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Verify your identity in person

Login.gov offers in-person identity verification at a United States Postal Service (USPS) location near you as an alternative to verifying your identity online.

You may also have the option to verify your identity in person if you attempted to verify your identity online but could not successfully upload your Driver’s License or state ID card on Login.gov.

Start this process on Login.gov before going to the Post Office 

Before starting the identity verification process, you’ll choose between verifying online or verifying in person. If you want to verify in person, select, ‘Verify your identity at a Post Office.’

Please note, you may also have the option to verify in person if you attempt to verify online but are unable to.

Please have the following information ready to enter on Login.gov:

  1. Your State-Issued ID. Don’t have a state issued ID?
  2. Social Security Number
  3. Your phone number
    a. If you cannot complete this step, we can send you a verification code by mail which takes 5 to 10 days to arrive.

If you’re unable to complete any of these steps, please contact the partner agency’s help center for support.   

Bring the following items to the Post Office

A copy of your emailed barcode

Once you complete the steps on Login.gov, we’ll email you a barcode and a deadline to go to the Post Office. You can print the email, or show the email from your mobile device. If you go to the Post Office after the deadline, your information will not be saved and you will need to restart the process.  

Your driver’s license or state ID card

Bring the same ID you used to enter your information on Login.gov. Your ID must not be expired. At this time, only the following state-issued identification is accepted: 

  • Driver’s license from all 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), and other US territories (Guam, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico)

  • A non-driver’s license state-issued ID card

    • This is an identity document issued by the state, the District of Columbia (DC), or US territory that asserts identity but does not give driving privileges.

We do not currently accept any other forms of identification, such as passports and military IDs. You cannot verify your identity at the Post Office without a state-issued ID. We’re currently working to add more ways to verify your identity.

In the meantime, please contact the partner agency’s help center to find out what you can do.

Complete the process at a participating Post Office before your deadline

In-Person Proofing is available at participating locations across the U.S. and some U.S. territories.*

When you start the process on Login.gov, we’ll help you find a list of participating Post Offices near you. You can also search for a Post Office near you in our Help Center.

Once you’ve received a barcode online, you can go to any Post Office where In-Person Proofing is available.

* Available U.S. Territories: U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands.

You can speak with any retail associate to verify your identity

  • Wait in line at the Post Office. The retail associate will scan your barcode and review your documents.
  • After the retail associate has reviewed your documents, you’re done at the Post Office. The retail clerk will not receive your results.

We’ll email you with next steps

You’ll get an email to let you know if your identity verification was successful or unsuccessful within 24 hours of your visit to the Post Office. 

If your identity verification was unsuccessful, you can:

  • Try to verify your identity online again
  • Contact the partner agency’s help center for support

If you do not receive an email from us, there are a few steps you can take:

  • Check your email’s spam or junk folder for an email from no-reply@login.gov.
  • If you haven’t heard from us after 24 hours from your visit to the Post Office, please contact Login.gov customer support at login.gov/contact. 

Troubleshoot verifying your identity in person

If you’ve encountered an issue while trying to verify your identity in person we would like to help you resolve it. Here are some tips for troubleshooting the process. 

What to do if you received an email, but did not attempt to verify your identity in person

If you received an email informing you that you are ready to verify your identity or your identity could not be verified in person, and you did not attempt this action: 

Sign in and change your password immediately. If you’d like, you can also delete your account. 

What to do if you were unable to successfully verify your identity in person

If you are unable to successfully verify your identity in person, you can try to verify your identity online again, or you can contact the agency you are trying to access for help with specific questions about verifying your identity.

Tips for verifying your identity in person: 

  • Your state-issued ID or driver’s license must not be expired. We do not currently accept any other forms of identification.

What to do if the deadline to verify your identity in person passed

If you received an email informing you that the deadline to verify your identity passed, try verifying your identity online again. 

We automatically cancel requests after 30 days in order to protect applicants’ personal data. When you restart the process to verify your identity in person, you will receive a new deadline. 

Accepted State-Issued Identification

Troubleshoot uploading your state-issued ID

Verify your identity online

Find a Participating Post Office

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