- Twitter announced it was reopening its verification process on Thursday.
- The new application will roll out to users gradually within the next few weeks.
- Users can apply under the account settings section of the app.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Twitter on Thursday reopened its application process for verification for the first time since 2017.
The company said it will gradually roll the application out to users within the next few weeks.
Twitter's blue check mark is designed to signal the authenticity of a user's account and has long been a status symbol. The company removed its verification program in the fall of 2017, after it gave one of the "verified" badges to the organizer of the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally.
Since, high profile figures have been able to receive verification on the app, but there was no public application system. Now anyone can apply to be verified.
How to apply for Twitter's signature blue check mark
The application can be found under Twitter's application settings.
In order to qualify for verification, the user must have a profile with a picture, as well as a confirmed email and phone number attached to the account. The user must also have adhered to Twitter's rules within the past 12 months and been active on the platform within the last six months.
On the application, the user needs to identify which category they fit into for verification. There are six categories: government, companies, news organizations and journalists, entertainment, sports and gaming, and activists. Twitter said it plans to add more categories in the future.
Then the user must confirm their identity using either a government issued ID, an email address that ties them to an organization in one of the six categories, or a website.
Once the individual's identity has been confirmed they can submit the verification request.
Twitter said users who are approved will immediately receive a blue check mark, while those who are rejected can apply again after a 30-day waiting period.