A business should sign up with the phone number and display name they want to use with the WhatsApp Business Platform. We strongly discourage signing up with a test or personal phone number or test display name as these will be difficult to change afterward.

Once the original display name has been reviewed, a business can change its display name in the Business Manager. Then, they have to go through the display name review once again.

Phone number guidelines

• Phone number used for existing WhatsApp account: A business cannot sign up with a phone number that has already been registered for use with WhatsApp Messenger or the WhatsApp Business App. To use such a phone number, you must first delete the WhatsApp account associated with that phone number to use it for a new business account.

• Toll-free numbers or numbers under IVR: Businesses cannot currently sign up with IVR or toll-free numbers through the flow as they not be able to verify the phone number.

• ISV, SI, and third-party: If you onboard or integrate over an independent software vendor (ISV), system integrator (SI), or a third-party business, each ISV/SI/third-party business must go through the WhatsApp ISV approval process. If approved, ISV/SI/third-party business needs to sign and comply with WhatsApp terms.

• Organizations with government affiliation: If your organization has a government affiliation, you need additional approval from WhatsApp.

• The number must be active during the verification process. You will receive either an SMS or a voice call for authentication and verification purposes.

• You cannot use short codes.

Display name guidelines

• Must be in accordance with WhatsApp Commerce and Business policies

• Accurate representation of your business

  • The display name must represent a business or its service, product, or department

  • A test/demo account must maintain an association with the business

  • A display name should not be:

    • An individual’s full name

    • A generic term (e.g., Catering)

    • A generic geographic location (e.g., Cape Town)

    • A slogan or a long description

• Consistent with external branding

• Clear relationship with your business

  • It must be referred to on the business's website or external media references.

• Correct formatting

  • No variations on title capitalization, must have grammatically correct capitalization, and must not include all capitals except for acronyms

  • No variations with spacing

  • No extra punctuation

  • No emojis

  • No character symbols

  • Minimum of 3 characters

  • Not in URL format

If you have a verified sender, your display name is visible to the end-user. If not verified, the end-user can view your display name only in the contact information section of WhatsApp.

Please reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.