How do I verify my Google or Meta ad account for UK financial services?
Last reviewed 22 April 2026 · Reviewed by Jake McQuillan
How do I verify my Google or Meta ad account for UK financial services?
Google requires financial-services verification via the FCA register (FRN). Meta requires authorisation via their Financial Products and Services policy. Both typically take 2 to 4 weeks and must be renewed annually.
Google Ads and Meta Ads both require advertiser verification plus a financial-services certification before a UK regulated-advice campaign can go live, and both reject campaigns without it within 24 to 72 hours of the first impression.
The Google Ads pathway has three steps. First, Advertiser Verification, which requires the legal business name, address and payment evidence to match the FCA register entry. Second, Business Operations Verification, which adds a request for FCA authorisation reference and a confirmation call or document upload. Third, Financial Products and Services Certification, applied for via the in-platform "Restricted content" flow, with fields covering the regulated entity, registered number, authorised activities and target geographic market. Approval typically takes 5 to 15 business days. Campaigns involving pension transfer, CFDs, cryptocurrencies or binary options face additional review.
The Meta Ads pathway runs through Meta Business Centre. Required evidence is a valid Meta Business Manager with Domain Verification completed (a DNS TXT record on the primary landing-page domain), a verified Facebook Page linked to the regulated entity, and completion of the Financial Products and Services Verification form with the FCA firm reference number, company address and authorised activities. Meta also requires a public-facing privacy policy on the destination site that complies with GDPR and PECR. Approval timelines are three to 10 business days; reverification is required annually.
LinkedIn applies a lighter touch in the UK, requiring only a completed Business Manager and a policy-compliant landing page, but does review financial ads more aggressively post-launch and can pause accounts with compliance concerns within hours.
Practical advice: start verification the same week you decide to run regulated paid media, not the same week you want campaigns live. Nothing burns launch timelines more than under-budgeted verification.
See the guide on aligning creative and compliance and the glossary entry on FCA financial promotions.