Overnight into November 2, Moscow time, Fragment stopped requiring identity verification (KYC) for purchasing Telegram Stars and Telegram Premium. The removal of KYC was reported on November 1 at 21:57 UTC, and Kod.ru wrote that unverified accounts could once again proceed to payment. According to an update from Kod.ru on November 4, KYC is required for withdrawing Gram earned from channel, bot, and group monetization, but purchases do not require it. Fragment and Telegram have not announced this change.
This news affects everyone who purchases Stars and Premium on Fragment, and owners of channels, bots, and groups who withdraw monetization revenue.
Who Now Needs Verification
| Action on Fragment | KYC as of November 4 |
|---|---|
| Purchasing Telegram Stars | not required |
| Purchasing and gifting Telegram Premium | not required |
| Withdrawing Gram from channel, bot, and group monetization | required |
| Withdrawing Stars | not confirmed |
- If you are purchasing Stars or Premium, you do not need to undergo verification; payment proceeds as it did before November 2024.
- If you are withdrawing Gram from channel, bot, or group monetization, identity verification is still mandatory. For channels, this is the revenue that Fragment describes as Gram for ad impressions in public channels.
- If you are withdrawing Stars, this is a separate check in the code, and it's not externally visible whether it's enabled. Kod.ru only mentions Gram withdrawals.
The redirection of fragment.com/kyc and fragment.com/my/profile to the homepage does not, by itself, indicate anything about KYC: without logging in, all personal sections of Fragment, including /my/assets, respond in the same way, and /kyc responded similarly in November 2024.
How Fragment Decides When to Request KYC
The decision is made by the server, not the page code. Every paid website request—bid, purchase, withdrawal—is sent to the Fragment server, and the response may include a need_verify flag. Upon receiving it, the page displays a window with text sent by the server and buttons for verification and wallet linking. The document verification itself opens via a Sumsub widget—the service Fragment has used to verify users since KYC was introduced in November 2024.
In the website's auction.js script, there are twelve such checks:
| Action | Handler in code | Check in code since |
|---|---|---|
| TON Connect transaction prepared by server (bid, offer, top-up, NFT transfer) | Wallet.sendTransaction | before February 2026 |
| Converting a username into an NFT | Account.eConvertInit | before February 2026 |
| NFT transfer | Account.eMoveRequestInit | before February 2026 |
| Gifting Premium | Premium.eGiftPremiumSubmit | 1 June 2026 |
| Premium giveaway | PremiumGiveaway.eGiveawayPremiumSubmit | 1 June 2026 |
| Topping up ads account | Ads.eRechargeAccount | 30 August 2026 |
| Withdrawing Gram for ads | Ads.eWithdrawRevenue | before February 2026 |
| Purchasing Stars | Stars.eBuyStarsSubmit | 1 June 2026 |
| Withdrawing Stars | Stars.eWithdrawRevenue | before February 2026 |
| Stars giveaway | StarsGiveaway.eGiveawayStarsSubmit | 1 June 2026 |
| Withdrawing a gift from Telegram to a wallet | Nft.eWithdrawNft | before February 2026 |
| Wallet verification in profile | Profile.eVerifyWallet | before February 2026 |
The dates are taken from the archive of Fragment code changes, which has been maintained since February 2026. The last time the verification block was changed was on August 30, when the check for topping up an ads account was added. It has not been touched since: the auction.js version from November 3 differs from the October version only in the addition of USDT payment on the TRON network, which is covered in a separate article.
The website scripts did not change during these days, meaning both the removal of KYC on November 1 and the rule from November 4 were implemented server-side. Such a switch does not require a website update, and it can be reverted just as imperceptibly.
How KYC Appeared on Fragment
- 25 November 2024 Fragment introduced mandatory verification via Sumsub: email, phone, document, and face photo. Without it, users could not purchase Stars, Premium, or anonymous numbers.
- 9 April 2026 Converting gifts into NFTs became available without KYC; it was not announced at the time how long this would last.
- 1 November 2026 KYC was removed for some actions; according to Kod.ru, the verification section disappeared from the interface, and unverified accounts could once again purchase Stars and Premium.
- 4 November 2026 Verification sections reopened, and KYC is required for withdrawing Gram earned from monetization.
As of November 4, the words "KYC," "verification," and "Sumsub" are not present on Fragment's terms and privacy policy pages; there is also no mention of this in the Telegram and Pavel Durov's channels.
Questions
Is KYC required to purchase Telegram Stars on Fragment?
Starting the night of November 2, 2026 — no. The server no longer requests identity verification when purchasing Stars and Premium.
Which service does Fragment use for identity verification?
Through Sumsub: the widget requests a document and face photo, phone, and email. The service has been used since November 2024.
Why does fragment.com/kyc open the homepage?
Without logging in, Fragment redirects all personal addresses, not just the verification section, to the homepage. This is not an indication that KYC has been canceled.
