WhatsApp Business API requirements: what to have ready before you connect a number

To connect a number to the WhatsApp Business API you need a Meta business portfolio, a phone number you own that can receive an SMS or voice call and is not in use on WhatsApp, and a display name that follows Meta's rules. To send template messages you also need a card on your WhatsApp Business account. Business verification comes later, not first. Most delays come from the number and the display name, so check those first.

SendFromChat is an independent product and is not affiliated with Meta or WhatsApp. It runs on Meta's official WhatsApp Cloud API, and you keep your own WhatsApp Business account. Meta's rules change. Where this page quotes Meta, it says which page and when we read it; check the current page before you act on it.

The checklist

#	Have ready	Needed to connect?
1	A phone number you own that can receive an SMS or voice call	Yes
2	That number is not in use on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business	Yes
3	A display name that follows Meta's guidelines	Yes (Meta reviews it)
4	A Meta business portfolio	Yes
5	A card on your WhatsApp Business account	To send templates
6	Business verification	Not to start; it raises how many people you can message

1. A number you own that can receive an SMS or call

From Meta's developer page "Business phone numbers" (dated 21 May 2026 on the page, read 29 Oct 2026), eligible numbers must:

• "be owned by you"
• "have a country and area code (short codes are not supported)"
• "be able to receive voice calls or SMS"
• "have scaled capabilities"

The same page rates number types for receiving the verification code. It lists Mobile as recommended. For fixed line, freephone, premium rate, personal, VoIP and several other types it marks SMS codes "Not Recommended", while voice codes are "Standard" for most of them. If you use a landline or a VoIP number, expect to verify by voice call, and switch off call forwarding or an IVR menu that would answer the call before you can.

A practical order: pick the number, make sure you can read an SMS or answer a call on it today, and only then start.

2. The number must not already be in use on WhatsApp

Meta's page says: "Numbers already in use with WhatsApp cannot be registered unless they are deleted first." It also says a registered number "cannot be used with WhatsApp Messenger", although it can still be used for everyday calls and text messages.

So the simple route is a new number for the API. If you want to move the number you use today, that means taking it off the app. We cover the options, including what we could and could not confirm about keeping the app, in WhatsApp Business app vs API. SendFromChat's connection flow does not include a coexistence option, so do not plan around that with us.

3. A display name that passes review

The display name is the business name customers see. Meta reviews it. In SendFromChat it is the one thing you change in WhatsApp Manager, not in our dashboard; the page links you there. Meta's help page "Display name guidelines for the WhatsApp Business platform" (read 29 Oct 2026) gives these rules, here in short:

• It must follow the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.
• It must accurately represent the business. Meta's examples of names that are not accepted include a generic term ("Fashion") and a generic place ("New York").
• It must not appear to carry verification. Meta says not to include "Official" or "Verified".
• It must not reference Meta or its apps. Meta's example of a name that is not accepted is "Minni's Muffins WhatsApp".
• It must be the business name only, with no promotional language, for example no "20% off sale".
• It must not be formatted as a website or email address.
• It must have a clear relationship with your legal business name. Where the link is not obvious, Meta suggests "by [company name]", with the connection visible on external sources such as your website.

Before you start, check that your website or social profiles show the same name. That is what the reviewer looks for.

4. A Meta business portfolio

The number lives in a WhatsApp Business account under a Meta business portfolio (the new name for Business Manager). If you do not have one, you can create one during setup; the steps are in how to set up the WhatsApp Cloud API. With SendFromChat you do not create a developer app or copy tokens: you use Continue with Facebook, pick the number and connect.

5. A card on your WhatsApp Business account

Meta bills template messages directly to a card on your WhatsApp Business account. This is separate from any SendFromChat plan. Per our getting started docs, a missing card is the most common thing the "Ready to send?" check flags on a connected number, and it blocks templates until it is added. Meta's prices change, so read how WhatsApp API pricing works before you budget.

Per our docs, a free-form reply to someone who has just written to you needs no card on the SendFromChat side. We have not tested Meta's side of that, so confirm it in your own account. Free-form replies only work inside the 24-hour window.

6. Business verification is for later

Per our docs, an unverified business can connect, and verification only affects how many people you can message a day. When you want to message more, start verification in Meta's Security Center. Meta shows the documents it asks for when you start verification, so check that list in Security Center first. The tiers and Meta's wording are in WhatsApp messaging limits.

What the SendFromChat trial does and does not need

• Needs: an email address to sign up.
• Does not need: a card on SendFromChat. The 30-day trial includes one WhatsApp number and up to 1,000 messages.
• Still applies: everything above. Meta's own requirements do not change because you use a provider.

If something is in the way, the "Ready to send?" check on the connected number lists it with a link to fix it.

Five-minute self-check

1. Can I read an SMS or answer a call on this number today?
2. Is it free of WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business (or am I ready to remove it)?
3. Does my display name follow the list above, and does my website show the same name?
4. Do I have a Meta business portfolio, or time to create one?
5. Who holds the card for the WhatsApp account?

If all five are yes, connecting is quick. Start the free trial, or, if you prefer to run Meta's API yourself, compare SendFromChat with the Cloud API directly. Europe-specific points are in WhatsApp Business API in Europe.

Sources

• Meta for Developers, "Business phone numbers" (page dated 21 May 2026): eligibility, number types, registration. Read in a browser 29 Oct 2026.
• Meta Business Help Centre, "Display name guidelines for the WhatsApp Business platform". Read in a browser 29 Oct 2026; the examples above are Meta's.
• SendFromChat getting started docs, read 29 Oct 2026: card, "Ready to send?" check, trial.
• SendFromChat WhatsApp Business app vs API and messaging limits guides: moving a number off the app, verification and daily limits.
• Not checked: whether a given country or carrier supports SMS or voice verification for your number.

This is not legal advice. SendFromChat stores data in Mumbai, India; transfers from the EU and UK are covered by the Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK Addendum in our Data Processing Agreement.