To use an official WhatsApp Business number with platforms such as Ruut, your business first needs to set up its business assets with Meta.

This guide walks you through creating a Meta Business Portfolio, setting up your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA), adding and verifying your business phone number, completing your business profile, and preparing your account for verification.

A WhatsApp Business Account, often shortened to WABA, is the Meta business asset used to manage phone numbers on the official WhatsApp Business Platform.

Note: A WhatsApp Business Account on Meta is different from the WhatsApp Business mobile app. The mobile app is designed primarily for managing conversations from a phone, while a WABA is used by the WhatsApp Business Platform and official API integrations.

WhatsApp's official onboarding guidance recommends setting up your account, completing business verification, understanding its policies and building a record of high-quality messaging as part of onboarding to the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Before you start

You should have:

A Facebook account that you control
Your business or brand name
Your company's legal name
A business email address
Your business address
A live business website
Your company registration information, where applicable
A phone number you want to use for WhatsApp
Access to receive an SMS or voice call on that phone number
Authority to manage Meta assets for your organisation

We recommend using a Facebook account belonging to a founder, owner, director or long-term administrator rather than an external contractor.

1. Create or open your Meta Business Portfolio

Go to Meta Business Suite and sign in with your Facebook account.

Open Meta Business Suite

A Business Portfolio is the Meta account used to organise your company's business assets.

It can contain assets such as:

WhatsApp Business Accounts
Facebook Pages
Instagram accounts
Advertising accounts
Meta apps
Other business assets

You may also see older documentation refer to a Business Portfolio as Meta Business Manager.

Already have a Business Portfolio?

If your organisation already has a Business Portfolio used to manage its Facebook Page, Instagram account or advertising, you should normally use that existing portfolio.

Avoid creating duplicate Business Portfolios for the same company unless you have a specific reason to do so.

Creating a new Business Portfolio

If your company doesn't already have one:

Sign in to Meta Business Suite.
Open the Business Portfolio selector.
Choose Create a business portfolio.
Enter your business name.
Enter your name.
Enter your business email address.
Submit the form.
Confirm your email address if Meta asks you to.

Use the real name of your organisation rather than a generic name such as "WhatsApp Business."

2. Complete your business information

Once your Business Portfolio has been created, open:

Meta Business Suite → Settings → Business info

You can also access Meta's Business Settings directly:

Open Meta Business Settings

Complete your business information as accurately as possible.

This may include:

Legal business name
Business address
Country
Business phone number
Website
Business email address

Where Meta asks for your legal business name, enter the name shown on your official registration documents.

For example, your customers may know your company as:

Acme

while your registered company name is:

Acme Technologies Limited

In that case, use Acme Technologies Limited where Meta specifically requests your legal business name.

Your customer-facing brand can still be used as your WhatsApp display name where it clearly represents your business.

3. Make sure your website is ready

Meta may use your website and other publicly available information when reviewing your business.

Before continuing, make sure your website:

Is publicly accessible
Uses HTTPS
Clearly displays your business or brand name
Explains what your company does
Contains valid contact information
Is consistent with the company being registered

If your brand name and legal company name are different, make the relationship reasonably clear.

For example:

Acme is operated by Acme Technologies Limited.

Avoid submitting a placeholder, unfinished or unrelated website.

4. Set up your WhatsApp Business Account

The next step is creating or selecting the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) belonging to your business.

Depending on the Meta interface available to your account, you may create or manage the WABA through WhatsApp Manager, Business Settings, or during WhatsApp Business Platform onboarding.

In Business Settings, look for:

Accounts → WhatsApp Accounts

If Meta allows you to add or create an account directly:

Select WhatsApp Accounts.
Click Add.
Choose the option to create a WhatsApp Business Account.
Enter the requested business information.
Complete the setup.

If you already have a WABA belonging to your company, use the existing account rather than creating a duplicate.

WhatsApp's official onboarding material identifies setting up the business account, business profile and phone number as part of onboarding to the WhatsApp Business Platform.

5. Open WhatsApp Manager

WhatsApp Manager is Meta's management interface for the WhatsApp Business Platform.

It is where you can manage items such as:

WhatsApp Business Accounts
Phone numbers
Business profiles
Display names
Message templates
Account quality
Messaging limits
Two-step verification

From Meta Business Suite or Business Settings, select your WhatsApp Business Account and open WhatsApp Manager.

6. Add your business phone number

Inside WhatsApp Manager, find the Phone numbers section and select the option to add a phone number.

Meta will ask for information about your business and the number you want to register.

Enter the phone number using its full international format.

For example, a Nigerian number should use:

+234...

rather than beginning with the local 0.

Your number needs to be accessible because Meta may verify ownership using an SMS or automated voice call.

7. Choose your WhatsApp display name

Your display name is the business name associated with your WhatsApp number.

Examples:

Ruut

Acme

Acme Technologies

Use a name that customers genuinely associate with your business.

Your display name should have a clear relationship with your:

Website
Brand
Company
Products or services
Public business identity

Avoid unnecessary promotional text or misleading names such as:

ACME OFFICIAL SUPPORT BEST PRICES ✅

or generic names such as:

Customer Support

WhatsApp's onboarding guidance states that your display name should be consistent with your external branding, such as your website and marketing material.

