Applying for a WhatsApp Official Business Account
WhatsApp Green Badge
The Green Badge next to the contact's name confirms that this is an authentic and verified business account. In this guide, we are going to walk you through the steps to get the verified Green Badge for your Business Account on WhatsApp. You can apply for the Green Tick after you get the approval from WhatsApp for the Installed Business APIs.
To start this process, you need to complete the verification process for your business account on your Facebook Business Manager to set up your WhatsApp Business API account. Doing this verification process does not guarantee that your business account will be a verified green badge business account. WhatsApp is always on the verge of enhancing its reliability for customers who are communicating with various Businesses through the WhatsApp channel.
Types of WhatsApp Business Accounts
There are two types of WhatsApp Business Accounts:
• Business Account
By default, any account using the WhatsApp Business App or API is a business account. A Business Account will not have a green badge next to the name of the business.
• Official Business Account
An OBA (Official Business Account) will be displayed with a green badge next to the name of the business confirming that WhatsApp has authenticated and verified the business account. The contact details of the OBA can be viewed even if the user has not saved them. This is a purely a merit-based authentication system; businesses cannot pay WhatsApp to get an OBA green badge.
How to verify a WhatsApp Business Account
The WhatsApp team first looks at the brand popularity among other factors when granting the Official Business Account (OBA) status to any business. The business must be a well-known entity, and it must be often searched brand on the internet. They review accounts that are featured in multiple sources, and they don't consider paid or promotional content as sources for the OBA review process.
What are the pointers to keep in mind when applying for the Green badge
• Official Business account (OBA) status is about a trust factor. They decide whether the brand is "reputable" enough to potentially attract fraudsters, so the brand's customers require an authenticating factor indicating that the business is ideally who they say they are.
• WhatsApp uses an objective set of criteria based on a number of factors when granting the OBA. WhatsApp does not disclose these criteria, as some brands may try to get the upper hand in the verification process.
• OBA is not a prerequisite for a brand to build their presence and engage with customers on WhatsApp. Many businesses are flourishing without the OBA status and have high usage and engagement with their customers. Click her for more details
• WhatsApp uses an objective set of criteria based on a number of factors when granting the OBA. WhatsApp does not disclose these criteria, as some brands may try to get the upper hand in the verification process.
• OBA is not a prerequisite for a brand to build their presence and engage with customers on WhatsApp. Many businesses are flourishing without the OBA status and have high usage and engagement with their customers. Click her for more details
Best Practices that the non-OBA businesses can use to build trust with their customers:
• You can ask users to save your number in their address book when they receive the first notification (preferably send this as soon as you collect their opt-in information to receive notifications).
• If it's primarily a chat bot use case, ask users to save the WhatsApp phone number in their address book when promoting the number through websites or other brand channels.
Note: The green tick or the Official Business Account (OBA) is a policy decision made by the WhatsApp Trust and Safety team and not something that can be influenced.
• If it's primarily a chat bot use case, ask users to save the WhatsApp phone number in their address book when promoting the number through websites or other brand channels.
Note: The green tick or the Official Business Account (OBA) is a policy decision made by the WhatsApp Trust and Safety team and not something that can be influenced.
What is the eligibility criteria to get a Green Badge
• You must have your business integrated with the WhatsApp Business APIs.
• Your Business Account must complete the verification process on the Facebook Business Manager Page.
• WhatsApp allots the green verified badge to only reputed brands.
• You should be in the tier 2 or above messaging level, as per Facebook standards.
• You must have enabled the 2-step Authentication.
• Your Business Account must complete the verification process on the Facebook Business Manager Page.
• WhatsApp allots the green verified badge to only reputed brands.
• You should be in the tier 2 or above messaging level, as per Facebook standards.
• You must have enabled the 2-step Authentication.
If your business is dealing with the below-mentioned products or services, then you will not be eligible to integrate your business with WhatsApp Business API. This means you will not be eligible to apply for the green tick on WhatsApp.
• Tobacco Items
• Drugs
• Gambling Businesses
• Alcoholic Products
• Adult Product or Services
• Medical and Healthcare Products
• Cryptocurrencies
• Dating Services
• Live Animals
• Weapons and Ammunition Product
Steps to apply for an Official Business Account
To apply for the OBA, you first need to have your business integrated with WhatsApp Business API. Once it is done, you can request verification from the Facebook Business Manager by following the steps below:
1. Log in to your Facebook Business Manager account.
2. Go to Business Settings > Accounts > WhatsApp Accounts. A list of accounts associated with your business is displayed.
3. Select the account that you wish to request verification for.
4. Select Settings, and then click Contact Support.
5. Click Ask a question on the top-right corner, then select WABiz: Request official business account status.
1. Log in to your Facebook Business Manager account.
2. Go to Business Settings > Accounts > WhatsApp Accounts. A list of accounts associated with your business is displayed.
3. Select the account that you wish to request verification for.
4. Select Settings, and then click Contact Support.
5. Click Ask a question on the top-right corner, then select WABiz: Request official business account status.
Note: Make sure you have two-factor authentication set up before you proceed to request an OBA.
6. Enter the required information. You can track the status of your request under Direct Support in your Facebook Business Manager account.
6. Enter the required information. You can track the status of your request under Direct Support in your Facebook Business Manager account.
How long does WhatsApp take to approve the Green Tick Application?
Normally, it takes about 1-2 days for WhatsApp to make a decision. However, in some rare cases, it may take up to 7 days. WhatsApp is very selective about who gets the green badge, and it is mostly the reputed brands that are even eligible to apply for the green tick. Please refer here for the details on why WhatsApp may reject your application.
What are the Phone Number Tiers and Messaging Limits?
The phone number of your WhatsApp Business API account will determine your messaging limits - the number of contacts an account can message in a 24-hour period.
A business-initiated conversation starts when the first message is delivered to your customer and ends in 24 hours.
A business-initiated conversation starts when the first message is delivered to your customer and ends in 24 hours.
There are four tiers for a WhatsApp Business Account's phone number
Tier 1: Send 1000 business-initiated conversations to individual customers over a rolling 24-hour period.
Tier 2: Send 10000 business-initiated conversations to individual customers over a rolling 24-hour period.
Tier 3: Send 100000 business-initiated conversations to individual customers over a rolling 24-hour period.
Tier 4: Send unlimited business-initiated conversations over a rolling 24-hour period.
Tier 1: Send 1000 business-initiated conversations to individual customers over a rolling 24-hour period.
Tier 2: Send 10000 business-initiated conversations to individual customers over a rolling 24-hour period.
Tier 3: Send 100000 business-initiated conversations to individual customers over a rolling 24-hour period.
Tier 4: Send unlimited business-initiated conversations over a rolling 24-hour period.
Is there any cost involved in getting the WhatsApp Verified Account?
No, It's free. WhatsApp doesn't charge any additional amount for offering an Official Business Account(OBA). WhatsApp's criteria for OBA are based on several factors and are different from policies on other platforms.