Claude Identity Verification: How It Works and Why Accounts Get Suspended (2026)
Claude identity verification looks simple. Users upload an ID, take a selfie and see a friendly “Thank you” screen. For some, a suspension email follows within minutes. Here is how the process works, what the policy says and what you can actually do about it.
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What is Claude identity verification?
Claude identity verification is a KYC (know your customer) check. Anthropic uses it to confirm who is behind an account. It is run by Persona, a third-party identity verification company also used by many large tech platforms.
Согласно Anthropic’s official help article, the check exists for three reasons:
- To prevent abuse of the platform
- To enforce Anthropic’s usage policies
- To meet legal and compliance obligations
Anthropic first published its help page on identity verification in April 2026. Its updated privacy policy, effective July 8, 2026, added a dedicated category for verification data. That is why many users connect the rollout with the July 8 date.
When does Claude ask you to verify your identity?
Not every user sees the check. Anthropic says a prompt may appear when you access certain capabilities, during routine platform integrity checks, or as part of other safety and compliance measures. It does not publish the exact triggers.
Users report seeing the prompt in these situations:
- Upgrading to a Pro or Max plan
- Using specific features, including Claude Code
- Out of the blue, with the message “Identity verification is required to continue”
Once the prompt appears, Claude stops answering until you complete the check. In practice, your account needs verification before you can do anything else.
How the verification flow works, step by step
Step 1. The verification prompt
The flow starts with a pop-up asking you to confirm your identity. It explains that you need a government-issued photo ID and a camera.
Step 2. Choose your document
You pick one of three document types: passport, national ID card or driving license. Then you photograph the physical document.
| Accepted | Not accepted |
| Passport ✅ | Photocopies, scans or screenshots ❌ |
| Driving license or state/provincial ID ✅ | Digital or mobile IDs ❌ |
| National identity card ✅ | Student IDs, work badges, bank cards ❌ |
| Must be valid, legible and include your photo ✅ | Temporary paper IDs ❌ |
Step 3. Take a live selfie
Next, Persona asks for a live selfie through your phone or webcam. It compares your face with the photo on the document. It also checks that the selfie is live and not a photo of a photo.
Step 4. “Thank you, verification completed”
If everything matches, a success screen appears. It says verification is complete and that access will be updated in a few minutes. At this point, it looks like good news.
What can happen next: “Your account has been suspended”
Shortly after the success screen, users receive an email with the subject “Your account has been suspended”. It comes from Anthropic’s Safeguards Team.
The key part of the message is short and clear:
“Our automated systems detected signals associated with your account which indicate violation of our Supported Countries Policy.”
The email also states that access to Claude has been revoked. It includes a link to the appeal page.
In these cases, the verification itself succeeds. The suspension comes from what the verification reveals.
Anthropic’s Supported Countries Policy explained
Anthropic’s products are only available in a fixed list of countries and regions. That list is published in the Supported Regions Policy. It covers Claude.ai, Claude Code, the API and Claude models sold through cloud platforms.
A new version of the policy takes effect on November 12, 2026. It spells out three situations that count as unsupported use:
- Location. You use Claude while physically in an unsupported region.
- Company base. You work for a company incorporated or headquartered in an unsupported region, even if you live elsewhere.
- Ownership. You work for a company that is majority owned or controlled from an unsupported region.
Several countries are missing from the list. These include Россия, Беларусь, Китай и Иран. Гонконг is also absent.
One detail matters a lot. The policy does not mention citizenship or nationality. It talks about where you are and who controls your employer. Yet the document you upload shows your nationality.
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Why accounts get banned after verification
My case is not unique. Since late October 2026, many users have reported the same pattern on Reddit, X and Telegram. They verify with a Russian passport and lose access almost immediately.
Other patterns users report:
- VPN users. In early October, users in unsupported regions such as Hong Kong found their accounts disabled after months of VPN use.
- False positives. A US user who moved between two states reported a Supported Countries Policy suspension. His appeal was rejected.
- Mixed results. Some users say they passed verification with other documents. Others with passports from unsupported countries also passed.
Anthropic has not published data on verifications, bans or successful appeals. The reports show a clear pattern, but they do not prove that citizenship alone triggers a ban. The decision likely combines the document with other account signals.
Can you appeal a Claude suspension?
Yes. To appeal, log in to claude.ai with the suspended account. You will be taken to the appeals page automatically. There you can add context about your situation.
In many reported cases, the answer comes quickly and it is final.
The appeal result screen confirms three things:
- Anthropic reviewed the account and the extra context and decided not to restore access
- The decision is final, with no option to appeal again
- Any active paid subscription was cancelled when the account was put on hold
You can still export your data from Claude. Do it before anything else. Your chats, projects and files are only reachable through this export. Some users also report receiving refunds for their subscription.
Claude ID verification vs age verification
| Identity verification | Age verification | |
| Goal | Confirm who you are | Confirm you are over 18 |
| Why it exists | Abuse prevention, policy enforcement, compliance | Claude is for adults only, and some laws require age checks |
| What you provide | Government photo ID and a live selfie | Depends on the check. See Anthropic’s “Age assurance on Claude” article |
| Possible result | Suspension for a policy violation | Restriction for under-18 use |
Can a VPN or proxy get you past Claude verification?
Нет.
Identity verification does not only look at your IP address. It looks at a physical document with your nationality on it, plus your face and other account signals. No VPN or proxy changes what is printed in your passport.
Using a VPN or proxy to hide your location from an unsupported region also breaks Anthropic’s terms. The October wave of bans hit exactly these users. Once an account is flagged, it is usually closed for good, together with the paid plan.
Where your connection does matter is for legitimate users in supported countries. A corporate VPN, travel or a leaking browser can make your location look inconsistent. That inconsistency can be one of the “signals” behind a false positive.
Before you verify, check what your connection actually reveals:
- IP-адрес shows the country and ISP websites see for your IP
- Тест на утечку WebRTC checks whether your browser exposes a different IP
- Тест на утечку DNS shows which DNS servers handle your requests
How to avoid a false positive
If you live and work in a supported country, these steps lower your risk:
- Use Claude from your real location without a VPN
- Keep your billing address and payment card in the same country you use Claude from
- Use a valid, physical, undamaged document
- Take photos in good lighting so you do not burn through attempts
- Export your data regularly, so a sudden suspension does not cost you your work
- If verification fails repeatedly, contact Anthropic through its identity verification help form
What happens to your ID and selfie data?
Handing over a passport and a selfie is a big ask. Here is what Anthropic says about the data:
- Persona collects and holds your ID and selfie, not Anthropic
- Anthropic is the data controller and can access records when needed, for example during an appeal
- Data is encrypted in transit and at rest
- Verification data is not used to train Claude models
- It is not shared for marketing or advertising
