27 Jul Why Meta May Ask You to Verify Your Identity to Run Ads
If Meta asks you to verify your identity before you can keep running ads, that’s not a punishment and not necessarily a sign anything went wrong — it’s becoming a standard part of running ads on the platform. Identity verification, typically a government-issued ID like a driving license, is being rolled out more broadly to confirm advertisers are real people, not bots.
This is genuinely different from dealing with an account that’s already been restricted — this is about a normal verification step that can come up proactively, before or separately from any restriction.
This isn’t unique to Meta
It’s worth knowing this trend isn’t a Facebook-specific crackdown — it reflects a broader shift across major ad platforms. Google Ads has introduced its own identity verification requirements as well. The underlying reason is consistent across platforms: as ad fraud and automated/bot activity have grown, platforms are increasingly requiring real identity confirmation from anyone spending money to run ads. If you’re seeing this request, you’re not being singled out — it’s part of a wider, ongoing shift in how ad platforms verify who’s actually behind an account.
What to actually do when you’re asked
The most important thing: follow the actual steps being requested, in order, rather than panicking or assuming the account is doomed. If Meta is specifically asking for an ID, submit it. Once that’s done, you’re often able to move on to requesting review of anything else connected to the account — pages, ad accounts, business portfolio — that may have been affected while the verification was pending.
Desperation doesn’t move the process along faster. Searching for a workaround instead of completing the requested step is more likely to create a genuinely worse situation than simply doing what’s being asked.
If the steps don’t resolve it
If following the requested verification steps doesn’t fully resolve the situation, contacting Meta support directly is worth trying before assuming there’s no path forward — response quality varies, but it’s still a more direct channel than searching for unofficial workarounds. Beyond that, there’s an important thing worth being honest about: no outside advisor, including an experienced Meta ads coach, has a special backdoor to fix account-level verification or restriction issues. This is fundamentally a matter between the advertiser and Meta directly — an experienced coach can help you understand your situation and figure out next steps, but can’t intervene on your behalf with Meta’s systems.
If verification and support channels are genuinely exhausted and the account can’t be recovered, the practical fallback is rebuilding — but that’s a last resort, not the first move the moment a verification request appears.
This breakdown is written by Jason Gan, a Meta Certified Professional and Badged Meta Business Partner who has personally audited over 1,000 advertiser accounts since 2010. You can see real account breakdowns on the Jason Gan YouTube channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Meta asking me to submit my ID to run ads? This isn’t a punishment or a sign of wrongdoing — Meta has been rolling out identity verification more broadly for anyone running ads, as part of confirming advertisers are real people rather than bots. It’s not unique to Facebook either; other ad platforms, including Google, have introduced similar verification steps.
What should I do if Meta asks me to verify my identity? Submit exactly what’s being asked for — typically a government-issued ID like a driving license — as the first step, rather than panicking or searching for workarounds. Completing the requested verification directly is usually the fastest path back to running ads normally.
Is there a way around Meta’s ID verification requirement? No reliable one. There’s no backdoor or special channel to bypass identity verification — it’s a requirement between the advertiser and Meta directly. Attempting workarounds instead of completing the actual verification tends to create more problems than it solves.
If you’re not sure what’s actually happening with your account
Book a Meta Ads Audit — $80 / 30 Minutes →
No login required. Just a screen share, your real situation, and an honest read on what’s actually going on and what to do next.