How to Transfer an Existing WhatsApp Number to WhatsTeam

Summary

Transferring an existing WhatsApp Business API number from another provider to WhatsTeam requires meeting several key requirements set by Meta. This guide walks you through each requirement, how to verify your readiness, and how to troubleshoot common approval issues so your transfer goes smoothly.

Key Requirements Overview

Before initiating a number transfer to WhatsTeam, you must confirm that your existing WhatsApp Business Account meets all of the following eight requirements:


Important: All eight requirements must be met simultaneously. If even one condition is not satisfied, the transfer will be blocked by Meta.

Step 1: Verify Business Information

The first and most critical step is confirming that your Meta Business Account has completed business verification. Without this, no transfer can proceed.


How to Check Verification Status

1. Log in to business.facebook.com with your admin account.
2. Go to Settings > Business Settings > Security Center.
3. Look for the Business Verification section.
4. Your status should show Verified (green checkmark).

If Your Business Is Not Verified

If the status shows "Not Verified" or "Verification Pending":

1. Click Start Verification or Continue Verification.
2. Provide the required legal documents:
   • Business registration certificate or articles of incorporation
   • Tax identification document (VAT, EIN, GST, etc.)
   • Utility bill or bank statement showing the business address
3. Enter your business details exactly as they appear on your legal documents. Discrepancies in names, addresses, or registration numbers are the most common cause of verification rejection.
4. Submit and wait for Meta's review (typically 2-5 business days).


Check Account Status

While in the Security Center, also verify that:

• Your Meta Business Account is not restricted or flagged for policy violations.
• There are no pending compliance issues or warnings.
• Your payment method is active and there are no outstanding balances.

Verify Currency and Credit Line

1. Navigate to Settings > Business Settings > WhatsApp Accounts.
2. Select your WABA and check the Currency field.
3. Ensure it matches the currency configured on your WhatsTeam account.
4. Review the Payment Settings to confirm there are no outstanding invoices or credit line issues.


Note: If the currency does not match, you cannot change it after WABA creation. You may need to create a new WABA with the correct currency and migrate the number to it first, or adjust the currency setting on your WhatsTeam account.

Step 2: Check Phone Number Status and Messaging Limit

The phone number you are transferring must be in an active, healthy state with adequate messaging limits.

How to Check Phone Number Status

1. In Meta Business Suite, go to Settings > Business Settings > WhatsApp Accounts.
2. Select your WABA.
3. Click on the Phone Numbers tab.
4. Review the following for your number:


Understanding Quality Ratings

• Green (High Quality): Your number has a strong reputation. Messages are being well-received by customers with low report/block rates. Transfer is allowed.
• Yellow (Medium Quality): Your number has an acceptable reputation but may be at risk. Transfer is allowed, but consider improving your messaging practices before transferring.
• Red (Low Quality): Your number has been flagged for high report/block rates. Transfer is blocked. You must improve your quality rating before proceeding.

How to Improve a Low Quality Rating

If your number has a Red quality rating:

1. Stop all campaigns until the rating recovers.
2. Review recent messages for content that may have triggered user complaints.
3. Reduce message volume and focus on high-value, opted-in recipients only.
4. Wait for recovery. Quality ratings are recalculated by Meta over a rolling 7-day window. It can take 7-14 days for a rating to move from Red to Yellow or Green.


Messaging Limit Tiers

Your current messaging limit tier determines how many unique users you can message per 24-hour period:

• 1K tier: Up to 1,000 unique users per day.
• 10K tier: Up to 10,000 unique users per day.
• 100K tier: Up to 100,000 unique users per day.
• Unlimited: No daily cap on unique users.

Note: Your messaging limit tier is preserved when transferring within the same WABA. If you transfer to a new WABA, the limit resets to the 1K tier.

Step 3: Check Display Name Approval

Your WhatsApp display name must be approved by Meta before a transfer can proceed. The display name is what customers see when they receive a message from your business.

How to Check Display Name Status

1. In Meta Business Suite, go to WhatsApp Manager.
2. Select your phone number.
3. Look at the Display Name field and its approval status.


Display Name Requirements

Meta enforces strict guidelines for display names:

• Must accurately represent your business.
• Cannot contain misleading information or impersonate another business.
• Cannot include URLs, email addresses, or phone numbers.
• Must be between 3 and 512 characters.
• Cannot use all capital letters (unless it is an established acronym like "IBM").
• Cannot include unnecessary punctuation or special characters.
• Must be consistent with your business's public presence (website, social media, etc.).

Display Name Statuses

Step 4: Troubleshoot Approval Issues

If any of the requirements are not met, the transfer will be blocked. Here are the most common issues and how to resolve them.


Business Verification Rejected

Common causes:

• Document mismatch: The business name on documents does not match the name in Meta Business Suite.
• Incomplete documents: Missing pages, blurry scans, or expired documents.
• Unrecognized document type: Meta only accepts specific document types per country.

Resolution:

1. Carefully review the rejection reason provided by Meta in the Security Center.
2. Resubmit with corrected documents ensuring the business name matches exactly.
3. If rejected multiple times, consider using a different accepted document type.
4. Contact Meta Business Support directly through the Help Center if the rejection reason is unclear.

Display Name Rejected

Common causes:

• The name is too generic (e.g., "Online Store" or "Customer Support").
• The name contains prohibited elements (URLs, emojis, special characters).
• The name does not match any publicly verifiable business identity.

Resolution:

1. Resubmit with a name that clearly identifies your specific business.
2. Ensure the name matches your business registration, website, or social media profiles.
3. Avoid abbreviations unless they are well-known (e.g., "IBM" is fine, "ABCS" is not).

Quality Rating Is Red

Resolution timeline:

• This is the most time-consuming issue to resolve.
• Stop all outbound messaging campaigns immediately.
• Wait at least 7 days for the quality rating to begin recovering.
• After recovery to Yellow, wait an additional 7 days of stable Yellow before attempting the transfer.
• Total expected recovery time: 14-30 days.

Messaging Limit Is Restricted

If your messaging limit has been restricted by Meta:

1. Check for any policy violation notices in Meta Business Suite.
2. Resolve any outstanding compliance issues.
3. Once restrictions are lifted, verify your messaging limit tier is back to its previous level.
4. Attempt the transfer again.


Still Having Issues?

If you have verified all eight requirements are met and the transfer still fails:

1. Take screenshots of each requirement status in Meta Business Suite.
2. Note the exact error message you receive during the transfer attempt.
3. Contact WhatsTeam support at support@whats.team with:
   • Your WhatsApp Business Account ID
   • The phone number you are trying to transfer
   • Screenshots of all requirement statuses
   • The error message
4. Our team will work with Meta to identify and resolve the blocker.