Which documents are accepted?

Google mentions government ID such as a passport or driver's license for individuals, and official registration documents such as tax certificates for organizations. They must be current and not expired.

Google Merchant Center: Verify your business identity · Identity verification required · Business identity verification

Google wants proof of who runs your business

What Google's message means

Merchant Center is asking for documents to confirm your identity and/or that your business is legally registered, such as a passport or driver's license, or official registration or tax documents.

Why it matters

Google says identity verification can be a required step before you can request a review of an account-level suspension.

Common causes on Shopify

Google requested verification as part of an account review or suspension.
The legal name in Merchant Center or the payments profile doesn't match your documents, so an earlier attempt failed.
The document photo was blurry, cropped, a screenshot or a photocopy.

How to fix it

1Open Needs attention in Merchant Center and find the identity verification request.
2Check that your legal name and address in Merchant Center and your Google payments profile match your documents exactly. Update the payments profile first if the names differ.
3Take a clear, in-focus photo of the original document with all 4 corners visible. Google doesn't accept photocopies, screenshots or expired documents.
4Submit, wait for the result, and only then request a review of any other account issues.

How to stop it coming back

Keep your legal name and address identical across Merchant Center, Google payments and your business registration.

Common questions

Which documents are accepted?: Google mentions government ID such as a passport or driver's license for individuals, and official registration documents such as tax certificates for organizations. They must be current and not expired.

Official help pages

Want to catch this before Google does?

FlagClear watches your Merchant Center every day, explains each issue in plain English and suggests Shopify fixes you approve first and can undo. We're opening store connections in stages: join free and your first scan runs as soon as your store can connect.

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Google's wording and requirements change from time to time; always check the help link shown next to the issue in Merchant Center. FlagClear isn't affiliated with Google and can't guarantee review outcomes or reinstatement.