Getting Started

Before you can start using WhatsApp for business communications, you must first go through the official approval procedure. Here is an overview of what the process looks like:

Follow this getting started guide to start using WhatsApp for business. During the approval procedure, WhatsApp will review client requests according to their Business Policy and Commerce Policy.

The embedded sign-up journey in the web interface lets you register yourself to use the WhatsApp Business API from directly within the Infobip platform.

For clients onboarding or integrating over an Independent Software Vendor (ISV), System Integrator (SI) or 3rd Party Business, each ISV/SI/3rd Party Business needs to go through the WhatsApp ISV approval process.

If approved, ISV/SI/3rd Party Business needs to sign and comply with WhatsApp Terms.

What You Need To Know

Here you'll find all of the useful information that you will need to be familiar with before starting the embedded signup.

Facebook Business Manager

To enter the embedded signup flow to register a sender for WhatsApp Business API, you need to be an admin of an existing Facebook business account.

If that’s not an option, you can create a new business account during the embedded signup phase.

Phone Number

Providing the correct number in the right format and having a display name compliant with the requirements from WhatsApp is required.

The phone number has to comply with the following requirements:

• Number must be in the E.164 international format and must be internationally reachable
• Active during the verification process.  You will receive an SMS, or a voice call for 2FA and confirm number ownership
• No short codes
• No toll-free numbers
• Number must not have been used with the WhatsApp Business API before

To use a phone number that is already registered in the Android, iPhone, or Business Application versions of WhatsApp, you must delete the WhatsApp account associated with that phone number to use it for a business account. Please refer to the Migrating a Phone Number article for more information.

If your phone number is under IVR, Infobip will request from the WhatsApp team two numbers you should safelist to perform 2FA.

Display Name

All display names should be linked with your business and should not violate the WhatsApp Commerce and Business policies.

Having a display name compliant with our guidelines is mandatory before you can send messages using the WhatsApp Business API or qualify for a WhatsApp official business account.

Compliance with WhatsApp policies	A display name should not violate WhatsApp Commerce or Business policies. An example for a store that sells wine glasses: (ACCEPTED) ABC Wine Glasses (UNACCEPTED) ABC Wine
Accurate representation of your business	A display name should represent: A business or its service, product, or department A test account or a demo account. It must maintain an association to the business (e.g. Fresh Produce Ltd. Test) An organization with a government affiliation needs approval from the WhatsApp team. A display name should not be: An individual’s full name A generic term (e.g. Fashion) A generic geographic location (e.g. New York) A slogan or a long description
Consistency with external branding	A display name must have consistent branding with external sources (e.g. company website). An example for a product line named "Fresh Produce Cold Pressed Juices": (ACCEPTED) "Fresh Produce Cold Pressed Juices"  - your official brand name and the one you use on your website (UNACCEPTED)  "FP Cold Pressed Juices" - no inconsistencies using abbreviations (UNACCEPTED) "Fresh Produce Juices" - do not remove parts of the name
Clear relationship with your business	A display name must have a clear relationship for your business (must be referred on the business's website or external media references). For example: (ACCEPTED) Name of a charity mentioned on a non-profit organization’s website (UNACCEPTED) Name of a charity not mentioned on any external websites
Correct formatting	A display name must: Not have variations on title capitalization, must have grammatically correct capitalization, and may not include all capitals, except for acronyms. For example: (ACCEPTED) "New City Computers" (UNACCEPTED)  "NEW CITY COMPUTERS" Not have variations with spacing. An example for a business called "Lil’Cupcakes": (ACCEPTED) "Lil’Cupcakes" - your official brand name (UNACCEPTED) "Lil’ Cupcakes" - space added when an external business name does not contain one Not have any extra punctuation Not include emojis Not include character symbols such as trademark designations Must contain a minimum of 3 characters. An example for a business called "KT Sir": (ACCEPTED) KT Sir (UNACCEPTED) KT Not be in URL format

These rules do not apply if a business or an organization already brands this way.

If your display name is rejected, propose a new name that follows the guidelines above. The display name can be edited directly in the Business Manager UI up to three times in the first 30 days. Display name rejection reasons are visible in the Business Manager UI.

Sender Types

Sender types vary depending on what stage of the WhatsApp approval process you are at. Different sender types come with different capabilities and limitations.

Sandbox Senders

You have completed the embedded signup and are yet to start or are in the process of business verification and WhatsApp approval. 

Sandbox senders are still able to send messages but with the following limitations:

• Notifications: 2 phone numbers and 10 messages a day
• Customer care: 10 phone numbers and unlimited messages

These limits will apply for the entire period until the Business Verification process is finished, business and display name have been approved by WhatsApp.

The unverified state lasts for 30 days (or until becoming an approved sender) at which point a business will no longer be able to send messages until they complete Business Verification and pass WhatsApp Approval.

In addition to the limits mentioned above, only the first number added to each WhatsApp Business Account via the embedded signup flow is eligible for the sandbox experience.

Each additional number added to the WhatsApp Business Account will need to wait until the business is verified and has passed display name approval and business verification and WhatsApp approval.

A couple of pre-selected message templates will be added to the sandbox environment for you to easily test the experience of sending notifications.

Approved Senders

Your business and display name are approved by WhatsApp and can be used for production. Standard WhatsApp messaging limitations apply.

