Meta business verification is Meta's review of your business portfolio. Embedded Signup is the browser flow that connects that portfolio, its WhatsApp Business Account and phone number to Bird.

## What is the difference?

Business verification checks the portfolio. Number verification checks that you control the phone number.

| Check                 | What it verifies                                                              | When it matters                                                                              |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Business verification | Meta checks the business portfolio that owns the WhatsApp Business Account.   | It can raise messaging and template limits, and it is required for authentication templates. |
| Number verification   | Meta confirms that you control the phone number through an SMS or voice code. | It is part of connecting your own number in Embedded Signup.                                 |

Business verification happens in Meta Business Suite. You can connect and send from your own number while the portfolio is unverified. The verification result applies to the business account and its numbers, not to one number alone.

## What do I need before connecting my number?

1. Use a number your business controls.
2. Make sure the number is not active in the WhatsApp consumer or Business app while you connect it. The [WhatsApp phone-number guide](/docs/guides/whatsapp/phone-number-setup) says the number cannot be active in either app during connection. Delete that account first if necessary.
3. Start Embedded Signup from Bird's **Numbers** page.
4. Choose **I have my own number**. Meta sends a code by SMS or voice call. Enter it in the Embedded Signup window.
5. Complete the browser flow that selects the business portfolio and WhatsApp Business Account.

If the number already has a WhatsApp phone registration PIN, provide that PIN during setup.

Before buying a candidate, run the [WhatsApp number precheck](/explained/whatsapp/how-do-i-check-whether-whatsapp-will-accept-a-phone-number) if you are unsure whether Meta will accept it.

## What happens after the code is accepted?

The code verifies the number. Embedded Signup still has to finish connecting the number to the selected business account. Read the number's status after the browser flow closes; a completed dialog does not prove that the number can send.

If the number is held by Bird, the path differs. Bird asks Meta to send the code, reads it back, and shows the number as pre-verified. You still finish setup in Embedded Signup by selecting the number and business account.

## When do I need business verification?

Business verification is a portfolio-level step you can complete after connecting the number. It matters when you need higher messaging limits, more than the unverified template allowance, or authentication templates. It does not replace the phone-number code, and the phone-number code does not verify the business portfolio.

## What should I do?

1. Connect your number through Embedded Signup after completing its SMS or voice check.
2. Submit business verification when your account needs higher messaging limits, more templates or authentication templates.

## Related resources

- [WhatsApp](/products/whatsapp) (product)
- [Sending WhatsApp messages](/docs/guides/whatsapp/sending-whatsapp) (docs)
- [Connecting WhatsApp to Bird: from buying a number to a live channel](/learn/whatsapp/connecting-whatsapp-to-bird) (video)
- [WhatsApp message builder](/tools/whatsapp-message-builder) (tool)

[Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=whatsapp)