ReferenceGoogle Ads account suspension
Failed verification
Google sends an email shortly after payment method verification fails during a suspension appeal, and that email holds the steps to appeal the decision. Follow it first. Any new documents should use the same full name throughout, be unexpired and legible, and be color images showing all four corners. Submit one appeal at a time, after the correction.
At a glance
- Where it shows
- An email shortly after the decision, and Complete Payment Verification in the account.
- What stops
- The account stays suspended until the appeal is resolved.
- How serious
- High. The suspension stands until verification passes and the appeal clears.
What it means
An appeal against an account suspension can ask the advertiser to verify the payment method within 30 days. Verification can mean entering a 6-digit code from a temporary charge, which is refunded within 30 days, or uploading documents such as a government ID, a proof of address or an image of the payment method. Updates on it come from Google Payments, not Google Ads, so check that inbox too.
The email that reports a failure is the source of the next step. Google's page says to appeal the decision by following the instructions in that email.
What actually triggers it
Documents that do not match the account
Every document must use the same full name, be updated and not expired, and be legible. A name that differs between the ID, the proof of address and the payment method breaks the first rule.
A photo of a document without all four corners
Each image should show all four corners and be in color. A cropped image or a black-and-white scan does not meet that rule.
A verification code that did not work
The code appears in the transaction history next to a temporary charge. For code problems, the page links a separate article on fixing payment method verification codes.
Fix it in this order
- Read the failure email, including any from Google Payments, and note the appeal steps it gives.
- If the email sends you back to verification, open Admin, expand Policy, select Account, then select Complete Payment Verification.
- Upload documents with the same full name throughout, unexpired, legible, in color, with all four corners visible.
- For a verification code problem, follow the help article the page links. Then submit one appeal, after the corrections are made.
When to appeal
Appeal once, after the corrections are made. Submit one appeal at a time, because too many appeals for the same suspension may not be processed.
Often confused with
Couldn't verify your identity or business operations
Advertiser verification checks who the advertiser is and how the business operates. This page covers the payment method during a billing appeal, with a different document set and a different appeal.
A suspension for the payment activity itself. This page covers a verification step that failed during a billing appeal.