹⁰ A U.S. or foreign passport is usually the most practical primary document in this case.

What Happens to Your Face Scan

The video selfie you submit is biometric data, and it is worth knowing how long it sticks around. ID.me may keep your biometric information for up to three years after your last interaction with the platform, or a shorter period if law or contract requires. For certain federal partners including the IRS and SSA, ID.me retains biometric data for an abbreviated period after successful verification.¹¹

You can request deletion of your selfie image and associated biometric information at any time through the Privacy Rights Center, linked from the bottom of ID.me’s website and from the Privacy setting inside your account. Deletion typically takes up to seven days, and your verified credential keeps working after the biometric data is removed.¹¹ ID.me may still retain de-identified or aggregated biometric metadata for system integrity unless applicable law prohibits it.

Once your identity is verified, the same credential works across every government agency that accepts ID.me. You will not need to redo the ID upload or selfie each time; you sign in and authorize each new agency to receive your verified status. Your account portal shows every agency you have connected and exactly which data elements you shared, and you can revoke an agency’s access at any time.¹²

1
Veterans Affairs. How to Verify Your Identity for Your ID.me Account
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ID.me Help Center. Primary and Secondary Identification Documents
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U.S. Department of the Treasury. ID.me Instructions for CERTS Portal
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ID.me Help Center. Fix Document Upload Issues on ID.me
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ID.me Help Center. Fix Video Selfie Issues During ID.me Verification
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ID.me Help Center. Schedule an ID.me Video Call Appointment Online
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ID.me Help Center. Verifying With an Extended Video Call
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Login.gov. Verify in Person
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Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your Letter 5747C
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ID.me Help Center. Verify With ID.me if You Live Outside the U.S. and Have an SSN
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ID.me. Consent for ID.me to Collect Biometric Data
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ID.me. Privacy Through Consumer Control of Data