How to Obtain Official Business Account Status
Important: Meta has temporarily suspended granting OBA status to company employees, test accounts, and phone numbers in the WhatsApp Business application.
An Official Business Account (OBA) is a business phone number belonging to a company that has been verified as an authentic and well-known brand according to established criteria.
For such numbers, a green checkmark appears next to the company name in the contact list.
A request for OBA status can be submitted through WhatsApp Manager or via the API.
After the request is reviewed, Facebook (part of Meta) will send a notification with the result.
If the request is rejected, a new request may be submitted no earlier than 30 days later.
Requirements for Obtaining OBA Status
To participate in the OBA program, the company must meet all of the following criteria:
- comply with the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy;
- be registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform for at least 30 days;
- represent a well-known brand or organization that is frequently mentioned in search results;
- have a verified business portfolio (Business Verification);
- have two-factor authentication enabled for the business phone number;
- have an approved display name for the business phone number.
Number Visibility Without OBA
Note: if a corporate phone number does not have OBA status, it will not appear in WhatsApp search results.
If a user adds the number to their contacts, the display name will appear in search results.
To improve visibility, it is recommended to apply for OBA status.
How Company “Notability” Is Evaluated
A company is considered notable if it represents a brand or organization with a strong public presence.
Notability is evaluated based on:
- mentions in high-audience online news publications.
The following sources are not considered:
- paid content;
- promotional publications;
- company directories and application listings.
OBA Status Characteristics
- OBA status is assigned at the level of the business phone number and display name.
- If the display name is changed after receiving OBA status, a new compliance review will be performed.
- Notability is evaluated specifically for the name specified in the business phone profile.
Requesting OBA Status via WhatsApp Manager
- On the business portfolio homepage, click the company name banner → the settings icon.
- Go to the «WhatsApp accounts» section and select the required account.
- Click «WhatsApp Manager» → open the «Phone numbers» section.
- Enable two-step verification for the phone number.
- In the «Official business account» section, click «Submit request».
- Complete the application form.
Supporting Materials
You may include up to 5 links to publications from authoritative sources (for example: Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Wikipedia, Business Insider) confirming the brand’s notability.
Additional fields (countries of operation, parent company, brand, primary language) help Meta more accurately evaluate whether the company meets OBA requirements.
Rejection of OBA Status
If the request is rejected, it means that at the time of review the account did not meet the OBA requirements.
Such decisions cannot be appealed.
It is recommended to:
- continue developing the company’s public presence;
- submit a new request after 30 days.
