Pi Network's KYC and mainnet migration process has confused a lot of people. I get messages about it regularly — Pioneers who do not know what step they are on, people who completed KYC months ago but have not migrated, and others who have been scammed by fake services pretending to offer help. This guide is the clearest walkthrough I can give you. Follow it step by step and do not skip anything.
Step One: Understanding What You Are Actually Doing
There are two separate processes and they must happen in order. First is KYC — verifying your identity so Pi Network can confirm you are a real person and comply with financial regulations. Second is mainnet migration — moving your mined PI balance from the test network to the real blockchain where it can be traded. You cannot do the second without completing the first. Many Pioneers have completed KYC but have not initiated migration yet. Those are different stages and they both require your active participation.
Step Two: Check Your Actual Status
Open the Pi app. Go to the main menu. Find the KYC section or the Mainnet Checklist. Your status is one of five things: Not Started, Invited, In Progress, Approved, or Action Required. Not Started means you have not received your invitation yet — the Core Team releases them in batches and prioritises based on your mining history, security circle, and account age. Invited means you can begin now and you should act quickly because invitations are time-limited. Action Required means something was wrong with your submission and you need to fix it.
If your status is Not Started and it has been a long time, check that your app is fully updated and your account details are complete. Incomplete profiles sometimes delay invitation batches.
Step Three: Getting Your Documents Ready
Before you start the KYC form, gather everything you need first. You need a valid unexpired government photo ID — passport, national ID, or driver's licence depending on your country. You need a phone with a working camera and good lighting. And critically, you need to check that the name in your Pi app exactly matches the name on your ID. Middle names, hyphens, accents, apostrophes — all of it must match precisely. Name mismatches are the single biggest cause of rejections. Fix the mismatch before you start, not after.
Take a test photo of your ID before submitting. All four corners visible. No shadows. No fingers covering text. Clear and in focus. Poor quality photos cause more rejections than almost any other factor.
Step Four: Completing the KYC Submission
The app walks you through the process once your invitation is active. You submit your ID photos, complete a selfie check that usually includes a liveness verification, and confirm your details. The automated system often approves within minutes. Sometimes it passes to human review, which can take days or weeks. While you wait, do not submit a second application — duplicate submissions create complications and can delay your case.
Step Five: Mainnet Migration
Once your KYC is approved, the app will prompt you to migrate. You will create or connect a Pi Wallet. This wallet is secured by a seed phrase — typically 12 or 24 words. Write these words down on paper and keep them somewhere physically safe and offline. Your seed phrase is the master key. Anyone who has it can access your entire balance. Pi support will never ask for it. No legitimate service or person will ever ask for it. Treat it like cash in a safe.
After setting up your wallet, you will see your eligible balance — the PI available for migration after accounting for lockup periods. Migrate it and your PI is now on the real blockchain.
Sending to an Exchange
With PI on the mainnet, you can transfer to OKX, Kraken, Bitget, Gate.io, MEXC, and other listing venues. Before transferring any amount, confirm the exchange has mainnet deposits enabled for PI specifically. Get the deposit address from the exchange. Double-check the network selection — Pi Network mainnet only, never send to an Ethereum or BSC address. Start with a small test transaction before your full balance. Once you have confirmed it arrived, send the rest.
Use the Dr. Altcoin Scanner to check current PI market data before deciding what to do. Not financial advice — these are process instructions only, not guidance on whether to trade.
The Scam Warning
I need to be direct about this. There is a large and active scam ecosystem targeting Pi Pioneers. Fake KYC websites. Telegram accounts offering to "expedite" your process for a fee. People claiming to be Pi Support. All of them are scams. The official KYC process happens exclusively inside the Pi app. The official support channels are in the app. No external service can help your KYC. Anyone asking for money, your seed phrase, or your login credentials is stealing from you. If someone offers help and asks for anything in return, stop the conversation immediately.