Businesses looking to communicate with customers on WhatsApp or other Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) must first obtain Meta business verification. Verification is crucial for businesses that want to establish a strong online presence and engage more effectively with their audience on messaging channels like WhatsApp.
Why is business verification mandated by Meta?
Meta mandates business verification to prevent fraud, ensure platform security, and build consumer trust. It proves your organization is legally registered and authorized, which protects brands from impersonation.
Verification is required to access advanced features across the Meta ecosystem:
- WhatsApp Business API: Mandatory for businesses sending or scaling messages via the WhatsApp Business Platform.
- App Development: Needed to request advanced access for developer permissions and to submit apps to the Meta Horizon Store.
- Advertising & Billing: Required to scale ad campaigns, utilize certain ad formats, and manage developer or billing limits.
To complete the process, you must provide official documents proving your legal business entity (like incorporation certificates or tax documents) and prove you are authorized to represent it. You can manage this process through the Meta Business Suite.
Benefits of getting Meta business verification via Interakt
Interakt simplifies the business verification process for merchants without website. The process can be directly completed within the Interakt user interface. Benefits of getting your business verified by Meta via Interakt include:
- Brand protection: Verification protects your brand from being impersonated, ensuring customers are interacting with the legitimate business.
- Faster onboarding: Enjoy a faster onboarding process without going through traditional business verification methods.
- Increased messaging limits: Upgrade to higher messaging limits (up to 2000 messages per day) after business verification.
Prerequisites for Meta business verification
Before starting the Meta business verification process, you must have:
- An active website
- If you don’t have an active website, please use GST certificate for verification
There are two ways to get Meta business verification:
1. With Website – click here
2. Without Website
Step-by-step guide to business verification via Interakt [Without WEBSITE]
Follow this simple step-by-step process to get your business verified by Meta.
Step 1: Log in to the Interakt app and click on “Home” > “Connect your Number” in the left menu panel to start the process for Meta verification.
Step 2: Click on “Proceed with New Number” and you will see the option to “Verify using GST Certificate”
Step 3: Upload your GST Certificate verification and verify using OTP. Once done, click on “Connect Number” to complete verification.
Step 4: When you click on “Connect Number”, you’ll be redirected to Facebook to complete the embedded signup and connect your WhatsApp number.
After you’ve connected your WhatsApp number, you’ll see the option to verify your Meta business account on your homepage.
IMPORTANT POINTS
If you’re using your GST certificate for the verification process, ensure that the document complies with the following guidelines before you click “Connect Number”:
- The GST registration certificate must be in PDF, JPG, JPEG, or PNG format
- The GSTIN number should be active and mapped to the legal name on the GST certificate
- The address on the GST certificate must match with details provided during verification for Facebook.
If the details are missing or inaccurate, then Meta will reject your business from being verified.
Step 5: After submission, a decision on Meta account business verification can be made in 10 minutes or could extend to 14 business days. You’ll receive a notification when the review is complete.
You’ll see the text “Business Verified” if your business is verified.
What should you do if your Meta business verification fails?
Business verification can fail for various reasons:
- The business name does not match the name on the GST certificate.
- The document format or file type is different from what’s accepted by Meta
- The language on the document is unsupported
- The document is either not viewable, or expired, or doesn’t contain the legal business name
- The business address or phone number mentioned on the document doesn’t match the details provided
If Meta rejects your business verification, you’ll see “Rejected” next to business verification status.
If rejected, businesses can apply for re-verification by clicking “Re-verify”.
Note: Businesses are allowed three verification attempts. If a business hasn’t been verified after three attempts, it must raise an appeal to Meta and complete the verification. Learn more about raising an appeal.
