How to Get Verified on Telegram: Channel, Bot and Profile Checkmark

Telegram's official checkmark goes to notable public figures and organisations: Telegram verifies their channels, bots and public groups through @VerifyBot. You need verified accounts on at least two major social networks that link to your Telegram, plus at least two press mentions. Personal profiles are not officially verified yet, but since 2025 third-party verifier organisations can issue their own marks.

Who can get verified on Telegram

According to telegram.org/verify, Telegram verifies active official channels, bots and public groups of well-known people, brands and organisations. Regular user accounts are not officially verified; the rare exceptions involve the Telegram team itself.

The checkmark adds no extra features and is not an endorsement of the content. It simply shows that a channel is genuine rather than a clone. For how verification works across platforms, see our guide to social media account verification.

Be realistic: a checkmark follows fame, it does not create it. Inside Telegram, a channel's visibility comes from its audience and reach. If you are starting from zero, you can add your first Ukraine-targeted subscribers on our Telegram subscribers page from $0.40 per 1,000, no password needed. To be honest, though, this will not get you verified: that depends on your profile outside Telegram.

Verification requirements for a channel, bot or group

• Social accounts. Verified accounts on at least 2 of these: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), VK, Snapchat.
• Bio link. Each of those accounts must link to your Telegram channel, bot or group.
• Press. At least 2 links to articles about you or your organisation. Established publishers and English-language coverage are preferred.
• Substitutes. An undisputed Wikipedia page linking to your Telegram can replace one social account or one press link. For organisations, a link from the official website may also count.

How to apply via @VerifyBot

• Add your Telegram link to the bios of your verified profiles on other networks.
• Collect links to your press coverage.
• Open the official @VerifyBot, choose the channel, bot or group and follow the steps.
• Answer any follow-up questions if the bot asks for more details.

Once verified, a chat cannot change its name or short link. To change them, send /unverify to @VerifyBot and reapply afterwards.

What third-party verification on Telegram is

Since January 2025, Telegram lets third-party organisations such as regulators, associations and companies verify accounts. Here is how it works:

• An organisation with an official verified bot applies through @VerifyBot and becomes a verifier.
• Each verifier has its own simple, single-colour icon that looks nothing like the official checkmark.
• Verifiers assign their mark from the bot profile or via the Bot API, and can mark users, channels and bots.
• Verifying rule-breakers can cost an organisation its verifier status.

When a stranger messages you, Telegram shows in the chat whether the account is official, verified by a third party or a regular user.

How a checkmark differs from the Premium star and emoji status

• The checkmark is issued only by Telegram on application and appears to the right of the name.
• The Premium star or an emoji status is available to anyone with a subscription. See what else it includes in what Telegram Premium gives you. An emoji status can look like a checkmark, and scammers often use this. Tap the icon: an emoji status opens the pack it comes from.
• SCAM and FAKE labels are added by Telegram after reports of fraud or impersonation and appear next to the name.

How to avoid scammers "selling" a checkmark

• Official verification is not for sale: the requirements are the same for everyone, and only @VerifyBot accepts applications.
• Never give your login code or two-step password to a "verification manager". That is how channels get hijacked.
• Check the bot's username carefully: clones differ by a single letter.
• A checkmark in an emoji status or avatar is not verification.

Until you have a checkmark, trust comes from real numbers: an active audience and views. If your posts lack reach, you can add views on our Telegram views page from $0.12 per 1,000. Telegram's rules prohibit artificial activity, so order moderately and alongside regular content.