Obtaining the green checkmark badge
WABA has a number of attractive advantages for businesses, and one of them is the displayed business name along with the green verification tag. What does it provide?
Confirmation of recognition. The customer understands that he or she is dealing with a respected and well-known brand.
Confidence from customers. Official Business Account status implies a thorough verification of the company by Meta.
More confidence that the number won't be blocked because of user complaints.
The difference between a business account and an official business account (OBA)
It is easy to confuse the two concepts because of the similar name. A verified account is also official in nature, but the term OBA refers to companies that meet certain, specific criteria. OBA is marked with a green checkmark next to the name of the business.
"Usual" business account (non-OBA)
In the dialogs list, such business account will be visible as a phone number (if it is not saved in the phonebook on the client's device). But the name of the business is displayed in contact view above the number, as in the screenshot below:
Official Business Account (OBA)
Unlike a "regular" business account, an official business account will get a green check mark on its profile and the company name will appear in the chat list, chat screens and contact view instead of the phone number, even if the user has not added the company to his address book:
Who can get the OBA checkmark?
In order to receive an OBA tag, a company must meet a number of requirements:
Compliance with WhatsApp commercial and business policies (links);
Pass the Displayed Business name verification in WABA;
Obtain verified business account status — be verified by Meta Business. This will be required in any case, even if your company is fairly well-known;
Your Meta Business account must be protected by two-factor authentication;
A certain trust rating for the number (we'll cover this in a separate article);
A recognized, visible brand that is mentioned in media and searched online. Paid articles or resource directories will not be considered as criteria;
OBA approval does not mean that other phone numbers and brand names associated with the parent will also be approved. For such cases, we recommend to show such connection in the name of the business, such as "[NewBrandName] by [ParentBrandName]".
What if application request was denied?
If your request is rejected, it means that Meta staff did not find evidence of the notoriety and recognition of your business. Unfortunately, it is currently impossible to appeal such decisions. In this case, you might develop your media presence and reapply after 30 days.
Preliminary steps
Business verification
Your business must go through a verification procedure - Meta determines how "real" and trustworthy you are.
Connection to the WhatsApp Business API
Refer to our Onboarding process description.
Displayed Business name confirmation
This is a displayed company name that is visible to the customer—even if your company number is not listed in his phonebook. There are a number of requirements for the name, and this is an important point, because there have been precedents when a business was not given the green check mark because of violations of the business name requirements.
Please note: when your number receives OBA status, it is tied to the business' display name. Meta looks at the business name in terms of recognition. If you change it after OBA status is approved, the approval process will need to go through again. This name must be consistent with what your business is known by in the media, so if required, we recommend correcting it in advance — otherwise you may need to make an additional appeal to Meta.
Two-factor authentication in Meta Business Account
Refer to Security Center at Meta Business Manager
OBA aplication process
You can make a request directly from the WhatsApp Manager. Go to your Meta Business Account settings → 'WhatsApp Accounts" → Select account → click 'Settings' tab and then WhatsApp Manager button.
Select a phone number:
And fill out all needed information:
Click Submit Request and fill out the required information.
You can provide up to five supporting links to prove that your business is known. Choose them carefully, because if your request is rejected, you will not be able to submit another one for up to 30 days.
Please keep in mind important these requirements to increase your chances of approval before submitting your request:
Clear information on your site (about products and services, mention of your display name).
Good traffic to your site will play a positive role;
Your display name must match your website;
Have at least 3 links to outside media from newspapers, magazines, etc. Do not use links from your own website;
It will be telling if a search engine returns not only the website address but also articles on third-party resources when asked about the company;
Having a popular Facebook page can help you prove the popularity of your business.
Last updated
