How do I create and activate a new AWS account?

Last updated: 2020-10-03

1. Open the Amazon Web Services home page.
2. Choose Create an AWS Account.
   Note: If you signed in to AWS recently, choose Sign in to the Console. If Create a new AWS account isn't visible, first choose Sign in to a different account, and then choose Create a new AWS account.
3. Enter your account information, and then choose Continue. Be sure that you enter your account information correctly, especially your email address. If you enter your email address incorrectly, you can't access your account.
   
4. Choose Personal or Professional.
   Note: Personal accounts and professional accounts have the same features and functions.
5. Enter your company or personal information.
   Important: For professional AWS accounts, it's a best practice to enter the company phone number rather than a personal cell phone. Configuring a root account with an individual email address or a personal phone number can make your account insecure.
6. Read and accept the AWS Customer Agreement.
   Note: Be sure that you read and understand the terms of the AWS Customer Agreement.
7. Choose Create Account and Continue.

You receive an email to confirm that your account is created. You can sign in to your new account using the email address and password you registered with. However, you can't use AWS services until you finish activating your account.

Here a few things to keep in mind when entering your account information:

• For Email address, use a corporate email distribution list (for example, it.admins@example.com) or email box if your account is a professional AWS account. It's a best practice to avoid using an individual's corporate email address (for example, paulo.santos@example.com). With this practice, your company can retain access to the AWS account even when an employee changes positions or leaves the company. The email address can be used to reset account credentials. Be sure that you protect access to these distribution lists. Do not use the root account for your everyday tasks. It's a best practice to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on the root account to secure your AWS resources.
• For AWS Account name, use an account naming standard so that the account name can be recognized in your invoice or Billing and Cost Management console dashboard. If it's a company account, consider using the naming standard of organization-purpose-environment (for example, AnyCompany-audit-prod). If it's a personal account, consider using the naming standard of first name-last name-purpose (for example, paulo-santos-testaccount). You can change the account name in your account settings after you sign up. For more information, see How do I change the name on my AWS account?
  

On the Payment Information page, enter the information about your payment method, and then choose Verify and Add.

Note: If you want to use a different billing address for your AWS billing information, choose Use a new address before you choose Verify and Add.

Important: You can't proceed with the sign-up process until you add a valid payment method.

1. Choose your country or region code from the list.
2. Enter a phone number where you can be reached in the next few minutes.
3. Enter the code displayed in the CAPTCHA, and then submit.
4. In a few moments, an automated system contacts you.
5. Enter the PIN you receive, and then choose Continue.

On the Select a Support Plan page, choose one of the available Support plans. For a description of the available Support plans and their benefits, see Compare AWS Support plans.

After you choose a Support plan, a confirmation page indicates that your account is being activated. Accounts are usually activated within a few minutes, but the process might take up to 24 hours.

You can sign in to your AWS account during this time. The AWS home page might display a Complete Sign Up button during this time, even if you've completed all the steps in the sign-up process.

When your account is fully activated, you receive a confirmation email. Check your email and spam folder for the confirmation email. After you receive this email, you have full access to all AWS services.

Account activation can sometimes be delayed. If the process takes more than 24 hours, check the following:

• Finish the account activation process. You might have accidentally closed the window for the sign-up process before you've added all the necessary information. To finish the sign-up process, open the registration page. Then, choose Sign in to an existing AWS account, and sign in using the email address and password you chose for the account.
• Check the information associated with your payment method. Check Payment Methods in the AWS Billing and Cost Management console. Fix any errors in the information.
• Contact your financial institution. Financial institutions occasionally reject authorization requests from AWS for various reasons. Contact your payment method's issuing institution and ask that they approve authorization requests from AWS.
  Note: AWS cancels the authorization request as soon as it's approved by your financial institution. You aren't charged for authorization requests from AWS. Authorization requests might still appear as a small charge (usually 1 USD) on statements from your financial institution.
• Check your email for requests for additional information. Check your email and spam folder to see if AWS needs any information from you to complete the activation process.
• Try a different browser.
• Contact AWS Support. Contact AWS Support for help. Be sure to mention any troubleshooting steps that you already tried.
  Note: Don't provide sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, in any correspondence with AWS.

To help secure your AWS resources, see Security best practices in IAM.