How to Get the WhatsApp Business API in Israel: Documents, Verification, Your +972 Number and First Hebrew Templates

Short answer: you need a Meta business portfolio, a +972 number that can receive an SMS or voice call, a website on your own domain, and, for business verification, an official document showing your exact legal name: for a company, the certificate of incorporation or company extract (נסח חברה) from the Registrar of Companies at the Israeli Corporations Authority; for a sole trader, the VAT registration as Osek Murshe or Osek Patur from the Israel Tax Authority. You can connect and start the same day. A newly created portfolio can message 250 unique customers per 24 hours with templates; verification is one of three ways to reach 2,000. If your number already runs the WhatsApp Business app, Coexistence keeps the app working and adds the API on the same number.

Before you start: the checklist

• An official document with your business's exact legal name and address (see the table below).
• A Meta business portfolio (Business Manager) in the business's name, with at least two admins, so the account survives an employee leaving.
• A website on your own domain that shows the same name. A Gmail address is weaker evidence than an address on your domain.
• An Israeli number you control that is not registered on WhatsApp Messenger. A number on the WhatsApp Business app can be used through Coexistence.
• A card that can pay Meta in US dollars, because Meta bills Israeli message fees in USD to your WhatsApp Business Account.

Step 1: get the right Israeli documents

Meta's business verification checks that your business exists and that the legal name you entered matches an official record. Meta does not publish an Israel-specific list, so use the strongest official document for your legal form. In Israel those come from two places: the Israeli Corporations Authority (רשות התאגידים), which runs the Registrar of Companies (רשם החברות), and the Israel Tax Authority (רשות המסים), which registers every business for VAT.

The company extract contains the company's incorporation details, share capital, shareholders, directors and registered charges, and the Corporations Authority now offers an expanded version. For a sole trader, the dealer number is normally the owner's identity number, so check what you are uploading: Meta needs the business, not your personal ID card. Partnerships use the Registrar of Partnerships and non-profits (עמותות) the Registrar of Amutot, both also at the Corporations Authority.

The Hebrew-name trap

The most common cause of rejection in Israel is a name mismatch between Hebrew and English. If your certificate says שלו אסתטיקה בע"מ and you typed "Shalev Aesthetics Ltd" into Meta, the reviewer has to guess that they are the same company. Three ways to avoid it: enter the legal name exactly as it appears on the document you upload; use a document that shows the registered English name if your company has one; and set the document language correctly when you upload, so the reviewer reads it as Hebrew. "Ltd" and "בע"מ" are part of the legal name; a trade name you use on Instagram is not.

Step 2: create the WhatsApp Business Account

The quickest route is Meta's embedded signup, which your provider opens from its dashboard. In QuickWA it is in Settings: log in with Facebook, choose or create your business portfolio, create the WhatsApp Business Account, add your number and confirm it with a code. The account belongs to your portfolio, not to the provider, so you keep the number, templates and quality history if you ever move.

Then add a payment method to the WhatsApp Business Account in Meta Business Suite. Since 1 October 2026 service replies above 1,000 a month per number are charged, and Meta said it would stop delivering them where no payment method is on file. Israeli rates and worked budgets are in our Israel pricing guide.

Step 3: choose your +972 number

Israel's country code is +972, and the leading 0 of the domestic number is dropped in international format:

• Mobile: 05X-XXX-XXXX becomes +972 5X XXX XXXX, for example 052-123-4567 is +972 52 123 4567.
• Landline: 0A-XXX-XXXX becomes +972 A XXX XXXX. Area codes are 02 (Jerusalem), 03 (Tel Aviv and Gush Dan), 04 (Haifa and the north), 08 (the south and Shfela) and 09 (the Sharon), so a Tel Aviv office on 03-555-1234 is +972 3 555 1234.
• VoIP: 07X numbers (such as 077 or 072) are non-geographic and follow the same pattern: +972 7X XXX XXXX.

Meta sends the verification code by SMS or voice call. A landline or most VoIP numbers cannot receive the SMS, so choose the voice call. Since number portability, a 05X prefix no longer tells you which operator the number is on, which does not matter to Meta.

Star numbers and 1-800 numbers

Many Israeli businesses advertise a star number (*2345, כוכבית). That is a short dialling code that routes to an underlying full number, and Meta does not accept short codes for WhatsApp. Register a full mobile, landline or VoIP number, and keep advertising the star number for calls. A new business portfolio can register two phone numbers; the cap rises to 20 once the business is verified or reaches the 2,000 messaging limit.

Coexistence or a new number?

Many Israeli clinics, salons and shops have run customer service from one WhatsApp Business app number for years, and their customers have it saved. Coexistence connects that same number to the API without leaving the app.

Set Coexistence up on a computer with the phone in your hand, because Meta shows a QR code that must be scanned with the WhatsApp Business app on that phone. QuickWA's shared inbox provides equivalents for the app features you lose, such as labels and saved replies. Our Coexistence guide walks through the flow.

Step 4: pick a display name that will pass

The display name is the business name customers see. Meta reviews it against its display name guidelines whenever you set or change it. Names that pass match your external branding: the name on your website, shop sign or registration. Names that tend to be rejected:

• Generic words or places on their own ("Real Estate Haifa", "Tel Aviv Clinic").
• Words that suggest endorsement, such as "Official" or "Verified".
• Slogans, offers or descriptions ("Best Laser Prices in Israel").
• Emojis or capitalisation that does not match your branding.
• A person's name with no visible link to the business.

