I Understand that you need to play FIDE rated OTB grades for FIDE rating. But do I need a FIDE ID beforehand? How do I get this? It's so confusing!
Generally speaking, your national federation handles that. How that is done will likely depend on that. In the US, the way it is handled, is that if you play in a dual US Chess and FIDE rated event and score, the US Chess Federation automatically submits the information to get your FIN.
There is a method where the national federation can be contacted to get an ID without that but generally wouldn't be needed unless you were planning on traveling and wanted to get that before joining a FIDE rated event in another country.
You might look at your national federation to see if they do something similar. Alternatively, you could join FIDE's online site.
I Understand that you need to play FIDE rated OTB grades for FIDE rating. But do I need a FIDE ID beforehand? How do I get this? It's so confusing!