WhatsApp green tick checker

The green tick is blue now

People still search for the WhatsApp green tick, but the badge has not been green for a while. Meta's own developer docs described the Official Business Account badge as a "green checkmark" until at least July 2024. By September 2024 the same page said "blue checkmark". The WhatsApp Help Center now calls it "a verified badge (also known as a blue tick or blue checkmark)".

So if you are looking for the green tick, you are looking for the blue verified badge. The Official Business Account programme still exists and still gives API numbers that badge.

Three things that get mixed up

Meta is explicit on the first row: verifying your business in Meta Business Suite "won't give you a verified badge". It is a prerequisite for OBA, not the badge itself.

OBA vs Meta Verified

Meta One, announced in September 2026, is Meta's newer set of business tiers. WhatsApp's own FAQ says it is still in limited testing and not available everywhere. The only reliable way to know if you can buy it is to open the WhatsApp Business app and look for Meta Verified or Meta One under Tools. If the option is not there, it is not offered to your account yet.

The OBA requirements, as Meta lists them in 2026

Meta's Official Business Account page (updated 19 September 2026) lists five criteria:

1. The business complies with the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.
2. The business has been on the WhatsApp Business Platform for at least 30 days.
3. The business portfolio that owns the number is Business Verified.
4. The number has two-step verification turned on.
5. The number's display name has been approved.

Employee numbers, test numbers and WhatsApp Business app numbers are not eligible. To apply, open WhatsApp Manager, go to Phone numbers, then Profile, then Official business account, and click Submit Request. It does not happen on its own. If you meet the criteria but cannot see the option, Meta says to ask your Meta contact, your WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, or Meta Support. If you are refused, you must wait 30 days before the next request. Meta does not publish a review time.

Notability left the written rules in 2026

Until late 2025, Meta's OBA page asked for a "notable" brand judged by news coverage. An April 2026 version still wanted a "well-known and frequently searched for" business. By May 2026 both were gone. The current page asks for an authentic business and the five checks above.

That does not make approval automatic. A person at Meta still reviews each request, and we cannot say whether reviewers weigh press coverage in practice. The fair summary: Meta no longer lists notability, and a clear public brand presence may still help.

Business Verification with a UAE trade licence

Business Verification is usually the slowest gate. Meta accepts a business registration or licence document, so a UAE trade licence works, and it accepts documents in Arabic as well as English. The document must not be expired and must show your legal name plus your official address or phone number.

You do not need verification to start messaging. New portfolios start at a limit of 250, and verifying is one of three paths to 2,000. For OBA, though, it is required. Our guide to the WhatsApp Business API in Dubai covers the full setup order.

Display name rules that block the badge

Your display name must clearly relate to your legal name and match your external branding, such as your website. A sub-brand can use "Brand by Parent" if your website shows that link. Meta rejects:

• generic words ("Fashion") or places ("Dubai") on their own
• "Official" or "Verified" in the name
• references to Meta, WhatsApp or Facebook
• promotional text such as "20% off"
• URLs or email addresses

Display-name review starts automatically when the number reaches a higher messaging limit. If it is declined, edit the name or appeal through Developer Support. Once you hold OBA, changing the name means contacting direct support. Meta's guidelines say nothing about Arabic script either way, so if you want an Arabic display name, expect to test it.

What the badge does and doesn't do

It does one practical thing: an API number without OBA does not appear when people search for it inside WhatsApp, unless they have saved it. With OBA it can.

It does not raise your messaging limits, lower Meta's per-message prices, or improve delivery. Limits are set per business portfolio and grow with quality and volume, badge or not. Before you send anything at scale, run your copy through the WhatsApp template checker. If you are still deciding which WhatsApp to use, read WhatsApp Business vs personal in the UAE, and for background on the badge itself, our WhatsApp green tick guide for the UAE.