How to get the green tick on WhatsApp Business in India

The green tick next to a WhatsApp Business name is the "Official Business Account" badge from Meta. It tells users the account has been verified as belonging to a legitimate, well-known brand. In India, where WhatsApp fraud is common, seeing the green tick on a business's number provides significant reassurance to consumers. It is a trust signal that is immediately visible before a conversation even begins.

Getting the green tick is not straightforward. Many Indian businesses assume it is available to anyone who applies. It is not. Meta has specific criteria, and the process requires persistence.

What the green tick actually means

WhatsApp distinguishes between a Business Account (which any business using the API gets) and an Official Business Account (the green tick). The green tick is proactively granted by Meta to businesses it considers notable. Meta looks at brand recognition, media coverage, and the scale of online presence.

The formal criterion is that the business must be "a well-known brand or entity." In practice, this means businesses that appear in multiple credible news sources, have a significant social media following, or are recognised industry names in India have a better chance.

Small businesses with limited media presence will find this harder. That is the honest truth. But there are steps you can take to move in the right direction.

How to apply for the green tick

The application goes through your WhatsApp Business API provider (BSP), not directly to Meta. Ask your BSP, whether that is Interakt, Wati, or another provider, to submit an Official Business Account request on your behalf.

You will need to have the WhatsApp Business API active, have your display name match your actual business name exactly, and have your Facebook Business Manager account fully verified. Meta will review your application and check your brand presence. They may ask for documentation.

Approval timelines vary. Some businesses report getting it within a few weeks. Others wait months. Rejections are common, and Meta does not always provide a specific reason.

Build the brand presence that qualifies you

If you are rejected, the answer is to strengthen your brand presence. Media coverage is the most direct lever. Getting featured in Economic Times, Business Standard, YourStory, or a major regional publication creates the kind of external recognition Meta looks for.

Press releases alone usually do not count. Meta looks for editorial coverage where journalists have written about your business independently. If your business has done something genuinely newsworthy, a PR push makes sense here.

Active, verified social media pages also support the application. A verified Instagram or Facebook page for your business reinforces that Meta's ecosystem recognises you as a legitimate brand.

What changes when you have the green tick

Beyond the visual trust signal, Official Business Accounts get to display their brand name in the chat header even when the user has not saved the number. Regular business accounts show the phone number until the user saves it. This difference matters when people receive a message from an unknown number and have to decide whether to open it.

For Indian businesses in sectors like banking, insurance, and healthcare where consumer trust is critical, the green tick can meaningfully improve message open rates and response rates.

Frequently asked questions