Sooner or later every business on WhatsApp asks how to get the "green tick". The badge still exists, but it isn't green any more: WhatsApp now shows a blue checkmark next to verified businesses. There are two separate ways to get one, depending on whether you use the WhatsApp Business app or the WhatsApp Business API. This guide covers both, what Meta asks for, what it costs and why requests get turned down.
The short answer
- The "green tick" is now a blue badge. Meta calls it a verified badge. It shows on your business profile, in chats, in the Calls tab and on your channel.
- On the WhatsApp Business app, you subscribe to Meta Verified. Open Tools → Meta Verified, pick a plan and apply. Meta reviews it in up to three business days, and paying doesn't guarantee the badge.
- On the WhatsApp Business API, you request an Official Business Account. You need a verified business portfolio, 30 days on the platform, an approved display name and two-step verification, and Meta expects a notable brand.
- Nobody can sell you a guaranteed tick. On both routes, Meta makes the decision.
What does the verified badge look like now?
It's a blue checkmark beside your business name. WhatsApp's help pages also call it the blue tick. On a Meta Verified account, it can appear on your profile, in chats, on calls and on your channel. On the API, an Official Business Account has a blue checkmark beside its name in the contacts view, and only these numbers appear when people search WhatsApp for a business they haven't saved.
If your business already had a verified badge from before, WhatsApp says you keep it.
Which route applies to you?
| Meta Verified | Official Business Account | |
|---|---|---|
| For | Numbers on the WhatsApp Business app | Numbers on the WhatsApp Business API |
| Where you apply | WhatsApp Business app → Tools → Meta Verified | WhatsApp Manager → your phone number → Profile → Official business account |
| Cost | Monthly subscription | Meta doesn't publish a fee |
| Main test | Meta can confirm your business, and its name matches your WhatsApp profile name | Meta considers your business notable |
| Review time | Up to three business days, sometimes longer | Not published |
| If it fails | Your payment is refunded if Meta can't verify you | Wait 30 days before applying again |
Meta's documentation says Official Business Accounts aren't granted to WhatsApp Business app numbers, test accounts or employees of a business. If you're not sure which one you use, see WhatsApp Business app vs API.
How do I get Meta Verified on the WhatsApp Business app?
Who's eligible. WhatsApp lists these requirements: you're at least 18, your phone number is in a country where Meta Verified is available, your account has been on the WhatsApp Business app for a certain number of days and has sent a message recently, and it has a profile name and profile picture. India was among the first countries where Meta rolled it out, in 2024. It isn't offered to government and political organisations.
Step by step:
- Get your profile right first. Your profile name should match the business name on your documents, and changing it after you subscribe can cancel the subscription.
- In the app, go to Chats → Tools → Meta Verified and tap Continue. No Meta Verified option means it isn't available to you yet.
- Choose the plan Meta recommends for you, and the accounts to verify. You can bundle your Facebook Page and Instagram account in the same subscription.
- Pay. Meta refunds the payment if it can't verify your business.
- Select your business record and a verification method, then submit your details. You may be asked for a government-issued photo ID.
- Wait for the review. It can take up to three business days. Once approved, the blue tick appears on your profile.
What it costs. Meta's plans page listed four plans when we checked on 20 October 2026: Business Standard at USD 14.99 a month, Business Plus at USD 49.99, Business Premium at USD 149.99 and Business Max at USD 499.99, per WhatsApp number. Every plan includes the badge, impersonation protection and support; higher plans add verified channels, linked devices and protected accounts. Meta says plans and prices vary by region and activity, so check the price shown in your app.
Keep the profile stable. Once you have the badge, editing your business profile information can remove it, and you'd need to subscribe again.
How do I get the blue tick on the WhatsApp Business API?
Here the badge comes with Official Business Account status. Meta's documentation lists five requirements:
- Your business follows the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.
- It has been registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform for at least 30 days.
- The business portfolio that owns the number has passed Business Verification.
- Two-step verification is turned on for the number.
- The number's display name has been approved.
On top of that, Meta's display name Help Centre article says the business must be considered notable, meaning a well-known business with a substantial presence in news articles from publications with sizeable audiences.
Step by step:
- Verify your business portfolio in Meta Business Suite → Security Centre → Start verification. Enter your legal details and an HTTPS website exactly as registered. A decision can take up to 14 working days, and this step alone doesn't give you a badge.
- Get your display name approved. Meta reviews it against its display name guidelines once your number becomes eligible for higher messaging limits.
- Turn on two-step verification for the number in WhatsApp Manager.
- Wait until the number has been on the platform for 30 days.
- Submit the request. In WhatsApp Manager, open Overview, click your phone number, and under Profile → Official business account click Submit Request. Meta notifies you of the decision.
If you meet every requirement but don't see the option, Meta suggests asking your solution provider's support or Meta Support whether you're eligible. After approval, a display name change needs Meta's direct support.
Why do verification requests get rejected?
- The business isn't notable enough. For an Official Business Account, being a real, verified business is not the same as being widely covered in the news.
- A basic requirement is missing: an unverified portfolio, a display name not yet approved, two-step verification switched off, or fewer than 30 days on the platform.
- The names don't match. For Meta Verified, the business name on your documents must match your WhatsApp profile name.
- Meta couldn't confirm your link to the business, or your business didn't appear in its records. WhatsApp suggests newly registered businesses try again after 4 weeks.
- The profile changed after you applied, or the ID photo was blurry, dark or cropped.
- The account breaks WhatsApp's policies. Both routes require compliance with the Business Messaging Policy.
A rejected Official Business Account request means waiting 30 days before you apply again, so reapply only once something has actually changed.
What improves your chances?
- A verified business portfolio with details that exactly match your legal registration, and a working HTTPS website.
- An approved display name that matches the brand on your website and signage.
- Real press coverage. Meta's bar is news articles in publications with large audiences. Your own website, social posts and directory listings don't show that.
- A complete, stable business profile: logo, description, website and email, kept consistent with your other Meta accounts.
- Clean messaging. Message people who opted in, so your quality rating stays healthy.
Do you need the badge to use WhatsApp for business?
No. You can send campaigns, run an inbox and automate replies without one, and an approved display name can already show at the top of chats. The badge mainly helps new customers trust they're talking to the real business, and on the API, it makes your number searchable.
Where Mywa fits
Mywa connects your number to Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform through Embedded Signup (see how to connect your number). Your number stays in your own WhatsApp Business Account, so you can request Official Business Account status yourself in WhatsApp Manager once you meet Meta's requirements. Mywa can't get you a badge, and neither can any other provider: Meta decides.
What Mywa does is everything around it: a shared team inbox, campaigns, no-code automation and template approval from one place. It's ₹999 a month with every feature, and Meta's message charges are billed to your own account with no markup. See Mywa pricing.
Sources: Meta: Official Business Accounts · WhatsApp Help Centre: How to subscribe to Meta Verified · Meta Verified plans and pricing · Meta: About WhatsApp Business display name · Meta: Verifying your business. Checked 20 October 2026.