[BUG] Identity verification flow excludes South Korea and blocks Claude Code with API Error 400

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Claude Code is currently blocked from accessing the Anthropic API and returns:

API Error: 400 Identity verification is required to continue.

When I follow the identity verification flow provided by Anthropic, South Korea is not available in the country/region list.

I attempted verification multiple times using valid South Korean government-issued identification, including my passport, driver's license, and Resident Registration Card (Korean national ID card), but verification repeatedly failed.

During one attempt, I also received:

Session expired. Please restart this process or request a new link to continue.

After restarting and retrying the verification process several times, I eventually received an Identity verification failed message and can no longer successfully proceed with verification.

Because identity verification is required before the API request can continue, Claude Code is now effectively unusable and consistently returns the same HTTP 400 error.

This appears to be either:

1. an identity-verification country/region configuration issue affecting South Korean users, or
2. a backend verification/account state that becomes stuck after repeated failed verification attempts.

I have separately contacted Anthropic Support regarding my individual account. I am reporting this here because the underlying behavior appears to be a Claude Code/API identity-verification issue that may affect other South Korean users as well.

What Should Happen?

South Korea should be available as a valid country/region in the identity verification flow.

Valid South Korean government-issued identification should be accepted through a verification method that supports South Korean users, and the verification process should be able to complete successfully.

After successful verification, Claude Code should regain API access instead of continuing to return:

API Error: 400 Identity verification is required to continue.

If repeated failed verification attempts place the verification session or account into a restricted state, there should be a supported way to reset the verification session and retry legitimately.

If South Korea is not supported for some reason, the verification flow should clearly state this instead of allowing repeated failed attempts that eventually leave the user unable to proceed.

Error Messages/Logs

API Error: 400 Identity verification is required to continue.

Session expired. Please restart this process or request a new link to continue.

Identity verification failed.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Claude Code in the terminal while authenticated with an Anthropic API/Console account.

1. Select/use Sonnet 5 and attempt to send a normal prompt.

1. Claude Code returns:

API Error: 400 Identity verification is required to continue.

1. Follow the identity verification link/flow provided by Anthropic.

1. Attempt to select South Korea as the country/region.

1. Observe that South Korea is not available in the country/region list.

1. Attempt identity verification using valid South Korean government-issued identification. I tested a passport, driver's license, and Resident Registration Card.

1. Verification fails instead of completing successfully.

1. During one attempt, the verification flow returns:

Session expired. Please restart this process or request a new link to continue.

1. Restart the verification process and retry.

1. After repeated attempts, the verification flow eventually displays:

Identity verification failed.

1. Return to Claude Code and submit another prompt.

1. Claude Code continues to return:

API Error: 400 Identity verification is required to continue.

Result: The account is unable to use Claude Code/API and is also unable to successfully complete or restart the required identity verification process.

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

No, this never worked

Last Working Version

Unknown

Claude Code Version

claude --version

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

This issue is currently affecting my individual Anthropic account in production, not only a test environment.

I previously used Claude Code/API successfully, and I have prepaid API credits on the account that I am currently unable to use because every Claude Code API request is blocked by the identity-verification requirement.

I have already attempted to resolve the account-specific issue through the official Identity Verification Help Form, the account appeal process, and Anthropic support channels, but I have not yet been able to obtain a manual review or reset of the verification state.

I am fully willing to complete legitimate identity verification and am not attempting to bypass any verification or safety requirement.

My concern is that repeated legitimate verification failures may have left my backend identity-verification/account state stuck or restricted.

If resolving the underlying bug does not automatically restore my account, could this issue please be escalated internally to the appropriate Anthropic team that can manually review/reset the account-specific identity-verification state?

Alternatively, please let me know how I can provide my account information privately to an Anthropic employee for investigation. I will not post account credentials or personally identifying documents publicly on GitHub.

I can provide additional logs or account details privately if required.

I have attached a screenshot showing the Claude Code error:

API Error: 400 Identity verification is required to continue.