New Zealand and Australia are the first two countries to experience Meta's new subscription service this week that will see users pay for verification.
'Meta Verified' kicks off on Friday in Aotearoa and follows Twitter introducing its paid-for Twitter Blue system in November.
The service will be available across Facebook and Instagram for NZ$23.99 per month via a desktop browser or NZ$29.99 per month via the app on iOS and Android.
Meta said the service will "help up-and-coming creators grow their presence and build community faster" with extra protection against impersonation as well as "increased visibility and reach". It will also include customer support "when you need it with access to a real person for common account issues" as well as "exclusive features to express yourself in unique ways".
Twitter Blue was paused shortly after its launch when it was plagued by users paying to impersonate celebrities and big brands, but Meta insists it has a series of checks before and after someone applies for its new service that will block impersonation attempts.
Those include Instagram and Facebook usernames having to match a government-supplied ID for a user to be granted verification, and their profile picture will have to include their face.
"This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services," said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a statement announcing the service.
It has not yet been announced when Meta Verified will launch in other countries, although Zuckerberg said it will be happening "soon".
When it launches in the US it will be priced at US$11.99 on the web and US$14.99 on iOS and Android, while the price across the Tasman has been set at AU$19.99 and AU$24.99 respectively.
The service will only be available for individuals, not organisations or businesses.
In November, Meta announced it would cut more than 11,000 jobs or 13 percent of its workforce as it doubled down on its risky metaverse bet amid a crumbling advertising market and decades-high inflation.
It was part of a wave of layoffs that hit other tech companies including Twitter, Microsoft and Snap Inc.
