What If Your Official Business Account (OBA) Request Gets Rejected?

If your Official Business Account (OBA) request gets rejected, there is no need to worry. This is very common and does not affect your WhatsApp account in any negative way.

OBA approval is strict and is mainly based on brand notability. Many genuine businesses are rejected even when everything is set up correctly.

---

What Does OBA Rejection Mean?

An OBA rejection simply means that at this time, your business does not meet WhatsApp’s criteria for OBA status.

It does not mean:

• Your business is unverified

• Your WhatsApp account has an issue

• Your number is restricted or blocked

Your WhatsApp setup continues to work normally.

---

Common Reasons Why OBA Requests Get Rejected

Below are the most common reasons for rejection:

1. Brand Not Considered Notable Enough

WhatsApp grants OBA only to well-known and frequently searched brands.

If your brand:

• Has limited media coverage

• Is known only locally

• Is new or still growing

Rejection is normal.

---

2. Submitted Links Are Not Acceptable

WhatsApp reviews only organic, editorial coverage.

Requests may be rejected if links include:

• Paid or sponsored PR articles

• Advertisements

• App or business listings

• Self-published blog posts

---

3. Display Name Not Strong Enough

OBA is evaluated at the display name level.

If the display name:

• Is generic

• Is changed frequently

It may fail the notability review.

Example: A display name like “Customer Support” or “Best Services Pvt Ltd” may be considered too generic. Whereas a clear brand identity like “Tata 1mg” or “Zomato” is more likely to meet notability expectations.

---

4. Sub-Brand Without Parent Brand Context

If you apply using only a sub-brand name that is not widely recognized, the request may be rejected.

In such cases, WhatsApp may expect a format like:

{Sub-brand name} by {Notable parent brand}

(Only if the parent brand is genuinely well-known.)

---

Can You Appeal an OBA Rejection?

No.

Currently:

• OBA rejection decisions cannot be appealed

• There is no manual override or escalation

• This is a standard WhatsApp policy

---

When Can You Reapply for OBA?

You can submit a new OBA request after 30 days.

This waiting period allows time to:

• Improve brand visibility

• Strengthen media presence

• Correct issues from the previous application

---

What Should You Do After Rejection?

Continue Using WhatsApp Normally, Your WhatsApp number can still:

• Send and receive messages

• Use templates

• Run automation and campaigns

• Communicate with customers at scale

There are no functional limitations.

---

Work on Brand Notability (If OBA Is Important)

Before reapplying:

• Build organic media coverage

• Get featured in reputed publications

• Improve public brand recognition

---

Keep Your Business Profile Updated

Even without OBA, you can still edit:

• Profile picture

• Business description

• Website

• Email address

This information remains visible to users.

---

Important Things to Remember

• OBA is optional

• Rejection is normal

• Approval is not guaranteed, even on reapplication

• Not having OBA does not reduce WhatsApp functionality

---

An OBA rejection does not impact your WhatsApp usage in any way. If your brand qualifies in the future, you can always reapply.

Until then, focus on using WhatsApp effectively to grow your business — OBA is an added trust badge, not a requirement.