Guide · Malaysia
How to get the WhatsApp Business API in Malaysia: number, SSM documents and Meta business verification
A practical setup guide for Malaysian businesses: choosing the number, the Meta business portfolio, which SSM, LHDN and utility documents match Meta's verification categories, display name, first templates and limits.
By Broadchat teamPublished 8 min read
In short
To get the WhatsApp Business API in Malaysia you need a Meta business portfolio, a phone number that can receive a code, and a provider that connects it through Meta's Embedded Signup. You can send to 250 people a day straight away; to go higher, verify the business with Meta using official documents in your legal name, usually your SSM registration plus a document that proves the address or phone. Meta decides each step, typically within days, sometimes up to 14 business days for verification.
Key takeaways
- You can connect a number and send templates before business verification, but only to 250 people outside the 24-hour window per day.
- Meta asks for documents that prove your legal business name and your address or phone number; SSM registration documents are the usual Malaysian proof of name.
- A utility bill (for example electricity or a fixed-line bill) proves address or phone only, never the legal name.
- The legal name you enter must match the documents exactly; your brand goes into the WhatsApp display name, not the verification form.
- Business verification can take up to 14 business days, according to Meta; plan your first campaign after it, not before.
Get the WhatsApp Business API working in Malaysia
Time needed: 2 h.
Choose the number
Pick a Malaysian mobile or fixed-line number that can receive a verification SMS or call and that you will keep for years. If it is active on the WhatsApp app, decide whether to move it or use a new one.
Prepare the Meta business portfolio
Use the business portfolio your company already uses for Facebook and Instagram ads, or create one in Meta Business Suite. Make sure a director or owner has full control of it.
Connect the number through Embedded Signup
From your provider's panel, open Meta's Embedded Signup window, select the business portfolio, create or pick the WhatsApp Business account, enter the display name and confirm the number with the code Meta sends.
Verify the business with SSM documents
In Meta Business Suite, open Settings, then Security Center, and start verification. Enter the legal name exactly as on your SSM documents, then upload them together with a document that proves your address or phone.
Get your first templates approved
Write one utility template (an order or booking confirmation) and one marketing template, in the language your customers use, and submit them for review. Meta's review can take up to 24 hours.
Import opted-in contacts and send
Import only customers who agreed to receive WhatsApp messages from you, tag where the consent came from, and start with your utility messages while the messaging limit grows.
Before you start
This guide is for a Malaysian business connecting its own number. You need three things: a Meta business portfolio, a phone number, and a provider whose panel opens Meta's Embedded Signup. Budget about two hours of your time spread over a week or two, most of it waiting for Meta.
Nothing in this process costs money from Meta; you start paying when you send templates, at Meta's Malaysian rates.
Step 1: choose the number
Any number that can receive an SMS or a voice call can be used: a mobile number, or a fixed line that can take the verification call. Pick one you will keep, because customers save it and your templates and display name are tied to it.
If the number is active on the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app today, you have two options. Meta's coexistence lets some numbers stay on the WhatsApp Business app while connected to the API, in the countries Meta supports; check Meta's documentation for Malaysia before you plan on it. Otherwise the number has to be removed from the app first, and its app chat history does not move to the API. Many businesses keep their old number on the app for personal contacts and connect a new one.
Step 2: prepare the Meta business portfolio
The business portfolio (formerly Business Manager) is the account in Meta Business Suite that owns your WhatsApp Business account, ad accounts and pages. If your company already runs Facebook or Instagram ads, use that portfolio rather than creating a new one, and check that a director or owner has full control: only a person with full control can start business verification.
A common Malaysian situation: the portfolio was created years ago by a former agency or staff member. Ask them to give an owner full control, or create a fresh portfolio in the company's name; verifying a portfolio that does not own your WhatsApp account does nothing for WhatsApp.
Step 3: connect the number through Embedded Signup
In your provider's panel, start the connection. On Broadchat that is Channels → All Channels, then connect WhatsApp. Meta's window opens and asks you to:
- Log in with Facebook and choose the business portfolio.
- Create a WhatsApp Business account, or pick an existing one.
- Enter the display name, the name customers see, which should match your brand and your website.
- Enter the number and confirm it with the code Meta sends by SMS or call.
When the window closes, the number appears in the panel with its status, quality rating and messaging limit, as Meta reports them.
Step 4: verify the business with SSM documents
Business verification is how Meta confirms that your portfolio belongs to a real, registered business. It lifts your messaging limit from 250 to 2,000 people a day once Meta has reviewed your messaging quality, and raises other caps. Start it in Meta Business Suite under Settings → Security Center → Start verification, and enter your legal business name, address, phone number and website exactly as on your documents.
