Moving forward, our identity and payment processing partners at Stripe will be unable to verify the identities of any further individuals under 16 years old due to legal concerns.
As a result, we are taking a similar step, and will no longer be able to independently verify users under 16 without the assistance of a parent or legal guardian.
I haven't verified my bot yet, and I'm under 16. What does this mean for me?
To verify a bot, a member of your Developer Team will need to provide a qualifying ID. As of today, identification documents belonging to users under 16 are no longer considered a qualifying ID.
That doesn't mean you can't verify your bot. If you're under 16, and you have a bot you need to get verified, we want to support you in any way possible. As before, the minimum age for operating a verified bot on Discord is the same as the minimum age for using Discord in your country. However, the individual who applies to verify your bot will need to be 16 or over.
With that in mind, you'll want to add someone to your Team who is 16 or over and has a qualifying ID. This can be another developer or friend that you work with, or it can be a parent or legal guardian. Any person verifying a bot needs to have their own Discord account, and that account needs to own the bot's team during the verification process. After a bot is verified, the user who verified it will need to remain on the Developer Team, but they do not need to be the owner of the bot after verification is complete.
How can my parent or legal guardian help me get verified?
To help you verify, your parent or legal guardian will need to create a Discord account of their own. From the Developer Portal, you'll transfer your bot to a Developer Team, add your parent or guardian's new account to the team, then make them the owner of the team.
Your parent will then start the verification process from the Developer Portal, submitting their qualifying ID to Stripe for review. Once the ID is approved, you and your parent or guardian will work together to fill out the verification application and submit it to us.
When we receive the verification form, any replies will be sent to the email address tied to your parent or guardian's account, so please have them keep an eye on their inbox for follow ups.
When your bot is verified, you can then transfer ownership of the team back to yourself. Your parent's account will need to stay on the team going forward for our reference, but they do not need to have a controlling interest in your bot after verification is done.
How can a friend or co-developer help me get verified?
To help you verify, your 16+ co-developer will need to have their own Discord account which is on your bot's Developer Team. From the Developer Portal, you'll transfer your bot to a Developer Team, add your friend's account to the team, then make them the owner of the team.
Your co-developer will then start the verification process from the Developer Portal, submitting their qualifying ID to Stripe for review. Once the ID is approved, you and your team will work together to fill out the verification application and submit it to us.
When we receive the verification form, any replies will be sent to the email address tied to your co-developer's account, so please have them keep an eye on their inbox for follow ups.
When your bot is verified, you can then transfer ownership of the team back to yourself. Your friend's account will need to stay on the team going forward for our reference, but they do not need to have a controlling interest in your bot after verification is done.
Can I submit a friend, parent, or legal guardian's ID for verification using my own account?
No. We expect a user's verified ID to reflect the primary holder of the account submitting that ID. You cannot use an ID which is not yours to represent your own account. If someone is helping you get verified, they will need to create their own account and apply on your bot's behalf.
What if I can't find anyone to help me get verified?
Bots cannot be verified without a qualifying ID being submitted to our partners at Stripe. If you're unable to find assistance, then you'll need to wait until your own ID qualifies once you turn 16. We cannot provide any exceptions to this policy moving forward.
I've already verified my bot, and I was under 16 at the time. Does this affect my bot at all?
No! Users who are already verified are not impacted by this policy shift in any capacity. Your IDs are still on file with our partners, and any policies regarding data retention or deletion are still in effect.
My friend was able to get verified and they're under 16. Why can't I get verified?
Due to the legal concerns expressed by our partners at Stripe, we had to make this policy change going forward. We definitely did not want to go back and force hundreds of already verified developers to reverify their bots due to the age change, so we made the decision to only apply this policy to any bots moving forward rather than retroactively. We know it stings that new developers will be held to a new standard, which is why we're going to do whatever we can to make it easy for you to understand the alternatives.
We sincerely hope that you're able to take advantage of one of the options available to get your bot verified with the help of a partner, parent, or guardian. These options have already been used by many developers who do not have identifying documents of their own, and we hope they work as well for you as they've worked for many others.
My parent, legal guardian, or other sponsor has concerns about the verification process. Where can they get answers?
Verification sponsors can visit this article for more information, or they can contact us at any time at https://dis.gd/contact.