---
title: "Send a verification code to an email address"
method: POST
path: "/email_addresses/{email_address_id}/prepare_verification"
tags: ["Email Addresses"]
---

# Send a verification code to an email address

`POST /email_addresses/{email_address_id}/prepare_verification`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://api.clerk.com/v1`
- URL: `https://api.clerk.com/v1/email_addresses/{email_address_id}/prepare_verification`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Sends a one-time code to the given email address so that a backend can
verify the user controls it (for example, in a custom, backend-driven
sign-in flow). The code is tracked on its own verification; confirm it
with attempt_verification.

## Path parameters

- `email_address_id` string, required

## Response `200`

The verification. After prepare_verification it is pending (unverified);
after attempt_verification its status reflects the attempt outcome.

- object
  - `object` string: The type of the verification object.
  - `id` string: The ID of the verification. Pass this to attempt_verification.
  - `status` string: The status of the verification (unverified, verified, expired, or failed).
  - `strategy` string: The verification strategy (email_code or phone_code).
  - `attempts` integer, nullable: The number of attempts made against this verification.
  - `expire_at` integer, nullable: Unix timestamp (milliseconds) at which the code expires.
  - `channel` string, nullable: The channel the code was sent over (phone numbers only).

## Other responses

- `400`: Request was not successful
- `401`: Authentication invalid
- `403`: Authorization invalid
- `404`: Resource not found
- `429`: Request was not successful
- `500`: Request was not successful

## Changes

- **2026-10-16** (2025-11-10) `7db12d6a9b2a`: 1 info
  - added the non-success response with the status `429`
- **2026-06-04** (2025-11-10) `4db0b9e2d5e6`: 1 info
  - endpoint added

[Operation history](https://skmtc.dev/clerk/apis/clerk-backend-api/changes/email_addresses/:email_address_id/prepare_verification/post.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/clerk/apis/clerk-backend-api.md) - [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/clerk/apis/clerk-backend-api/llms.txt) - [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/clerk/apis/clerk-backend-api/revisions/a490313abffa?raw)