Ad Manager Identity and Address Verification: Deadlines

Identity and address verification are the least exciting part of moving from AdSense to AdX, but they are not a formality. They involve paperwork, fixed deadlines and a letter that travels by post, so a small mistake can cost weeks. This guide explains Ad Manager identity verification and address verification for publishers, with a focus on MCM child publishers: who has to verify, which documents Google accepts, the deadlines, and what happens if a step is missed.

Why MCM children verify too

A common assumption is that the MCM partner handles verification, since it handles so much else. It does not. Verification is about the owner of the account and the sites, and that is you.

Google's help pages state this in a few ways:

• Google's MCM readiness page says Manage Inventory children onboarded after April 3, 2024 are subject to identity and address verification. Google's identity verification page goes further and names both Manage Inventory and Manage Account children onboarded after that date.
• For Manage Account, Google says identity verification must be completed using the child publisher's own legal name and official identity documents, even when 100% of Ad Exchange payments are routed to the parent's payments profile.
• For MCM child publishers, Google says the usual verification threshold is not used. Address verification begins after identity verification is complete.

Your partner can see where you are. In Ad Manager, parent publishers track each child's MCM readiness as Ready, Not ready or Inactive, with a log covering the invitation, account approval, identity verification and address verification. If identity or address verification shows as Failed or Expired, Google says onboarding is blocked until the process is restarted. Manage Account children may show "Exempt" for address verification.

This matters for timing. For Manage Inventory children, Google says programmatic transactions will not serve ads until the verification process is complete, while ads sold through traditional transactions continue to serve. If AdX is the reason you are joining MCM, verification is on your critical path. Our guide to the AdSense to AdX timeline shows where it fits among the other steps.

Individual vs business accounts

Before you upload anything, be clear about who the account holder is. Google treats individuals and organizations differently.

• Individual accounts verify the person named on the account, using a government-issued photo ID.
• Organization accounts verify the business, using official registration documents, plus a government-issued photo ID for an authorized representative of that business.

The choice should match reality. If your sites are owned by a company, the account and the payments profile should be in the company's name, and the documents should prove the company exists. If you are a sole owner running sites in your own name, an individual account is the natural fit. Mismatches between the account type, the payments profile and the documents are exactly what Google's name-matching rules, covered below, are there to catch.

You start the process in Ad Manager under Payments > Verification check.

Documents that are accepted (photo ID, registration papers)

Google lists the following, with the exact options depending on your country.

For individuals: a government-issued photo ID. Google says acceptable documents typically include a passport, driver's license, national ID card or residence permit.

For organizations: official registration documents issued by the relevant authorities, such as IRS documents, certificates of business incorporation, SEC filings or business credit reports, plus a government-issued photo ID of an authorized representative.

Google sets two matching rules that are worth reading twice:

• Use the same full name in all documents.
• The name and issuing country on the ID must match the information in your payments profile.

So before you submit, open your payments profile and compare it, letter by letter, with your documents. Middle names, abbreviations, transliterations and old company names are the usual suspects. Fix the profile or gather matching documents first, rather than submitting and hoping.

Google also notes that, to prevent abuse, it allows only a limited number of verification attempts. If you reach the limit, you have to contact Google. That is one more reason to get it right first time.

The 45-day window and what stops if you miss it

The key deadline is simple: you have 45 days from the date Google first asks you to verify your identity to submit the required documents.

If the deadline passes without completed, successful verification, Google says it will stop showing ads on your inventory. If verification fails, ads stop and earnings are placed on hold until you verify successfully. And when you are required to verify, Google places a temporary payments hold on your account.

Once you submit, Google says identity verification can take up to 2 days to process.

Some practical points:

• Start early. There is no benefit in waiting until day 44. If a document is rejected, you want time to try again.
• Watch for the request. It appears in your account, so sign in regularly while you are onboarding, and make sure notification emails reach a mailbox you read.
• Expect re-checks. Google says it may periodically re-review previously approved accounts to protect the ad ecosystem.

