How to verify your identity for your ID.me account

Identity verification helps us protect all Veterans’ information and prevent scammers from stealing your benefits. After you verify once, you won’t need to verify again unless you lose

access to your account or don’t use it for more than a year.

Follow the directions on this page. We’ll guide you step by step through each of the 4 parts of this process.

Here’s what you’ll need to have to verify through the self-service option:

Note: If you don’t have a U.S. driver’s license, state-issued ID, passport, or passport card—or if you don’t have a U.S. phone number with a plan in your name—you’ll need to verify your

identity on a video call with a trusted ID.me agent. You’ll need accepted primary and secondary documents.

Learn about accepted primary and secondary documents on the ID.me website

You’ll need to upload photos of your ID as part of the process. It’s often easier to take the photos ahead of time and save them to your mobile phone or private computer. Follow these tips

to help take photos that ID.me will accept:

Note: If you’re using a public computer, don’t save any photos of your ID to the computer. 

Sign in to VA.gov with your ID.me account using the MFA method you set up.

On your My VA dashboard, select the Verify your identity option to confirm it’s you logging into your account.

After signing in, the screen will change to confirm that you signed in with ID.me and will prompt you to verify your identity.

When the ID.me sign in screen appears, sign in again to begin the identity verification process specific to VA. 

Enter your email and password. You’ll need to use an MFA method to authenticate your account again. 

Note: The instructions in Section 3 of this page will focus on the self-service option. If you have trouble with this option, ID.me will then give you the option to have a video call with an

agent.

Read the consent terms that allow ID.me to collect personal information, like your photo or your Social Security number. The terms explain that ID.me uses this information to confirm your

identity.  

If you agree, select the box that says you acknowledge and agree to the terms. Then select Continue.

Don’t live in the United States? Select I don’t live in the United States. You’ll then go to the verification process for Veterans who live outside the U.S.

You’ll receive a text on this number that will prompt you to upload an image of the type of ID that you selected. If you want to change the type of ID you upload, select Change document.

Don’t have a smartphone or U.S. phone number? Select I don’t have a smartphone or I don’t have a U.S. phone number. You’ll go to the video call verification process.

On your smartphone, you’ll find a text message from ID.me. Select the link in the text message. 

The link will take you to a screen that will ask you to confirm your email address. This is to make sure it’s you trying to verify your identity, and not somebody else. Review the email

address and select Yes if it’s correct.

In this step, the screens will guide you to upload photos of your ID document. This screen may be different depending on what type of ID you’re using to verify your identity.

If you’re uploading images of your driver’s license, select Take photo of your driver’s license or state ID (FRONT). You’ll get a prompt to select a file from your phone. Upload the photo

you took of the front of your ID. 

Then select Take photo of your driver’s license or state ID (BACK). You’ll get a prompt to select a file from your phone. Upload the photo you took of the back of your ID.

ID.me will take a minute to process the images you uploaded of your ID. After you upload your images, you can go back to the screen you used to start the verification process. This may be a

tab on your computer or whatever device you used before uploading your documents.

Note: If your photos fail to upload, you can read ID.me troubleshooting tips and try again. Or you can choose to verify your identity over video.

Learn about how to verify your identity on a video call with ID.me

Review your details and make sure they are correct. Select the checkbox for the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), then select Yes.

Learn more about your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

As the last step, select Allow and continue to send the information that was just verified to VA. If you select Deny, you may not be able to access everything on VA.gov.

ID.me should send you back to VA.gov or the VA website you started from (such as the My HealtheVet website). Here’s what to know:

Note: We encourage you to now delete any photos of your ID documents from your phone or computer.