A display name can be in Hebrew if that is how the business presents itself. Keep the same form on your website so the reviewer can match it.

Step 5: submit your first templates in Hebrew, Arabic and Russian

Business-initiated messages outside the 24-hour customer-service window need an approved template. Meta treats each language as a separate translation, approved on its own: Hebrew is he, Arabic ar, Russian ru and English en. Israel's population was about 10.3 million on the eve of Rosh Hashanah 2026, according to Central Bureau of Statistics figures reported in September, with Arab citizens around a fifth of residents and a large Russian-speaking community. A business serving the whole country usually needs at least Hebrew and Arabic, and often Russian.

Utility: appointment reminder (clinic)

שלום {{1}}, תזכורת לתור שלך ב{{2}} ביום {{3}} בשעה {{4}}. כדי לאשר השיבו 1, כדי לשנות מועד השיבו 2.

Здравствуйте, {{1}}! Напоминаем о вашей записи в {{2}} на {{3}} в {{4}}. Чтобы подтвердить, ответьте 1, чтобы перенести — 2.

Hi {{1}}, a reminder of your appointment at {{2}} on {{3}} at {{4}}. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to reschedule.

Marketing: holiday offer (online store)

פרסומת: היי {{1}}, מבצע חנוכה ב{{2}}! 15% הנחה על כל האתר עד יום שבת. לקנייה לחצו על הכפתור. להסרה השיבו STOP.

Hi {{1}}, Hanukkah sale at {{2}}: 15% off the whole site until Saturday. Tap the button to shop. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

The word פרסומת ("advertisement") at the start and a removal instruction are there because of Israel's anti-spam rules, explained in our Israel marketing rules guide. Keep the opt-out keyword in English: QuickWA's automatic opt-out recognises English keywords such as STOP and UNSUBSCRIBE, so a customer who replies הסר must still be removed by your team.

Arabic templates

Write Arabic templates with a native speaker who knows your customers, rather than translating the Hebrew version word for word. Arabic-speaking customers in Nazareth, Umm al-Fahm or Rahat read the same RTL layout as Hebrew readers, but the tone, greetings and even the working week around Friday prayers differ. Submit Arabic under the ar tag, never under he.

Hebrew and RTL pitfalls

• Variables beside Hebrew prefixes. Hebrew attaches prepositions to words ("ב", "ל", "מ"), so "ב{{2}}" reads naturally. Give Meta a realistic sample value so the reviewer sees the result.
• Numbers, prices and English brand names inside Hebrew text render left to right. Check the preview on a phone before submitting, especially for prices like ₪199.
• Gendered language. Hebrew verbs change with gender. Plural forms ("השיבו", "לחצו") address everyone and avoid writing "השב/י".
• Yiddish and Amharic are not on Meta's supported template languages list, so reach those customers in Hebrew or English.

Why templates get rejected

• A variable at the very start or end of the text, or two variables side by side.
• Missing or unrealistic sample values.
• Promotional wording in a template submitted as utility. Meta can also move such a template to marketing after approval.
• Hebrew text submitted under the English tag, or Arabic under Hebrew.
• Vague content such as "שלום {{1}}, {{2}}" that tells Meta nothing about what will be sent.

Step 6: understand your messaging limits

The messaging limit caps how many unique customers you can start conversations with, using templates, in a moving 24-hour window. It applies to the whole business portfolio, not to each number, so every number in the portfolio shares it. Replies to customers who wrote first do not count against it.

An established portfolio that already sends at a higher level keeps that limit for new numbers you add, so check WhatsApp Manager rather than assuming you start at 250. QuickWA shows the live level and quality for each connected number.

Quality rating

Meta rates each number on how recipients react; blocks and reports pull it down. Higher limits go only to high-quality senders, and repeated problems lead to template pauses, sending limits and finally account restrictions. In Israel there is a second reason to be careful: the same unwanted message that hurts your quality rating can also be the basis of a claim under the anti-spam law.

Your first week in Israel

1. Sunday: connect the number, add the payment method, submit a utility and a marketing template in Hebrew, plus Arabic or Russian if you serve those customers.
2. Monday: start business verification with your company extract or dealer registration. Import only contacts who opted in, with the date and source of consent.
3. Tuesday: set your sending window in QuickWA's Settings. It is not on by default; once set, scheduled broadcasts outside it wait until it reopens, which keeps campaigns off Shabbat.
4. Wednesday: switch on an AI or chatbot reply for after-hours questions, in Hebrew and whatever else your customers write in.
5. Thursday onward: send small, well-targeted batches. Steady, high-quality use is what moves you up the levels.

Plans start at $5/month with no setup fee and no per-seat fees, and every plan and limit is shown after sign-up. See the QuickWA Israel page for what is included, and our provider comparison for Israel if you are still choosing.

Sources

• Meta, messaging limits: developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Meta, business phone numbers (eligibility, number caps): developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Meta, onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (Coexistence): developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Meta, display names and template supported languages (he, ar, ru; Yiddish and Amharic not listed): display names, supported languages (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Meta, pricing and payment-method notice for 1 October 2026: developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Israeli Corporations Authority, company extract service: gov.il; contents of the extract and the expanded version, Barnea Jaffa Lande (4 September 2025): barlaw.co.il (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Israel Tax Authority, application to become an authorized dealer (form 821): gov.il (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Israeli telephone numbering (+972, area codes, 05X mobile, 07X VoIP): Wikipedia (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Population on the eve of Rosh Hashanah 5787 (CBS figures), as reported by i24NEWS: i24news.tv (checked 26 Oct 2026)