Looking to restrict registrations on your WordPress site to invited users only?
With User Registration & Membership (URM), you can setup a secure, invite-only registration system using invite codes, perfect for private communities, online courses or exclusive memberships.
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to:
- create a custom registration form for WordPress using URM
- enable invite-based registration on the registration form
Let’s jump right into it!
Video Tutorial
If you’d rather follow along via video, here’s a full visual walkthrough of how to create an invite-only user registration system in WordPress using the User Registration & Membership plugin.
Or continue reading for the full step-by-step walkthrough:
How to Create Invite-Only Registration Forms in WordPress
To set up invite-based registration in your WordPress site, you need User Registration & Membership plugin with a Plus plan or higher.
This unlocks the premium Invite Codes add-on that allows you to:
- Enable Invite Code block for registration form
- Create single-use or bulk invite codes
- Set limit on the usage of invite codes
- Set validity period of invite codes
So, if you don’t have an active URM subscription, you can get it from here.
1. Install the User Registration & Membership Pro Plugin
Once you purchase to a User Registration & Membership Pro plan, you’ll receive login credentials for WPEverest account.
- From the Downloads tab of your WPEverest Dashboard, download the latest zip file for User Registration & Membership.
- Then in your WordPress Dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Click Upload Plugin and upload the plugin ZIP file you just downloaded.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
You can find a detailed guide on installing and setting up the User Registration plugin here.
2. Install and Activate the Invite Codes Add-on
After you’ve installed User Registration & Membership Pro, open the Dashboard >> All Features tab on your WordPress dashboard.
You’ll end up on the same page if you navigate to User Registration & Membership >> Extensions.
Here, search for the Invite Codes add-on from the list of available features and add-ons. Simply Activate the add-on, and it’s ready for use.
This will allow you to create registration forms that require invite codes to submit.
3. Create Exclusive Invitation Codes
Next step is to create invitation codes. Here, you can create codes individually or have the plugin create multiples of them in bulk for you.
Create Individual Codes
To do that, go to User Registration & Membership >> Settings through your sidebar and click the Invite Codes tab.
This will take you to the Invite Codes page, where you can view all the existing codes in a list. The Codes List will be empty be default.
To add a new code, navigate to the Add New tab. You’ll need to set up a bunch of attributes for each code.
- Add New Code: Enter your custom invitation code here.
- User Limit: Set the limit on unique registration allowed through this particular code. If you leave it empty, the code can be used infinite times.
- Expiry Date: Set the validity period for the code. Leaving it empty means that the invitation code will never expire.
- Select Form: Set the registration form for which the code will be valid. For now, the dropdown list only has the Default Form. However, that’ll change once we create a custom form later in this tutorial.
- Override User Role: Enable this option if you need to change the default user role for the selected registration form. Otherwise, disable it.
- User Role: Select the WordPress user role to assign to visitors who use the invitation code.
Create Codes in Bulk
You can also generate multiple codes simultaneously instead of individually adding new invitation codes. To do that, click the Generate Random Codes tab under Invite Codes.
- Code Numbers: Set the number of codes to be created.
- Code Prefix: Add a prefix to all the generated codes to make them more distinct.
Like the manually generated codes, you can also set the user limits, expiry date, and permission provided by the code. As before, you’ll need to select the form for these codes as well.
Besides that, you’ll see a Raw List tab beside Generate Random Codes, where you can view the Code Details.
And with that, you’ve successfully created a valid invitation code for your registration form with the invitation code field.
4. Create a Custom Registration Form with Invitation Code Field
Now you need to create a registration form with invitation code field.
Start by going to User Registration & Membership >> Add New.
Here, you can build a form from scratch or pick a template to customize. For this tutorial, let’s select Start from Scratch.
Give your form a name and press Continue.
As you can see, the form on the right already has four default fields:
- Username
- User Email
- User Password
- Confirm Password.
If you need more fields, drag and drop the ones you see on the left and add them to your form.
To save the progress so far, hit the Publish form button on the top right.
Now to add a field for invite codes, scroll down on the Fields tab and find the Invitation Code field in the Extra Fields subsection.
