> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) Setup
> Full step-by-step for getting a verified WABA connected to Orbit — from Meta Business Manager to your first approved template.
# WhatsApp Business Account Setup
This is the complete end-to-end onboarding path for standing up a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) on Orbit. Plan \~3–7 business days total if your documents are in order, longer if Meta requests changes.
## At a glance
1. Verify your business on **Meta Business Manager**
2. Choose a number (new vs. migrating an existing one)
3. Connect through Orbit's embedded sign-up flow
4. Set your public display name + profile
5. Submit display-name + at least one template for approval
6. Start sending
Steps 1 and 5 are the ones that routinely cause delays. Everything else is usually same-day.
## Prerequisites
Before you begin, have these ready:
### Legal & business documents
| Document | Why Meta needs it |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Registered legal business name | Must exactly match your Meta Business Manager entry + your display name request |
| Business license / certificate of incorporation | Proves the entity exists |
| Tax ID / VAT / EIN | Jurisdiction-dependent; US uses EIN, EU uses VAT, etc. |
| Website with a live privacy policy | The privacy policy URL is checked during display-name review |
| Business email on your domain (not `@gmail.com`) | Used for the Meta admin account |
| Government ID of the Business Manager admin | Passport or driver's license; uploaded to Meta during Business Verification |
| Utility bill or bank statement for the business | Proof of address — typically required for Business Verification |
If you operate through a holding company or DBA, submit the documents of the **legal entity that will own the WABA**. Meta will deny a display name that doesn't match.
### Technical prerequisites
* **A Facebook account** (personal — you'll be named an admin on the Business Manager)
* **A phone number you control** (SMS + voice) for the final verification call. See [Number procurement](#number-procurement) below for the choices.
* **Admin access to the domain's DNS** (for privacy policy URL verification and for potential email deliverability requirements)
## Step 1 — Meta Business Manager verification
Meta Business Manager (business.facebook.com) is the identity layer for all WhatsApp access. Your business must be "verified" before you can publish a display name or raise messaging limits beyond the initial 250/day cap.
1. Create a Business Manager account at business.facebook.com if you don't have one.
2. Go to **Settings → Security Center → Start Verification**.
3. Upload the documents from the prerequisites table. Meta does an OCR + manual review.
4. Expect 1–3 business days. Rejection reasons we see most often:
* Display/trade name on the document doesn't match what you typed.
* Document has been cropped or edited.
* Business website is a placeholder page or blank (put real content up first).
* No visible physical address on the document.
**While waiting:** you can still connect a number and send messages at the unverified-cap (250 unique recipients/day). Don't let verification block you from launching.
## Step 2 — Number procurement
You have three realistic paths.
### A. Brand-new number from Orbit
Fastest. Buy a number from Orbit's dashboard (**Numbers → Buy**), pick a country, and the number is available for WhatsApp within seconds. It can't have been previously used on WhatsApp in the past 30 days (Meta's cooldown) — Devotel's inventory is WhatsApp-safe by default.
**Pick this when:** you're starting from scratch, don't need carryover SMS / voice traffic.
### B. Bring an existing number you already own
You can use any number that:
* Can receive SMS **or** a voice call (Meta sends the verification code one way or the other)
* Is not currently active on another WABA
* Has not been used on WhatsApp's consumer app in the last 30 days — delete the WhatsApp consumer account and wait the cooldown if it was
If the number was previously on another BSP (Infobip, Twilio, Vonage, MessageBird, etc.) jump to the [BSP Transfer guide](/guides/whatsapp/waba-migration).
### C. Transfer from a competing CPaaS (porting)
See the dedicated [BSP Transfer / Number Porting Guide](/guides/whatsapp/waba-migration). You keep the number, your templates, and (with some caveats) your quality rating.
## Step 3 — Embedded sign-up flow
In the Orbit dashboard go to **Settings → Channels → WhatsApp → Connect**.
1. Click **Connect with Facebook**. This opens Meta's OAuth dialog inside a popup.
2. Sign in with the Facebook account that has admin rights on your Business Manager.
3. Pick the Business Manager to associate.
4. **Create a new WABA** or **select an existing one**. If you're porting, select the existing WABA — do not create a second one.
5. Choose the phone number (from Step 2) or add one.
6. Meta verifies the number via SMS or voice OTP. Enter the 6-digit code.
7. The popup closes and you're back on Orbit with the WABA in "connected" state.
If the popup closes without returning — common on Safari and in corporate SSO setups — re-trigger from **Settings → Channels → WhatsApp**; the partial state is preserved in Meta.