8. Complete your WhatsApp Business profile

Meta may ask you to provide additional information about the business.

Complete as much of the profile as possible.

This can include:

Business category

Choose the category that best represents what your organisation does.

Examples include:

Software
Retail
Education
Financial services
Professional services
Travel
Healthcare

Business description

Write a short and accurate description of what your company provides.

For example:

Acme provides inventory and payment software for retailers across Africa.

Website

Enter your official website.

Contact information

Where available, provide a business email address or customer-support contact.

WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy requires businesses to maintain accurate information and prohibits impersonating another business or misleading customers about the nature of the organisation.

Read the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy

9. Verify your phone number

Meta needs to confirm that you control the phone number being registered.

Depending on the number, Meta may offer:

SMS verification
Voice-call verification

Select the method you can access.

Meta will send or read a verification code. Enter that code into the verification screen to confirm ownership of the number.

Using a landline

If Meta offers voice-call verification, a landline can potentially receive the automated verification call.

Using an IVR

If the number normally answers with something like:

Press 1 for Sales.
Press 2 for Support.

the automated verification call may not reach you successfully.

Temporarily route incoming calls directly to someone who can hear the verification code.

10. If the number already uses WhatsApp

Be careful if the number is already registered with:

WhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp Business App
Another WhatsApp Business Platform provider

Do not delete an existing WhatsApp account simply because you want to use the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Meta has different onboarding and migration paths depending on how the number is currently being used.

For eligible WhatsApp Business App accounts, Meta also supports onboarding methods that allow the Business App and Business Platform to coexist.

If your number is already connected to another Business Platform provider, use the appropriate migration process rather than creating a completely unrelated WhatsApp account.

11. Set up two-step verification

Meta may require a six-digit PIN to protect registration of your WhatsApp business phone number.

If you are given the option, enable Two-step verification for the number.

Store this PIN somewhere secure.

Avoid using:

123456
Your phone number
Your company formation year
A PIN shared in public team channels

The PIN can become important when managing or migrating your WhatsApp number later.

12. Complete Meta Business Verification

Phone-number verification and Business Verification are not the same thing.

Phone verification confirms:

You control this phone number.

Business Verification confirms:

The Business Portfolio represents a real business or organisation.

WhatsApp includes business verification as part of its official onboarding journey for businesses preparing to scale on the WhatsApp Business Platform.

To check whether verification is available for your business, open:

Meta Business Suite → Settings → Security Center

Look for Business Verification or Start verification.

You may be asked for:

Country of registration
Legal company name
Registered address
Business phone number
Website
Business email
Company registration information

Follow the instructions shown by Meta.

13. Prepare your business documents

Meta may be able to verify some businesses automatically.

If it cannot, you may be asked to provide official documents.

Depending on your country and business type, these may include documents that demonstrate your:

Legal company name
Registered address
Registration number
Business phone number

Examples can include:

Certificate of incorporation
Business registration certificate
Government-issued business licence
Tax registration documents
Business bank statement
Utility or telephone bill issued to the business

Use the documents Meta specifically requests from you.

Most importantly, ensure the information is consistent.

For example, if your incorporation document says:

Acme Technologies Limited

but your Meta Business Portfolio says:

Acme Technology Ltd

correct the discrepancy before submitting your verification where possible.

14. Submit and monitor Business Verification

After providing the requested information, submit your application.

Return to:

Meta Business Suite → Settings → Security Center

to monitor the status.

Your status may appear as:

Not verified
Verification required
In review
Additional information required
Verified

If Meta requests additional information, follow the instructions displayed in Business Suite rather than creating another Business Portfolio.

15. Review your WhatsApp account

After setup, return to WhatsApp Manager and confirm that your business assets are correct.

Check:

WhatsApp Business Account
Business phone number
Display name
Business profile
Display-name status
Account quality
Two-step verification
Business Verification status where available

At this point, your Meta-side setup is ready for connection to a supported WhatsApp Business Platform integration.

Understand the different verification statuses

Several different Meta and WhatsApp statuses are often confused with one another.

Phone number verified

Meta has confirmed that your business controls the phone number.

Business verified

Meta has verified the organisation represented by your Business Portfolio.

Display name approved

WhatsApp has accepted the business display name associated with your phone number.

Official Business Account

An Official Business Account (OBA) is a separate WhatsApp status for eligible businesses.

Creating a WABA and completing Meta Business Verification does not automatically give your business an Official Business Account badge.

WhatsApp treats OBA status as a separate step businesses may consider as they scale their presence on the platform.

You do not need an OBA badge simply to use an official WhatsApp Business Platform number.

Keep your account compliant

Setting up a WABA gives your business access to the official WhatsApp Business Platform, but businesses must continue following WhatsApp's policies.

WhatsApp requires businesses to maintain accurate profile information and obtain appropriate customer consent before proactively messaging people. It can restrict access when businesses receive significant negative feedback or violate its policies.

Before sending business messages, review:

WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy

WhatsApp Business Platform Onboarding Guide