--- title: "WhatsApp Business API Readiness and Meta Verification Checklist" description: "Check your WhatsApp Business API readiness: Meta business verification documents by country, website, number and display name checks, and rejection fixes." canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/tools/whatsapp-api-readiness-checklist/" language: "en" updated: "2026-10-10" publisher: "BroadNet Technologies" brand: "OmniChannels.ai" --- # WhatsApp Business API Readiness and Meta Verification Checklist Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/tools/whatsapp-api-readiness-checklist/ Language: en Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies To use the WhatsApp Business API you need a Meta business portfolio, a verified business, an HTTPS website that shows your legal name, a phone number you own that isn't on WhatsApp, and a display name linked to your brand. For verification Meta accepts incorporation certificates, business registrations or licences, government-issued tax documents and business bank statements. A utility bill proves only your address or phone. Meta makes the final decision, which may take up to 14 business days. ## How to get ready for the WhatsApp Business API 1. **Pick your country:** Choose where your business is registered. The document list changes to the local names of the document types Meta accepts, with GCC countries first. 2. **Answer the checklist:** Tell us about your business portfolio, verification status, website, email, phone number, display name, opt-in, templates and use cases. 3. **Fix what's flagged:** Each item shows Ready, Risk or Missing with the fix. Items that block onboarding outright, such as verification and the phone number, weigh most. 4. **Print or download:** Save your personalised checklist as a PDF or a Word file, tick off documents as you gather them, or send it to us and we'll onboard you. ## WhatsApp Business API requirements The WhatsApp Business Platform, often called the WhatsApp Business API, is one of the Meta products that require business verification. Before you apply, make sure the basics are in place, because a missing item usually stalls onboarding rather than failing it outright. Meta also asks that you collect opt-in before you message anyone and that you start conversations only with approved message templates. Replies to customers who write to you first don't need a template while the 24-hour customer service window is open. - A business portfolio in Meta Business Suite, with someone who has full control of it - Business verification in Security Center, with the legal name, address, phone and website exactly as registered - A website that loads over HTTPS and shows your legal business name - A phone number you own, with a country and area code, that can receive SMS or calls and isn't on WhatsApp - A display name with a clear link to your legal name or brand - Opt-in that names your business, and templates for each use case ## Which documents Meta accepts for business verification Meta's Business Help Center lists five primary document types: a certificate or articles of incorporation, a business registration or licence document, a government-issued business tax document such as a tax certificate, a business bank statement, and a utility bill. Your documents should confirm your legal business name and either your official mailing address or your phone number. A utility bill is accepted only for the address and phone number, never for the legal name, and it must still show the legal name. Self-filed tax documents aren't accepted. Documents must be current, issued by the relevant authority and written in a supported language such as Arabic, English, French, German, Portuguese or Spanish. If yours aren't, add an English translation stamped by a translation agency. Cover personal ID numbers that Meta doesn't need before you upload. ## Documents by country in the GCC Meta doesn't publish a list for each country, so the checklist maps local documents onto Meta's accepted types. In the United Arab Emirates that usually means the trade licence from the emirate's economic department or your free-zone authority, the Memorandum of Association, and the VAT registration certificate from the Federal Tax Authority. In Saudi Arabia it is the Commercial Registration certificate, the Articles of Association and the ZATCA VAT registration certificate. Qatar businesses typically use the Commercial Registration, commercial licence and tax card. In Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman the Commercial Registration certificate is the core document, with the VAT certificate where VAT applies. Every country can add a business bank statement, and a utility bill such as a DEWA, Kahramaa or EWA bill for the address. ## Phone number and display name rules Meta says an eligible number must be owned by you, have a country and area code, and be able to receive voice calls or SMS. Short codes aren't supported, and Meta recommends mobile numbers. A number that's already on WhatsApp can't be registered until that account is deleted (back up your chats first), unless it's a WhatsApp Business app number connected with coexistence through Embedded Signup, which Meta allows subject to its requirements. Your display name must follow Meta's guidelines. It needs a clear link to your legal name or external branding. It can't be a generic word or a place name. Words such as Official or Verified aren't allowed, and nor are references to WhatsApp, Meta, Facebook or Instagram, promotional wording, or a website or email format. If your brand differs from the company name, “Brand by Company” makes the link clear. ## Why verification gets rejected, and how to fix it Meta lists these reasons for rejection: false or misleading information, claiming a business you aren't authorised to represent, trying to get around the review, and a website that fails to load, isn't HTTPS or links to an error page. In practice most problems we see come from a legal name that doesn't match the documents, or from documents that are cropped, expired or not of an accepted type. - Copy the legal name from your registration certificate, including the suffix, into the portfolio and the website footer - Upload full-page colour scans of current documents, not photos of screens or self-made forms - Pair a utility bill with a registration or tax document, since a bill alone can't prove the legal name - Don't edit your business details during review, because any edit means you have to verify again - If you're rejected, read the reason in Security Center and fix the cause before you appeal or resubmit ## How long it takes According to Meta, a decision on business verification may take up to 14 business days, and you're notified when the review is complete. Gathering documents and fixing the website usually takes a few days on your side. Number registration is often done the same day once you're verified, and Meta reviews the display name when your number reaches a higher messaging limit. Timing varies, and Meta makes every decision. No provider can guarantee approval. ## WhatsApp API readiness and Meta verification FAQ ### What documents do I need for Meta business verification? One or more documents that show your legal business name and your address or phone number: a certificate or articles of incorporation, a business registration or licence, a government-issued tax document, or a business bank statement. A utility bill proves only the address or phone. In the UAE that usually means the trade licence and the VAT certificate. ### What are the WhatsApp Business API requirements? A Meta business portfolio, a verified business, a working HTTPS website that shows your legal name, a phone number you own that can receive SMS or calls and isn't on WhatsApp, a display name that follows Meta's guidelines, opt-in from your contacts and approved templates for messages you start. ### How long does Meta business verification take? Meta says a decision may take up to 14 business days after you submit. Editing your business details during the review restarts the process, so settle the legal name, address, phone and website before you submit. ### Can I verify my business with a utility bill? Only for your address and phone number. Meta doesn't accept a utility bill as proof of your legal business name, and the bill must still show that legal name. Pair it with a registration, licence, tax or bank document. ### Can I use a number that's already on WhatsApp? Yes, in two ways. If it's a WhatsApp Business app number, Meta lets you connect it with coexistence through Embedded Signup and keep using the app, subject to Meta's requirements. Otherwise, including for a personal number, back up your chats, delete the WhatsApp account on the number, then register it. You can also use a new number you own. ### Do I need a website for the WhatsApp Business API? Yes, in practice. Meta asks for your website during verification and lists a site that fails to load, isn't HTTPS or links to an error page as a reason for rejection. Show your legal name, address and phone on it. ### Is business verification the same as the green tick? No. Business verification confirms that your business is real and gives you access to products such as the WhatsApp Business Platform. It doesn't give you a verified badge. The badge is a separate process with its own criteria. ### Can OmniChannels.ai guarantee approval? No one can, because Meta makes every decision on verification, display names and templates. What we do is check your documents and website before you submit, set up the portfolio and number with you, and help you fix the cause if Meta rejects anything.