--- description: Twitter has officially democratized the coveted "blue tick" that previously only authenticated prominent figures and organizations title: Here's How to Get a Blue Tick for Your Twitter Account image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85c14293f70b84a3/69889cae656a3fb333bcc5a4/gettyimages-187243543.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's How to Get a Blue Tick for Your Twitter Account by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 20, 2016 6:14 AM CUT  The Twitter logo on a mobile device as the company announced it's initial public offering and debut on the New York Stock Exchange in London, England on November 7, 2013 The Twitter logo on a mobile device as the company announced it's initial public offering and debut on the New York Stock Exchange in London, England on November 7, 2013Bethany Clarke—Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 20, 2016 6:14 AM CUT [Twitter](http://time.com/tag/twitter/ "undefined") has officially democratized the coveted “blue tick” that previously was only available to prominent figures and organizations, the social-media site [announced](https://blog.twitter.com/2016/announcing-an-application-process-for-verified-accounts-0 "undefined") on Tuesday. The blue badge is Twitter’s way of identifying authentic accounts, including those of celebrities, journalists, politicians, sports- and businesspeople and companies. Now, any user can apply for the verification tick to flank their Twitter handle through an [online application.](https://support.twitter.com/articles/20174631 "undefined") Vice president of Twitter’s user services Tina Bhatnagar said in a statement that the move is an effort, “to help more people find great, high-quality accounts to follow, and for creators and influencers — no matter where they are in the world — to easily connect with a broader audience.” In order to apply, a user must still meet certain criteria, however, including a verified phone number, email address, a website, and tweets that are publicly available to view. Of Twitter’s 310 million monthly users, about 189,000 [accounts](https://twitter.com/verified?lang=en "undefined") are verified. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4414194/twitter-blue-tick/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4414194/twitter-blue-tick/"},"headline":"Here's How to Get a Blue Tick for Your Twitter Account","datePublished":"2016-07-20T06:14:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:50:16.270Z","description":"Now anyone can apply for a blue badge through an online form","url":"https://time.com/4414194/twitter-blue-tick/","keywords":["Tech","Social Media","twitter"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85c14293f70b84a3/69889cae656a3fb333bcc5a4/gettyimages-187243543.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85c14293f70b84a3/69889cae656a3fb333bcc5a4/gettyimages-187243543.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Social Media Site Twitter Debuts On The New York Stock Exchange","caption":"Social Media Site Twitter Debuts On The New York Stock Exchange","creditText":"Bethany Clarke—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4414194/twitter-blue-tick/","name":"Here's How to Get a Blue Tick for Your Twitter Account"}}]}] ```