How to create and secure a Kraken account

Opening a Kraken account takes a few minutes. Securing it properly takes a little longer, and it is worth doing before you deposit anything. This guide follows Kraken's own help pages: how to sign up, where a referral code fits in, what verification involves, and which security settings Kraken recommends. Products, limits and sign-up steps vary by country, so check the linked support pages for your region.

Start on the official site or app

You can sign up on the website or in the Kraken app. On the web, Kraken tells you to make sure you are on https://www.kraken.com before clicking Sign up. In the app, which you install from the App Store or Google Play, you tap Create account. Kraken's security guidance is to type the address yourself or use a bookmark rather than reaching Kraken through a search engine, and to use only Kraken's official apps; any other app using Kraken's name or asking for your sign-in details is treated as phishing.

Enter your details and choose the right account type

The sign-up form asks for your email address and a password, and in the app also your country of residence. You accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, then activate the account with the code or link Kraken emails to you. Pick your country carefully: Kraken's referral terms, for example, require that a referred user's ID is issued by the same country selected at sign-up. If you are opening an account for a company, choose the Business tab on the sign-up page. Kraken says verified personal accounts cannot be converted into business accounts, so a business would need a separate account.

Where a referral code goes

A referral code or invite link is tied to account creation. Kraken's app referral page says you can enter a referral code during account creation, and its referral terms describe a referee as someone who signs up using a valid referral link and has never held a Kraken account before. If you plan to use a code, have it ready before you start. Any reward depends on Kraken's current terms: the person invited usually has to complete funding or trading requirements within a set period, eligibility varies by country, and Kraken states that completing the criteria does not guarantee a reward. The code is optional; you can open an account without one.

Get verified

Kraken's verification page describes a verified individual account, which lets you buy and sell crypto, deposit cash and crypto, and, subject to eligibility and location, use features such as margin trading, staking and derivatives. It comes with cash deposit and withdrawal limits of less than $100,000 per month and up to 16 API keys. A verified individual account with higher limits raises those limits and allows up to 25 API keys, and Kraken notes you do not need it to use Kraken Pro. Businesses need a business account. Verification generally requires a government-issued ID and proof of address; in the app you also give personal details such as your name, date of birth, address and occupation, and Kraken's app guide says residents of some countries, including the US and South Africa, are asked for a face photo. Kraken says verification usually takes under 30 minutes but can take longer with manual review.

Password and email come first

Kraken recommends a password of at least 15 characters (12 is the minimum) that you do not use anywhere else, ideally created and stored in a password manager. Your email matters just as much, because it receives activation links, withdrawal confirmations and security alerts. Kraken suggests an email address used only for Kraken, two-factor authentication on that email account, preferably with passkeys rather than text messages, and removing your phone number from the email account so it cannot be used to reset the password. Keep Kraken's email notifications on and act quickly on any security email you did not expect.

Turn on two-factor authentication

Kraken calls Sign-in 2FA with passkeys the most important security feature on your account. Passkeys can be hardware security keys, cross-device passkeys or device-bound passkeys, and Kraken recommends them because they only work on Kraken's real site. You can also use an authenticator app, but Kraken warns that its codes can be typed into a phishing site and that synced codes are exposed if the linked cloud account is compromised. You can add up to five passkeys and one authenticator app for sign-in, and Kraken suggests registering more than one so a single lost device does not lock you out. Separate 2FA settings also exist for funding, trading and API keys.

Add a Master Key, the Global Settings Lock and withdrawal checks

A Master Key is an optional extra layer, set up under Security settings and then Advanced settings. When it is enabled, it is required to reset your sign-in password, it can be used as a backup Sign-in 2FA method, and it can lift the Global Settings Lock immediately. Kraken recommends a passkey kept on a different device from your Sign-in 2FA. The Global Settings Lock blocks changes such as new withdrawal addresses or bank accounts, email or password changes and new 2FA or API keys, even by Kraken Support. Unlocking it without a Master Key means waiting out a delay of between 24 hours and 30 days, depending on your settings, and Kraken emails you about any unlock attempt. Separately, a new crypto withdrawal address added from a device Kraken does not recognize as trusted must be approved through an email link that is valid for one hour.

Spot fake support and phishing

Kraken says its staff will never ask for your password, 2FA codes, Master Key or a wallet seed phrase, never ask you to install remote-access software such as AnyDesk or TeamViewer, and never ask you to pay to release or verify funds. Kraken Support only calls you if you contacted Kraken first and arranged the call, and Kraken will never message you first on social media. If you think you have been scammed, stop sending funds and contact Kraken Support.

If you lose access to your 2FA

If you still have another Sign-in 2FA method or a Master Key, you can sign in with it and then replace the lost method. If you cannot sign in, Kraken's sign-in 2FA page says to click Recover account when you are asked for 2FA. Without a Master Key, Kraken's help page directs you to submit a support request under I can't sign in to my account and then the two-factor authentication issue. Because a Master Key and a second passkey only help if they exist before something goes wrong, set them up while you still have full access.

Sources

KRAKEN REFERRAL CODE 2026

Product	Trading Rebate
Spot Trading	20%
Margin Trading	20%
Futures	20%
Tokenized Equity	20%
PTL Trading	20%
Prop, first purchase	20%
Rollover	20%
Options	20%

Create Kraken account

Available rewards are confirmed during registration.

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