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An Official Business Account (OBA) is a WhatsApp Business Platform phone number whose business identity Meta has recognized through the OBA review. Approved numbers display a blue checkmark next to their name in supported WhatsApp views.
Meta example highlighting the blue badge in the chat header and business profile.

The highlighted badges show OBA placement in Meta's example. They do not establish the status of your own number.

Source: Meta official example.

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Check the current OBA requirements

Meta’s current Platform OBA documentation lists these prerequisites:
  • The business complies with the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.
  • The business has used the WhatsApp Business Platform for at least 30 days.
  • The business portfolio owning the number has completed business verification.
  • Two-step verification is enabled for the business phone number.
  • The number’s display name is approved.
Check the actual number you want approved. Verification or OBA status on a different number does not establish this number’s eligibility. Meta does not grant OBA status to employee accounts, test accounts, or phone numbers using only the WhatsApp Business app. Do not confuse that app-only exclusion with an eligibility promise for every coexistence connection; follow the options Meta exposes for the connected number.
Older guides emphasize brand notability and press coverage. Meta’s current Platform OBA page lists the prerequisites above without that older checklist. If your application asks for brand information or other evidence, provide it truthfully. The absence of a requirement on the documentation page is not a guarantee of approval or proof that Meta will never request additional information.
Current reference: Meta’s Official Business Accounts documentation, checked September 6, 2026.

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Apply in WhatsApp Manager

Before opening the request, prepare the intended phone number, WABA ID, approved display name, legal business information, and official website.
1

Choose the number

Open WhatsApp Manager, go to Overview, and select the business phone number. Confirm the WABA and number before changing anything.
2

Check the prerequisites

Confirm business verification, approved display name, and the Platform-use requirement. Enable Two-step verification for the number if needed. The registration PIN is different from an SMS verification code and from your Facebook login’s two-factor authentication.
3

Open the OBA request

Go to the number’s Profile. In Official business account, select Submit Request when available.
4

Provide the requested information

Complete the current form using the same business and brand identity as the number. Supply any additional evidence requested by Meta. Do not invent coverage, use another brand’s evidence, or submit inconsistent business names.
5

Track the request

Review the status for this number in WhatsApp Manager. Keep the submission date and any decision or follow-up request.
Meta also documents an API route, but that is a Meta interface, not evidence of a matching YCloud API operation. The Manager workflow above does not require you to build that integration.

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If you cannot submit

Meta WhatsApp Manager example with Two-step verification outlined and Submit request disabled.

Meta illustrates a disabled request because two-step verification is missing. Resolve the prerequisite; this is not a successful submission.

Source: Meta official example. Do not delete the number, create a duplicate WABA, or change providers merely to make an application button appear.

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After approval or rejection

If approved: verify the status on the intended number and keep the profile consistent with the approved identity. Assess any future display-name or ownership change before applying it; do not assume official status transfers with a new brand. If rejected: Meta currently allows a new request after 30 days. Review the decision and correct the missing or inconsistent information. Repeated identical submissions are not a substitute for addressing the reason. An OBA rejection does not by itself mean the account is banned. The ordinary business profile can still be maintained, and messaging availability must be checked separately.

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What the badge does not do

OBA does not replace consent, approve templates, remove messaging limits, guarantee delivery, or exempt your business from policy enforcement. It also does not automatically grant a badge to the other numbers in the same WABA. If your issue is failed sending or an account restriction, use Quality and delivery controls or Account restrictions and appeals, not the OBA application flow.

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Frequently asked questions

Do not treat a payment or provider promise as a Meta approval. Ask which program is being offered: Platform OBA or a separate Meta Verified subscription. For OBA, check the actual number’s status in WhatsApp Manager. A provider’s assistance fee, if any, does not override Meta’s review.
No. Check and, where eligible, apply for each intended business phone number. A WABA containing an OBA number is not itself a badge that automatically covers every sender.
An OBA rejection and a messaging restriction are different decisions. Read the number and account status separately. Continue only with permitted messaging on an unrestricted connection; use the OBA reapplication guidance above for the badge decision, not the account-appeal route unless Meta also imposed a restriction.