LinkedIn asked you to verify your identity to recover your account: what happens next

Why is LinkedIn asking for your ID?

An ID request is not an accusation. It is how LinkedIn makes sure the person asking for the account back is the person it belongs to. It is also the most concrete of the recovery routes: there is no argument to win, only a document to match. If you are not sure whether you are looking at an ID check or something else, our LinkedIn account recovery team can read the wording with you as a free diagnosis.

LinkedIn's help pages describe three situations that end at this screen:

• A restriction you believe is a mistake. LinkedIn's account restrictions page says that if your account was restricted over profile or identity issues in error, you should log in and follow the on-screen steps to verify your identity.
• Signs of a takeover. The same page says LinkedIn may restrict an account proactively if it finds signs the account has been compromised, and that you regain access by verifying your identity.
• Lost recovery methods. If you cannot reset your password and no longer have the email addresses, phone numbers or two-factor device on the account, LinkedIn's pages on losing access to your email and losing your two-factor device both end in an identity check.

Is this the same as the LinkedIn verification badge?

No, and search results mix the two up constantly. LinkedIn runs one identity check to restore access to an account and a separate one to add a badge to a profile that already works. They have different rules.

LinkedIn's own badge troubleshooting page says its tips do not apply to regaining access to a locked or compromised account. If you are locked out, ignore advice written for the badge.

What does the check look like, step by step?

LinkedIn's help page on verifying your identity to recover access sets out the flow. You need a smartphone, because the ID photo can only be captured on a mobile device.

1. Follow the prompts during sign-in. On a desktop, scan the QR code on screen with your phone and carry on there. If you start on mobile, there is no QR code.
2. Select the country that issued your ID.
3. Agree to Persona's terms of use and privacy policy, and allow camera access when your phone asks.
4. If prompted, take a photo of yourself so your face can be matched to the portrait on the ID.
5. Select the ID type and photograph a valid, unexpired government ID card, driver's license or passport. Library and school cards are not accepted.
6. When Persona asks whether to share the result with LinkedIn, choose Yes, share.

That last step is where some people stop, and it is the one that matters. Persona only shares information with LinkedIn if you consent, and LinkedIn's ID troubleshooting tips say the recovery cannot be completed if you decline.

What does LinkedIn receive, and what does it not?

It is reasonable to hesitate before sending a photo of your passport to anyone. According to LinkedIn's help page, if you consent, Persona sends LinkedIn:

• The verification result
• Your full name and year of birth
• Your city, state or province, and country
• The ID type and issuer
• A redacted copy of the ID showing only your full name and face portrait

LinkedIn says it does not receive your biometric data, or the numbers, expiry dates or issue dates on your ID. It says it uses the data for account recovery, keeps it only while the account issue is being resolved, and generally deletes it within 14 days of submission, although it may keep non-identifying data about the ID for fraud prevention. Persona collects the images under its own policies, so read those as well if you want the full picture.

Why do ID checks fail, and how do you fix each one?

LinkedIn's unable to verify ID page and its troubleshooting tips list the failure reasons. Almost all of them are about the image or the document, not about the person.

Two points beyond LinkedIn's list. Use the ID of the person named on the profile, and if the profile uses a shortened or former name, explain that in your support case rather than hoping the reviewer spots the link. And never alter the image. LinkedIn asks you not to change the ID in any way, and submitting a doctored or borrowed document is misrepresenting your identity, which section 8.2 of the User Agreement prohibits.

What if you would rather not use the photo route?

Members in Canada, the EU and the UK have an alternative. LinkedIn's Affidavit of Identity page provides a form to print and sign before a notary public. LinkedIn's instructions say to return it by replying to the email from your LinkedIn customer representative with the completed form attached, or by scanning it and attaching it to your support case. It means arranging a notary, but it avoids sending an ID photo to a third-party verifier.

Outside those three regions, LinkedIn's recovery help pages do not list an alternative to the Persona check for account recovery.

What happens after you submit?

LinkedIn does not publish a turnaround for this step. Its page on lost email access says that after you submit the image, LinkedIn processes your information and contacts you. In practice that means:

• Watch every inbox on the account, including spam and promotions folders, and the new email address if you gave one during recovery.
• Track the case under View your support cases in the Help Center, and add information to that case rather than opening another.
• Do not submit a different document through a different route while the first is pending. Two versions of the same identity look like a problem, not persistence.

Once you are in, fix the reason you needed the check. Add a second email address or a phone number as a recovery method, which LinkedIn's help pages suggest, and turn on two-factor authentication with an authenticator app. If the account was taken over, work through the first hour after a LinkedIn hack. If the restriction still needs an appeal, our guide on how to recover a restricted LinkedIn account covers how to write it.

If a first attempt has already failed, or the account carries pipeline you cannot afford to lose, our recovery team can check your documents and the case wording before you resubmit. We hold a ~95% account recovery rate on the cases we take on, and we will tell you at the start if yours does not look realistic.

When can ID verification not work at all?

Only the person named on the profile can pass this check. If you are using an account that belongs to someone else, whether a colleague's login, a profile an agency set up for you or a rented account, you cannot verify an identity that is not yours, and you should never try. Renting or using another person's account sits outside LinkedIn's User Agreement: section 8.2 lists using another's account, and renting or selling access, among its Don'ts. Recovery in that situation has to go through the real owner. Our post on sharing LinkedIn login credentials looks at who should hold access in the first place.

Key takeaways

• LinkedIn asks for ID to confirm the rightful owner: after an identity or takeover restriction, or when every recovery method on the account is lost.
• The recovery check and the verification badge are different processes with different rules. Ignore badge advice if you are locked out.
• Finish the Persona flow by choosing Yes, share. Without it, LinkedIn cannot complete the recovery.
• Nearly every failure is the photo or the document type. Read the stated reason before you try again.
• Members in Canada, the EU and the UK can use a notarised Affidavit of Identity instead of the photo route.

Frequently asked questions

Can I verify my identity for LinkedIn on a laptop?

You can start on a desktop, but the ID photo is captured on your phone. LinkedIn shows a QR code to move the process to a mobile device, and its troubleshooting tips say the ID capture cannot be completed on a desktop or laptop.

What happens to my ID after LinkedIn verifies it?

LinkedIn says it receives a redacted copy showing only your name and portrait, plus a few details such as year of birth and ID type, and generally deletes that within 14 days of submission. It says it does not receive biometric data or ID numbers. Persona handles the original images under its own privacy policy.

What if the name on my ID does not match my LinkedIn profile?

Explain the difference in your support case: a married name, a shortened first name or a transliteration. LinkedIn's recovery pages do not publish a rule for mismatches, so give the reviewer the link between the two names rather than leaving them to guess. Never edit the ID to match.

My ID check failed. Can I try again?

Yes. LinkedIn's unable-to-verify page tells you to review the reason given and repeat the submission with that problem fixed. Read the stated reason first, because resubmitting the same photo will fail in the same way.

Does passing ID verification lift a restriction for automation or content?

Not necessarily. Verification proves who you are. A restriction for automated activity or content still has its own route, such as disabling the tool and waiting for the time in the notice, or asking LinkedIn to revisit a content decision. Our account recovery FAQ matches each restriction type to its route.

Is there any way around the ID check?

For account recovery, the only alternative LinkedIn lists is the notarised Affidavit of Identity for members in Canada, the EU and the UK. Anyone offering to restore access without your ID is either planning to use someone else's or not telling you how they intend to do it.

Dealing with a restricted account right now? See how TechInRent's LinkedIn account recovery service works.