You'll still need to finish the sender verification (display name, commerce policy, etc.) before you can become a verified sender.

Verified Senders (Official Account)

You have completed all the onboarding steps. You're now a superuser! Verified senders get a verified badge next to their company name in WhatsApp.

Note: The sender verification process for this involves another level of WhatsApp approval done in Facebook Business Manager, but this remains optional.

Embedded Signup

In order to complete embedded signup, you'll need to have access to Facebook Business Manager as an administrator. Alternatively you can create an account during this step. Here is also a complete list of the information that is required:

• Official company name
• Business phone number
• Business website
• The client’s representative’s business email address
• Country
• Corporate street address
• City
• Zip/postcode
• Time zone
• Sender display name
• Business category
• Business description
• Number to be registered as a sender which is not connected to any WhatsApp Account (private or WhatsApp Business API)
• Access to the number to receive an SMS or a Voice call for verification

As an admin navigate to Apps > WhatsApp in the web interface and use the Login with Facebook button to start the embedded signup.

You'll then be presented with the instructions explaining how the embedded signup works. You'll go through the following steps:

1. Creating the WhatsApp Business Account
2. Creating the WhatsApp Business Profile
3. Verification of the WhatsApp Business number

After hitting Get Started you'll be presented with an explanation about the permissions you will be granting Infobip in order to complete your signup. Accept permissions to continue.

WhatsApp Business Account

You must have a WhatsApp business account if you are using WhatsApp as a company to send communications to your customers.

You can either choose an existing Facebook Business account on which you have administrator permissions or create a new Facebook Business Account.

In case you wish to create a new Facebook Business Account, the embedded signup will guide you to enter all the necessary information which includes:

• Official company name
• Business phone number
• Business website
• Business email
• Country
• Corporate street address
• City
• Zip/postcode
• Time zone

After the Facebook Business Account has been selected, you may create a WhatsApp Business Account.

To do so, you should enter the WhatsApp Business Account name and time zone. WhatsApp Business Account names and time zones are not be presented to end-users.

WhatsApp Business Profile

Business profiles are like ordinary profiles, but represent your company as opposed to an individual. Profiles are displayed to end-users with the following information:

• Sender display name
• Business category
• Business description

You can always go back and edit your business description at any time, including after sender verification.

Number Verification

Here you need to submit the number you would like to register as your WhatsApp sender, you'll also need to select whether to verify it via SMS or a voice call.

As soon as you Submit, a six-digit verification code will be sent out to you which you'll need to enter in the next screen. Use the Try again option if you didn't receive the code after a few minutes.

Once the number has been verified, you can use it as a sandbox sender. The sandbox sender is deployed and should be ready for use within 30 minutes of completing the embedded signup.

As soon as you complete the embedded signup, you will be directed to the Business Verification process via a link. You'll also receive a confirmation email.

Business Verification and WhatsApp Approval

Now that you have completed the embedded signup process, you need to complete the business verification process. 

By verifying your business, you will need to meet the requirements for WhatsApp approval which will grant you access to WhatsApp Business API.

In order to start the verification process, you will need to complete the verification steps in Facebook Business Manager. For this, you will need to submit the required documentation.

Pay attention when it comes to submitting acceptable and unacceptable documents for business verification.

Acceptable Document Examples	Unacceptable Document Examples
Verifying legal business name
Business license Certificate of formation or incorporation Business tax or VAT registration certificate	Utility bill (phone, electricity etc.) Invoices Purchase orders Self-filled applications for the company Tax returns filed by you or your company Bank statement Website print Other documents like company flyers, letterhead, etc.
Verifying business address and phone number
Utility bill (phone, electricity etc.) Bank statement Business license Certificate of formation or incorporation Business Tax or VAT registration certificate	Invoices Purchase orders Self-filled applications for the company Tax returns filed by you or your company Website print Other documents like company flyers, letterhead, etc.

If your business is verified by Facebook, WhatsApp will do the necessary checks to make sure your business is compliant with their commerce policy. If compliant, WhatsApp will approve your business account for use.

Request Official Account (Verified Sender)

An official account can only be obtained by becoming a verified sender through WhatsApp. For this, you'll need to raise a support request directly with Facebook for them to review your request.

Being a verified sender gives customers more confidence in your brand by letting them know that Facebook has made sure your company is legitimate and given you the verified badge.

Facebook Direct Support

Navigate to the Facebook Direct Support page and click the green Ask a question button.

You'll need to provide the following information to successfully raise a support ticket:

• Topic  
• Title of the question
• Description (30 characters minimum) 
• Request Type
• WhatsApp Account ID
• Registered phone number (depending on the question type)  

As well as requesting an official business account, you can also use this to appeal template rejections or report any issues with the verification process.

Request an Official Business Account

Use this ticket type to request an official business account. If your business has already been verified, you need to wait for an official response and approval from WhatsApp which will be visible in Facebook Business Manager.

Make sure to include all of the above referenced information. Additionally providing your company website, Facebook page, and any other references can help you gain Official Account status, however, these are optional.

Report a Business Verification Issue

You can also use the question form to report any issues you're facing with the onboarding process. Make sure to include as much information as possible in the description, and make sure to include the above-mentioned information.

Next Steps

Once you have completed the verification process you can now manage senders in the web interface. You will not need to repeat the full procedure after completing business verification and approval, only the embedded signup to add new numbers.