How to get the WhatsApp Business API in India, step by step
Six steps from a Meta Business portfolio to your first approved template. The only step you do not control is Meta's business verification, and it is the one that sets your date.
What you need before you start
- A Meta Business portfolio. The WhatsApp Business Account, the number and the verification all hang off it. If you already run Facebook ads, you probably have one.
- Business verification documents. Meta asks for proof that the business exists and that you are allowed to act for it — registration documents and a matching address.
- A number that can receive an SMS or a voice call. The one-time code arrives there, so a number that cannot receive either is a dead end.
- A display name that matches your legal entity. Meta checks the name on the number against the business it verified, so keep the two the same.
The six steps
- Create or claim your Meta Business portfolio. Everything else is created inside it: the WhatsApp Business Account, the phone number, the verification.
- Add the phone number. It has to receive the one-time code — by SMS or a voice call.
- Set the display name to match your legal entity. This is the name customers see, and it is reviewed.
- Submit business verification. Meta reviews the documents. Its stated turnaround is up to 14 business days.
- Connect the Cloud API and submit your first template. Template review is separate from business verification and runs on its own queue.
- Send your first production campaign on the verified number, once the template is approved.
Do I need a new number?
It depends on one setting, and you should know which branch you are in before you sign up — a number can only be registered to one WhatsApp product at a time.
- If coexistence is enabled on your account, you can connect the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app. There is a 24-hour window after onboarding to sync contacts and chat history; that sync runs once, and group chats do not come across.
- If it is not, the number must be removed from the WhatsApp Business app first. It cannot sit in both products.
Tell us which applies before you start. It is the one step in onboarding that is hard to undo.
How long it takes
| Step | Time | Whose queue |
|---|---|---|
| Signup and number connection | Minutes | You, in Embedded Signup |
| Test number and first flow built | Minutes | You |
| First template submitted | Same day | You submit it, Meta approves it |
| Business verification | Up to 14 business days | Meta, on your documents |
| First production campaign | After verification | You |
Template review and business verification are Meta's queues, not ours. We can tell you what makes a rejection likely before you submit; we cannot compress the review.
Verification is not the green tick
Meta Business Verification is required, free and document-based: without it you cannot send at scale. The green tick — officially the Official Business Account badge, shown as a blue checkmark — is a separate, optional application. Passing verification does not grant it. The green tick guide sets out the five requirements and what the badge does and does not change.
What it costs to get connected
Connecting a number to the Cloud API carries no licence fee. What you pay is per delivered message to Meta, and the platform fee to us — both shown on WhatsApp API pricing in India. If you want the long answer to what "free" means here, Is the WhatsApp API free? answers it in detail.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a new phone number for the WhatsApp Business API?
Not necessarily. Where coexistence is available the number already in the WhatsApp Business app can be connected; where it is not, the number has to leave the Business app first, because it cannot be registered to both products at once.
How long does Meta business verification take?
Meta's own stated turnaround is up to 14 business days. Template review runs on a separate queue, so a template can be approved before verification clears.
Can I test the API before verification?
Yes. A test number can message up to 5 recipients you verify, with no payment method and no business verification. It cannot be promoted to production, and templates approved on it must be resubmitted on the live number.
Does business verification get me the green tick?
No. Business verification is required, free and document-based; the badge is the Official Business Account, applied for separately, and the number must have been on the platform for at least 30 days.
Based on Meta's published Cloud API and business-verification documentation, checked 27 October 2026. Meta changes these steps; verify before you plan around them.