WhatsApp green tick for business: what it is and how to get it

What the tick is

An Official Business Account, or OBA, is a business phone number whose owner Meta has verified as an authentic business, against criteria Meta sets. The number then shows a blue checkmark beside its name in the contacts view.

It also affects who can find you. Meta says that a business number without OBA status does not appear in search results when people search for it inside WhatsApp. If someone saves your number to their contacts, your display name appears in their search anyway. For easier discovery, Meta recommends applying for OBA status.

Who cannot get it

Meta says it does not grant OBA status to business employees, to test accounts, or to phone numbers used with the WhatsApp Business app. The tick belongs to numbers on the WhatsApp Business Platform, the official API.

The five things Meta checks first

To be eligible, Meta lists all of these:

1. Your business follows the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.
2. Your business has been registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform for at least 30 days.
3. The Meta business portfolio that owns the number has passed Business Verification, Meta's check that your business is real.
4. The number has two-step verification switched on.
5. The number's display name has been approved.

So the tick is the last step, not the first. It rests on things you do earlier: get your display name approved, turn on two-step verification, and wait for the 30 days to pass.

Where Meta's own pages disagree

The list above is from Meta's developer documentation. Meta's Business Help Centre says two things differently, and Meta does not explain the gap, so read both before you plan.

1. On business verification, the Help Centre's request article says you need to complete business verification or show a record of high-quality messages: at least 1,000 conversations over 30 consecutive days.
2. Its "About WhatsApp Business display name" article adds that an official business account must belong to a notable business: a well-known business with a substantial presence in news articles from publications with sizable audiences.

If that second test applies as written, a small or new business should expect a refusal, however well it follows the steps. We cannot tell you how strictly Meta applies it. The refusal rule and the 30-day wait below apply either way.

How to ask for it

In WhatsApp Manager, the screen in Meta's tools where you manage your WhatsApp account, Meta describes two steps:

1. Open WhatsApp Manager, go to Overview and click your business phone number. Turn on two-step verification if it is not on already.
2. Under Phone numbers, then Profile, then Official business account, click Submit Request.

Meta then reviews the request and sends a notification saying whether the number has been granted OBA status. Meta's page does not say how long the review takes, so we cannot promise a time.

If you meet every condition but the Submit Request button is not there, Meta says to contact your solution provider's support or Meta Support, who can check whether you are eligible. Developers can also read the request's status through the API.

If Meta says no

A refusal means Meta reviewed the account and decided it does not meet the requirements at this time. You must wait 30 days before you can send another request.

A refusal does not stop you sharing details about your business. Every number has a business profile with a picture, an email address, a website and a description, and you can edit all of those at any time.

Get the display name right early

Meta checks your display name automatically once your number reaches a higher messaging limit, against its display name guidelines. If it is approved, the number's name status shows as approved. If it is refused, you can edit the name to fit the guidelines or appeal through Meta's developer support.

You can change a display name 10 times in 30 days. After a change is approved you have 14 days to register the number again, or the name must go back for review. And once a number has the tick, Meta says changes to its display name go through its direct support, not the usual screen. Pick a name that matches your real business name from the start.

What VartaAPI does, and what it does not

VartaAPI connects your own number to Meta's official platform, and the number stays on your own Meta account. The request for the tick is made in Meta's WhatsApp Manager, which you own, so VartaAPI cannot make it for you and does not charge for it. Your dashboard shows your number's quality rating and daily limit, which help you see when you are moving up the limits that lead to display name review.

Start on the official WhatsApp Business API guide if you have not connected a number yet.