WhatsApp Display Name and Phone Number

Before registering for the WhatsApp Business Platform, select a display name and phone number that meet Meta's requirements.

Display-name requirements

Your display name must:

Comply with the WhatsApp Commerce Policy and Business Policy.
Accurately represent the business.
Match the business's external branding.
Have a clear relationship with the business.
Follow Meta's display-name formatting guidelines.

Principle	Requirements and examples
Policy compliance	The name must comply with the WhatsApp Commerce and Business policies. Only compliant divisions within a company may have a WhatsApp business account. For a store that sells wine glasses: Accepted: ABC Wine Glasses Not accepted: ABC Wine
Accurate business representation	The name may represent a business or its service, product, or department. A test or demo account must remain associated with the business, for example, Fresh Produce Test. The name must not be: An individual's full name A generic term, such as Fashion A generic location, such as New York A slogan or long description An organization affiliated with a government requires approval from the WhatsApp team.
Consistency with external branding	The name must match branding on external sources, such as the company's website or marketing materials. For a product line branded as “Fresh Produce Cold Pressed Juices”: Accepted: Fresh Produce Cold Pressed Juices Not accepted: Fresh Produce Juices—the name omits “Cold Pressed.” Not accepted: FP Cold Pressed Juices—the abbreviation does not match the external branding.
Clear relationship with the business	The company's website or other external media must demonstrate the relationship between the display name and the business. Accepted: A charity name listed on a nonprofit organization's website Not accepted: A charity name that does not appear on an external website If the relationship is not obvious, use “by [company name].” Not accepted: Fruit Snacks, when Fresh Produce owns the brand but the relationship is not published externally Accepted: Fruit Snacks by Fresh Produce For an agency, distributor, partner, parent company, or similar relationship, both parties' websites must clearly show the relationship. For example, if Global Voyager registers the display name Commercial Air, both websites must state that Commercial Air is a subsidiary of Global Voyager.
Correct formatting	Follow Meta's display-name formatting guidelines.

WhatsApp phone-number requirements

The business phone number must:

Be owned by your business.
Include a country code and area code, where applicable.
Be able to receive a voice call or SMS.
Not be a short code.
Not have been used previously with the WhatsApp Business Platform.

Previously registered numbers

To use a phone number that is already registered with WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business App, contact Unifonic Support.

After registering the number with the WhatsApp Business Platform, you can continue using it for regular calls and messages.

Mobile numbers

Meta sends the one-time password (OTP) by SMS. During the activation meeting, keep the active mobile number available so that you can receive the OTP.

Landline numbers

Meta sends the OTP through an automated voice call. Keep the active landline available during the activation meeting. If the number uses an interactive voice response (IVR) system, disable the IVR during the meeting.

1-800 and toll-free numbers

Meta sends the OTP through an automated voice call from an international number. Before the activation meeting:

Confirm that the toll-free number can receive international calls. Service providers may disable international calls for toll-free numbers by default.
Disable any IVR system connected to the number.
Keep the active number available to receive the OTP call.

Numbers behind an IVR system

Obtain the 1 or 2 phone numbers that WhatsApp will use for the registration call.
Add those phone numbers to an allowlist.
If you cannot create an allowlist, add your phone number to the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). Then open a Direct Support ticket requesting the registration-call phone numbers, and include the phone number you are registering.
Redirect the registration call to an employee or mailbox that can capture the registration code.

Phone numbers behind an IVR system are not supported if they cannot receive registration calls.

Phone-number limits

Meta limits a Business Manager account to 20 phone numbers across all of its WABAs. Legacy businesses and Official Business Accounts are exempt. Meta may apply a lower limit to businesses with low message quality or engagement.

To request more than 20 phone numbers:

In Direct Support, go to Ask a Question > WABiz: Account & WABA > Request type > Increase Phone Number Limits.
Explain why you need a higher phone-number limit.
Submit the request.

If you cannot access Direct Support, contact Unifonic Support.