Overview

A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) enables businesses to leverage the WhatsApp Business Platform to engage directly with their customers. Businesses can set up a verified profile and manage conversations with clients more effectively. Depending on their notability and verification status, businesses can qualify for a Business Account or an Official Business Account (OBA).

Core Functionalities

Types of WhatsApp Business Accounts

There are two types of WhatsApp Business Accounts:

Type	Description
Business Account	- Default account type for all businesses using WhatsApp Business Platform or WhatsApp Business App. - Name visible if Business Verification is complete. -Verified by WhatsApp as an authentic, notable brand.
Official Business Account (OBA)	- Displayed with a green checkmark badge in the profile and chat thread headers.

WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)

• Display Name Visibility: The display name appears only in the contacts view in smaller text. Other views show the phone number.

• Enhanced Business Information: Businesses can provide details such as:

• Business Website URL

• Address

• Operating hours

Official Business Account (OBA)

• Green Checkmark Badge: OBA status is granted to verified, authentic and notable businesses, allowing the display of a green checkmark badge beside the business name.

• Enhanced Trust: Customers can trust and recognize the verified business more easily.

Criteria to Apply for an Official Business Account (OBA)

To apply for an OBA, businesses must meet Meta’s specific criteria, which differ from other platform policies. In addition to following WhatsApp's Commerce and Business Policies, businesses need to be:

Eligibility Requirements:

1. Notable Business: The brand must be well-known and frequently searched.

2. Facebook Business Manager Verification (FBMA): Business verification through Facebook Business Manager is mandatory.

3. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Must be enabled to ensure security.

4. Supporting Links: To show that the business is notable which helps us determine notability, submit 5 supporting links from reputable sources such as:

• India Today

• Economic Times

• Wall Street Journal

• Reuters

• Wikipedia

• Business Insider

5. Fields like Country(s) of operation, parent brand (if well-known), and Primary language help us assess your brand's eligibility for OBA.

6. Once Meta reviews your request, we’ll inform you of the OBA status. If rejected, you can reapply after 30 days.

Note: OBA is not granted to business employees, test accounts, or Business App accounts.

Understanding Notability

Key Considerations:

• A business must represent a well-known, frequently searched brand, but this does not imply authenticity.

• Notability signifies a strong presence in online news articles. Notability is assessed based on an account’s presence in news articles from publications with sizable audiences.

• Meta excludes paid or promotional content, including business or app listings, from review sources.

• OBA are linked to the phone number and display name level.

• Meta assesses the notability of a business account’s display name for OBA status. If changed after receiving the OBA status, re-assessment is required for notability and compliance.

• If your WABA has a parent brand with a notable phone number, update child brand display names as '{{sub-brand name}} by {{notable name}}'.

Note: OBA approvals in a WABA do not guarantee automatic approvals for other phone numbers with different display names associated with the account.

Denied Requests and Re-Application

If your OBA request is denied:

• Reapply after 30 days. Meta allows businesses to submit a new request after 30 days.

• Maintain Business Profile: Continue updating your business profile with relevant information such as:

• Profile picture

• Email address

• Website URL

• Business description

Note: Meta does not grant OBA status to business employees, test accounts, or WhatsApp Business App accounts.

How to Apply for an Official Business Account (OBA)?

To apply for an Official Business Account:

1. Verify Business in FBMA: Complete Facebook Business Manager verification.

2. Enable 2FA: Set up two-factor authentication for the account.

3. Follow Display Name Guidelines: Ensure that the WhatsApp display name matches the name with the external branding.

4. The WhatsApp display name should match with the name mentioned on the website & on articles provided.

5. You have started live production traffic for at least 30 days.

6. Your business number was not flagged in the recent past due to poor quality messaging.
   
   

Official WABA Request Form

When applying, provide the following information:

Note: Along with the WABA ID of the account which is shared by Karix team at the time of integration, all details should be submitted to provisioning@karix.com with a cc to:

• kalyani.patil@karix.com

• neha.walia@karix.com

• sahil.khatri@karix.com

• jasleen.chawla@karix.com

• karan.malhotra@karix.com

• nimit.a@meritto.com
  

Reference article from Meta on OBA Request: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/overview/business-accounts/

Conclusion

A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) offers seamless communication with customers, while an Official Business Account (OBA) provides a verified status that enhances brand trust and security. By ensuring compliance with Meta’s verification guidelines, businesses can strengthen their digital presence and improve customer engagement. If you are seeking to apply for OBA status, you should follow the required steps and maintain consistent brand identity across platforms.