Address verification by PIN letter

Address verification confirms that the payments address on your account is real. Google does it the old-fashioned way: by mailing you a letter with a PIN.

Here is how Google describes the process:

• When it is sent. For regular accounts, the PIN is mailed several days after your balance first reaches the verification threshold. For MCM child publishers, address verification begins after identity verification is complete.
• How long it takes. PINs typically arrive within 2 to 4 weeks, but may take longer depending on your location.
• Where to enter it. In Ad Manager, go to Payments > Verification check, enter the PIN under "Address Verification" and click Submit.
• The deadline. You have 4 months from the date your first PIN is generated to enter it. If you miss it, Google says it will stop serving ads through your account, although reservation campaigns continue to serve.
• Replacements. If the letter does not arrive, you can request up to 3 replacement PINs. Replacements are exact duplicates of the original, so any PIN that arrives will work. If none arrives within 90 days after you have requested the maximum, Google says further instructions will appear on your account's home page.

There is also a faster route for some publishers. Google says MCM child publishers in supported locations can use an online verification process run with a Google identity verification partner, as an alternative to the PIN letter. Google's readiness page notes that when a child uses it, identity verification shows as Verified and the mail PIN step shows as Exempt. If the option appears in your account, it can save weeks.

If you already verified in AdSense

If you are arriving from AdSense, you may already have been through verification there. AdSense has its own thresholds: Google says that in affected locations the AdSense identity verification threshold is now $0, meaning you must verify before the account can show ads and receive payments, and address verification applies at $10 or the local equivalent.

Does that carry over to Ad Manager? Google's Ad Manager verification pages do not say that an AdSense verification counts for Ad Manager, and for MCM children they describe their own process with its own steps. So do not assume. What you can rely on:

• Your Ad Manager account is permanently linked to the AdSense account you signed up with, so use the AdSense account whose owner matches the person or business that will verify in Ad Manager.
• Google's billing page notes that a Google payments profile can be shared across Google products, and changes to it apply to all products that use it. Keep it accurate, because Ad Manager checks your documents against it.
• Check Payments > Verification check in Ad Manager. That page, not your memory of AdSense, tells you what Ad Manager still needs.

If your AdSense verification went smoothly, it is still a good sign: it means your documents and profile already match.

Practical tips: names, addresses and documents that must match

Verification problems often come down to details. A short checklist before you start:

1. Decide who the account holder is. Individual or business, and make sure the Ad Manager account, the payments profile and the site ownership all point to the same one.
2. Match names exactly. Same full name across every document, and the name and issuing country on your ID must match your payments profile.
3. Check your postal address. Use an address where you reliably receive mail, written the way your local post expects it. A PIN letter that cannot be delivered costs weeks.
4. Gather documents in advance. A valid, unexpired photo ID; for businesses, a current registration document and the representative's ID.
5. Use clear copies. Readable, uncropped, with all corners visible, so a reviewer can check every detail.
6. Note your deadlines. 45 days to submit identity documents; 4 months from the first PIN to enter it. Put both in your calendar the day the request appears.
7. Tell your partner when you submit. Under MCM, your parent can see your readiness log and help if a step shows as Failed or Expired.
8. Never use someone else's documents. Verification must be in the name of the real owner. Anyone offering to verify an account for you with their documents is offering a shortcut that conflicts with Google's rules.

If you are not able to verify yet, for example because a business is still being registered, it is better to pause than to submit mismatched paperwork. Our guide on what to do if you are not ready yet covers how to use that time well. For how payments work once verification is done, see our comparison of AdSense vs Ad Manager payments.

Next step

Verification is one of the few steps in the AdX process that is entirely in your hands: the right documents, matching names and an address that receives post. Getting it ready before an MCM invitation arrives keeps your onboarding moving. Use the requirements to check the rest of your setup, and when you are ready, Get AdX access to request a review through our MCM partner network.