When you click on it, you’ll be prompted to set up an invite code. So, select Add Invite Code.
You’re returned to User Registration & Membership >> Settings >> Invite Codes. Here, Edit the code you previously created.
Then, select the current form in Select Form.
Save the changes and go back to the builder.
Now, drag the Invitation Code field to the desired form row. Your users must enter their invitation code into this field while registering.
After completing the form, hit the Update form button at the top of the form builder.
5. Insert the Registration Form into Your Site
Once you’ve created a form with an invitation code field and some actual invitation codes, you’ll need to add the form to your site.
To do so, click on the Embed button at the builder’s top.
This opens a popup prompting you to select an existing page or create a new one to embed the form.
Let’s create a new page for this tutorial by clicking Create New Page.
Then, give the page a title and press the Let’s go! button.
This automatically creates the page and adds the form to it.
Finally, publish the page, and you’re done!
Once done, this new page will show a custom registration page which will only accept users who use the specified invitation code.
You can test this by trying to register a new account by:
- submitting the form without a valid invite code: You should see an error
- submitting the form with a valid invite code: The user should get registered
Manage Invitation Codes and Enrolled Users
Once your invite-only WordPress registration system is live, you can easily track both invite code usage and users who used them at registration.
View and Manage Invite Codes
- Go to User Registration & Membership >> Settings >> Invite Codes
- You’ll see a list of all codes with details like:
- Code name
- Usage count (e.g., 3 out of 10)
- Expiry status
- Assigned form or role
From here, you can:
- Edit or delete codes
- Deactivate expired codes
- Export codes for record-keeping
Monitor Users Registered Through Code
- Go to Users > All Users in your WordPress dashboard
- Look for users registered through your custom form—they’ll be tagged with the:
- Invite code they used
- Custom field data (e.g., phone number)
- User role assigned via the form or invite code
Click on any user to view or edit their details.
This helps you ensure only authorized users have access and lets you manage your invite-based community more effectively.
Optional: Customize Your Form and Invitation Code Field Settings
Want to take your registration form to the next level? Here’s how you can fine-tune the Invitation Code field and overall form behavior to better match your site’s style and user flow.
Customize the Invitation Code Field
Inside the form builder, click on the Invitation Code to bring up its Field Options panel. There are two tabs available:
General Settings
From here, you can:
- Edit the Label (e.g., “Access Code” instead of “Invitation Code”)
- Add a Description or help text
- Set a Placeholder
- Make the field Required
- Hide the label, if needed
- Enable a Tooltip and add a custom Tooltip Message
Advanced Settings
Under the Advanced tab, you can:
- Add a Custom CSS Class to style the field
- Enable the field to be dynamically populated (useful for pre-filling via URL)
Don’t forget to click Update Form (top right) once you’re done.
Configure Your Registration Form Settings
Click on Form Settings while editing your form to access key configuration options.
General Tab
Under the General Tab:
- Choose the User Approval & Login Option (e.g., auto-approve + manual login)
- Set the Default User Role
- Enable Strong Password Requirements
- Customize the Submit Button Text
Extras Tab
Under the Extras Tab:
- Enable Reset Button
- Show Form Field Icons
- Allow Auto-Generated Passwords
- And more advanced UI tweaks
Once you’ve made your changes, hit Update Form to save your configuration.
Bonus: Combine with Membership or Paid Access
You can easily pair invite-only registration with tiered membership or payment using User Registration & Membership plugin:
- Exclusive member-only clubs or teams
- Pre-launch beta groups or event access
- Paid course enrollment with invite-only entry
Wrapping Up Invite-Only Registration for WordPress
By now, you’ve learned how to set up a complete invite-only registration system in WordPress—from creating and customizing your registration form to generating and managing invite codes.
Whether you’re building a private community, launching a paid course, or offering exclusive access to select users, invite codes give you precise control over who can join.
What’s great is that everything—from form creation to access control—is handled in one place, with no coding needed.
If you’re curious how it all fits together in action, feel free to try the demo and explore how URM works firsthand.