The WhatsApp Business API onboarding, end to end
Three parallel approvals — Meta Business Manager verification, display-name review, and content template — make up WABA onboarding, typically completing in 24–48 hours.
The WhatsApp Business API (WABA) onboarding has three independent approvals: a Meta Business Manager verification, a display-name approval, and your first content template approval. All three can run in parallel.
The timeline we see most often
- Hour 0 — You start the wizard, connect Facebook Business Manager and enter your display name.
- Hour 0–4 — Business verification gets auto-approved if your Meta BM is already verified, otherwise 24–72 hours.
- Hour 0–24 — Display name approval. Shorter if your registered brand matches a PAN/GST on file.
- Hour 0–48 — First template approval. Most common rejection is promotional language in a utility template.
Enterprise customers with pre-approved Meta access can usually be fully live — including the green tick — within four hours.
Browse other help categories
Getting started
Create your SMSLocal account, add INR credits to your wallet, complete DLT registration, and send your first compliant SMS, WhatsApp, or OTP in under fifteen minutes.
SMS campaigns
SMS content templates, DLT routing, sender ID setup, delivery report statuses, bulk campaign scheduling, throttle controls, and automatic retry logic for India.
AI WhatsApp Agents
Train your AI WhatsApp agent on your own knowledge, sync your product catalogue, configure handoff triggers, and serve customers across twelve Indian languages.
OTP & Transactional
Priority routing to the fastest carrier, automatic retry and failover logic, idempotency keys to prevent double-sends, and WhatsApp OTP fallback when SMS is slow or fails.
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