## Step 4 — Display name + profile
### Display name
The display name is what appears in users' chat lists. It must match Meta's [display name guidelines](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/757569725593362):
* Match your registered business name **or** a clearly associated consumer brand
* No generic names ("Support", "Sales")
* No all-caps / emojis / special characters beyond `.` `,` `&` `'`
* Minimum 3 characters
In Orbit: **Settings → Channels → WhatsApp → Profile → Edit Display Name**. Meta reviews display names in 1–3 business days. You can start sending messages immediately using the placeholder; the name changes live once approved.
### Profile fields
Also in **Profile**, set:
* **About** — short tagline (\< 139 chars)
* **Description** — up to 512 chars
* **Category** — pick the closest to your industry
* **Address** + **Business hours**
* **Websites** — up to 2
* **Email** — public-facing
These fields are shown inside the user's chat info pane. They are not reviewed by Meta but they do affect trust signals that influence your WhatsApp quality rating — keep them accurate, professional, and consistent with the brand the recipient expects.
### Profile photo
Square, ≥ 640×640 px, no transparency. PNG or JPG. Your company logo, not a person's face.
## Step 5 — Submit templates
All business-initiated conversations require pre-approved templates (utility, marketing, authentication, service). See [Restricted Content Policy](/compliance/whatsapp-content-policy) for what Meta will reject.
From the dashboard: **Channels → WhatsApp → Templates → New Template**.
For each template:
1. Pick a category — **authentication / marketing / utility / service**. Category drives [pricing](/guides/whatsapp/pricing).
2. Pick a language (separate submission per locale).
3. Write the body with named variables: `Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} shipped.`
4. (Optional) Add a header, footer, or up to 3 buttons.
5. Submit. Expected: 1–24 hours; most pass in minutes.
Rejection reasons we see weekly:
* Category mismatch — a marketing template submitted as utility
* Promotional content in an authentication template
* Missing variables where context is needed ("hi, thanks!" — thanks for what?)
* Language mismatch — body in Spanish but `language=en` selected
* Formatting errors — unpaired `*bold*` markers, rogue `\n`
You can resubmit a rejected template after editing — Meta keeps the template name free for 30 days.
## Step 6 — First send + scaling
Once the WABA is connected and one template is approved:
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/messages/whatsapp \
-H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"to": "+14155552671",
"type": "template",
"template": {
"name": "welcome",
"language": { "code": "en" },
"components": [
{ "type": "body",
"parameters": [{ "type": "text", "text": "Ada" }] }
]
}
}'
```
### Messaging limits
New WABAs start with a **250 unique-recipients-per-24h** cap. Limit tiers:
| Tier | Unique recipients / 24h | How you get here |
| ---- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| T0 | 250 | Default on creation |
| T1 | 1,000 | Send to 1,000+ recipients in a 7-day window with quality "Green" |
| T2 | 10,000 | Same, at 10,000 |
| T3 | 100,000 | Same, at 100,000 |
| T4 | Unlimited | Meta escalation required |
Quality must stay **Medium** or **Green**. Hitting **Low** freezes tier progression; staying "Low" for 7 days drops you a tier.
## Approval timelines summary
| Step | Typical | Worst case |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------- | ----------------- |
| Meta Business Verification | 1–3 business days | 14 days |
| Number OTP verification | \~30 seconds | 5 min (voice OTP) |
| WABA connect via embedded flow | \~5 min | same-day |
| Display name approval | 1–3 business days | 14 days |
| Template approval | 15 min – 24 h | 3 days |
If any step exceeds the worst case by more than 48 hours, email [whatsapp-support@devotel.io](mailto:whatsapp-support@devotel.io) with your WABA ID and we'll escalate with Meta.
## Common first-week mistakes
1. **Starting marketing blast before Business Verification completes** — you'll hit the 250/day cap and think something is broken.
2. **Submitting display-name with a DBA not on your incorporation docs** — denied.
3. **Shared inboxes on `@gmail.com`** — Meta flags consumer email domains.
4. **Privacy policy hosted on a free Notion page or a "Coming Soon" template** — denied at display-name review.
5. **Using a number that was a personal WhatsApp account yesterday** — 30-day cooldown.
## Troubleshooting
Switch the verification method from SMS to voice call in the embedded flow. Some carriers strip 6-digit codes in transit.
The number is on another WABA or still on the WhatsApp consumer app. Delete the consumer account from the WhatsApp mobile app's Settings → Account → Delete My Account, wait 30 days, retry. Or migrate via the [BSP Transfer flow](/guides/whatsapp/waba-migration).
Shift to "Trade Name" variant on Meta Business Manager → Settings → Business Info, and add documentation proving the trade name is yours. Then resubmit.
Usually Meta's policy backlog. Open a ticket in Orbit with the template name + category; we escalate directly.