Meta lists the kinds of document it accepts, not Malaysian document names. Meta's documents must show your legal business name and your official address or phone number, must be current, and must be issued by an authority. The table below is our general guidance on how common Malaysian documents line up with Meta's categories; it is not Meta's list, and Meta's reviewers make the final decision.
| Malaysian document | Closest Meta category | What it proves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM company registration document for a Sdn Bhd or Bhd, or a company profile from SSM e-Info | Certificate of incorporation or business registration | Legal name, and usually the registered address | Use the latest version showing the current name and address |
| SSM business registration certificate for a sole proprietorship or partnership | Business registration document | Legal (registered) business name and address | Check the registration has not expired; renew it first if needed |
| SST registration from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department | Government-issued business tax document | Legal name, often the address | Only if you are SST-registered |
| Business bank statement | Bank statement | Name and address | A recent statement in the business's name |
| Electricity or fixed-line bill in the business name | Utility bill | Address and phone only | Never enough on its own for the legal name |
Language is rarely a problem here: Meta's accepted document languages, as summarised by 360dialog from Meta's list, include English and Malaysian. If a document is in another language, Meta asks for an English translation stamped by a translation agency.
A worked example
Wei Jie and his sister run a bakery brand called Kuih Heritage in George Town, Penang, through a company registered as WJ Lim Food Industries Sdn Bhd. He enters 'WJ Lim Food Industries Sdn Bhd' as the legal name, the registered address exactly as on the SSM document, the company's fixed line, and the bakery's website, whose footer says 'Kuih Heritage is a brand of WJ Lim Food Industries Sdn Bhd'. He uploads the SSM company profile for the name and a recent electricity bill in the company's name for the address. 'Kuih Heritage' goes on WhatsApp as the display name, not into the verification form.
Confirm your connection to the business
Meta then asks you to prove you represent the business: a code by email (an address on your own domain works best), by phone, SMS or WhatsApp to the business number, or domain verification by adding a DNS TXT record or a meta tag to your website. Domain verification is often the simplest route when the phone number on record is an old fixed line.
Meta says a decision can take up to 14 business days. Avoid editing the verified details later: changing the legal name, address, phone or website of a verified business means verifying again.
Step 5: get your first templates approved
Outside the 24-hour window you can only send approved message templates. Start with two:
Utility (Malay)
Hai {{1}}, pesanan #{{2}} anda telah disahkan dan akan dihantar dalam 2 hari bekerja. Jejak penghantaran di {{3}} dan balas mesej ini jika ada pertanyaan.
Marketing (English)
Hi {{1}}, our Hari Raya collection is live. Members get early access until Sunday. Reply STOP to opt out.Keep promotion out of utility templates; Meta recategorises promotional content as marketing. Submit one template per language rather than mixing Malay and English in one. Review can take up to 24 hours.
Step 6: import opted-in contacts and send
Import only customers who agreed to WhatsApp messages from your business, with a tag or custom field recording when and where they agreed; WhatsApp's policy requires opt-in, and Malaysia's PDPA 2010 lets customers require you to stop direct marketing. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
A new portfolio can message 250 unique people outside the 24-hour window in a rolling 24 hours. With good quality and steady use, Meta raises the messaging limit to 2,000, then 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited. Send your utility messages first, keep marketing small and well targeted, and watch the quality rating for the first two weeks.
After launch
- Put a WhatsApp chat link on your website and Instagram profile; the WhatsApp link generator builds one.
- Run a Click-to-WhatsApp ad: conversations it starts are free for up to 7 days.
- If you sell WhatsApp to clients rather than use it yourself, see white-label WhatsApp API for Malaysia.
Back to the overview: WhatsApp Business API in Malaysia.
Other editions of this page
Sources
- How to verify your business in Meta Business Suite — Meta Business Help Center, checked 12 October 2026
- Which official documents do I need to upload to verify my business in Meta Business Suite? — Meta Business Help Center, checked 12 October 2026
- Why was my business verification submission rejected? — Meta Business Help Center, checked 12 October 2026
- Messaging limits — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- Template fundamentals (review time) — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- Meta Business Verification (supported document languages) — 360dialog, checked 1 November 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
Last updated:
Frequently asked questions
Can a sole proprietor verify on Meta?
Yes, if the business is registered and the documents show the registered business name and address. An SSM business registration certificate is the usual document; add a bank statement or utility bill in the business name for the address or phone. Meta makes the decision.
How long does Meta business verification take in Malaysia?
Meta says a decision can take up to 14 business days. Many submissions are faster, but plan launches assuming the full period.
Why was my verification rejected?
Most rejections are mismatches: a brand name entered instead of the legal name, an address that differs from the document, a utility bill used to prove the legal name, or a website that does not load on HTTPS. Fix the mismatch and submit again.
Can I use a Malaysian fixed-line number?
Yes, as long as it can receive Meta's verification code by voice call. Customers will see the number in the chat, so choose one your team answers.
Do I need a website?
For business verification Meta expects a website that loads on HTTPS and shows your business; a simple site with your legal name in the footer and a contact page is enough.