You’re Off the Waitlist – What Happens Next?
Congratulations! 🎉 You’ve made it off the waitlist.
You’re just a few steps away from becoming a Prolific participant and starting to take studies and earn money.
To activate your account, you must complete:
Participant onboarding
You must complete both steps before you can participate in studies.
Identity Verification
Trust and honesty are at the core of Prolific.
The demographic information you provided when joining the waitlist (such as your date of birth, country of residence, and gender) must be accurate and truthful.
We verify your identity against the information you've provided.
If we detect inconsistencies between your identity documents and your self-reported details, your account will be permanently banned.
Please ensure all information matches exactly before proceeding.
What You'll Need to Become a Prolific Participant
To successfully complete verification and onboarding, and avoid a temporary hold on your account, you must have:
1. One Prolific Account Only
You can only have one Prolific account.
If you previously had an account that was closed or deleted, you cannot create a new one.
Duplicate accounts will be banned.
2. A Mobile Phone Number
Your phone number must be registered in your country of residence.
It must be a valid mobile number (not VoIP or landline).
3. Accepted Photo ID
Your ID must:
Be valid and not expired
Include a photo
Be issued by your country of residence
Exactly match the name on your Prolific account
Accepted ID types:
Passport
Driving licence
Valid visa with photo
Residence permit card
US state ID card
EU national ID card
If you’re an EU or Irish citizen:
EU citizens may verify using an ID from their own EU country, even if they live in another EU country.
Irish citizens living in the UK may verify using Irish ID documents.
4. A PayPal Account
PayPal is our only supported payment method.
Your PayPal account must:
Be registered in your own name - the name on your PayPal account must exactly match the name on your Prolific account and your photo ID.
If these don't match, your account will be temporarily placed on hold.
Be registered in your country of residence
You cannot cash out to a PayPal account registered in a different country.
5. Be Physically Located in Your Country of Residence
If you signed up to the waitlist while living in one country but are currently abroad (for example, on holiday):
You must wait until you return to your permanent country of residence before using Prolific.
If you attempt to use Prolific while abroad or use a VPN, your account will be placed on hold.
You won’t be able to complete verification if:
You previously had a Prolific account that was closed or deleted.
You don't have a mobile phone number registered in your country of residence.
Your phone number is registered in a different country.
You don't have accepted photo ID from your country of residence (unless covered by the EU or Irish exceptions above).
Your ID is expired or not a supported document type.
Your ID doesn't match your country of residence.
Your PayPal account is:
Registered in a different country than your country of residence
In someone else's name
Not registered in the same exact name as your Prolific account
You are currently outside your permanent country of residence.
You use a VPN, proxy, or private relay during verification.
Important: Support cannot resolve these issues. We're unable to override these requirements or make exceptions.
In some cases, you may be able to resolve the issue yourself, for example, by renewing an expired ID, turning off a VPN, or updating your PayPal name to match your Prolific account name.
However, if you can't meet these requirements, you won't be able to complete verification and participate on Prolific.
How to avoid verification issues
Here are the most common issues that can delay your account activation:
Name Mismatch Between Prolific and PayPal
Example:
Your Prolific account name is Lisa Smith
Your PayPal account is in your maiden name, Lisa Brown
This mismatch will place your account on temporary hold.
How to fix it:
Update your PayPal name to match your Prolific account exactly, then re-link your PayPal account.
Using an Unsupported ID
Your verification will fail if your ID:
Is expired
Isn't one of our accepted document types
Was not issued by your country of residence (unless covered by the EU and Irish exceptions above)
Logging In via Your Invite Email
Once your account is created, do not log in through your invite email link.
Instead, log in directly at: https://app.prolific.com/
Using a VPN or Proxy
Using a VPN, proxy, or private relay during verification will flag your account.
Please:
Use your home Wi-Fi or mobile data
Disable any browser-based VPNs
Turn off private relay settings
Once you meet these requirements and complete verification successfully, you'll be ready to start taking studies on Prolific.