How to Get the WhatsApp Business API in Singapore: ACRA Documents, Verification, Your +65 Number and First Templates

Short answer: you need a Meta business portfolio, a +65 number that can receive an SMS or a voice call, a website or email on your own domain, and, for verification, your ACRA Business Profile from BizFile+ showing your registered name, UEN and address. You can connect and start messaging the same day: a newly created portfolio may start conversations with 250 unique customers per 24 hours, and verification is one of three ways to reach 2,000. If your number already runs the WhatsApp Business app, Coexistence lets you keep the app and add the API on the same number. Templates can be approved in English (including en_SG), Simplified Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

Before you start: the checklist

• Your entity's registration record, normally the ACRA Business Profile, showing the exact registered name, UEN and registered address.
• A Meta business portfolio in the entity's name, with at least two admins so a resignation never locks you out.
• A website on your own domain that shows the same name. A .sg or .com.sg domain is not required, but a site and email on your own domain are far stronger evidence than a free mailbox.
• A Singapore number you control that is not currently registered on WhatsApp Messenger. A WhatsApp Business app number can be connected through Coexistence.
• A payment method for Meta, because Meta invoices message fees to your WhatsApp Business Account. You can choose SGD billing.

Step 1: get your registration documents

Meta's business verification checks that your business exists and that the legal name you entered matches an official record. In Singapore, most businesses are registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), and the document that proves it is the Business Profile, bought or downloaded through ACRA's BizFile+ portal by searching your entity name or UEN. Each Business Profile comes as a PDF carrying a QR code and verification URL that anyone can check on ACRA's trustBar portal, which is exactly what a reviewer needs.

The rule that decides most outcomes: type the legal name exactly as it appears on the Business Profile, including "Pte. Ltd." and its punctuation. A tuition centre registered as "Bright Minds Education Pte. Ltd." that types its shopfront name, "Bright Minds Tampines", into the legal-name field will usually be asked for more documents. Put the trade name in the display name instead (Step 4), and make sure your website footer carries the legal name and UEN, which is common practice in Singapore and makes the match easy.

Step 2: create the WhatsApp Business Account

The quickest route is Meta's embedded signup, which your provider opens from inside its dashboard. In QuickWA it is in Settings: you log in with Facebook, pick or create your business portfolio, create the WhatsApp Business Account, add your +65 number and verify it with a one-time code. The account belongs to your portfolio, not to the provider, so your number, templates and quality history stay with you if you ever switch platform.

Then add a payment method in Meta's Billing Hub. Since 1 October 2026 service replies beyond the free 1,000 per number per month are charged, and Meta warned that replies beyond the free tier are not delivered without a payment method. If your accounts are kept in Singapore dollars, pick SGD as the billing currency: Meta has billed in SGD since 1 April 2026, and says a chosen currency cannot simply be switched later.

Step 3: choose your +65 number

Singapore numbers are eight digits after the +65 country code, with no area codes and no trunk zero. Under IMDA's National Numbering Plan, numbers starting with 6 are fixed-line (and IP telephony), 8 and 9 are mobile, and 3 is reserved for IP telephony and data-only services. Always store and display numbers in international format: +65 6123 4567 for a clinic's front desk, +65 9123 4567 for a mobile.

• A 6xxx landline works as long as it can receive Meta's verification code by voice call. Choose voice verification; a landline cannot receive the SMS.
• Short codes are not supported, and neither is a number you do not own.
• A number already on WhatsApp Messenger must be deleted from the app first. A number on the WhatsApp Business app does not need deleting: use Coexistence.
• A new portfolio can register two numbers; the cap rises to 20 once the business is verified or reaches the 2,000 messaging limit. A clinic group planning one number per branch should verify early.

When you import contacts, normalise local numbers to +65 before the first campaign. A list where half the entries read "9123 4567" and half "+6591234567" will produce duplicates and, worse, failed sends to numbers missing the country code.

Coexistence or a new number?

A large share of Singapore's small businesses, from hawker-stall caterers to enrichment centres and renovation contractors, already run on one WhatsApp Business app number printed on their flyers and lorries. Coexistence connects that same number to the API without leaving the app.

Two practical notes. Coexistence is set up on a computer while you hold the phone that runs the WhatsApp Business app, because Meta shows a QR code to scan with it. And keep that phone active: Meta's documentation says a primary device left inactive for about 14 days triggers a disconnection. QuickWA provides shared-inbox equivalents of the app features you lose, such as labels and quick replies. Our Coexistence guide walks through the screens.

Step 4: pick a display name that will pass

The display name is what customers see above your messages. Meta reviews it against its display name guidelines and again whenever you change it, which you can do up to 10 times in 30 days; after an approved change you have 14 days to re-register the number. Names that pass match your external branding: your shopfront, website and social pages. Names that tend to fail:

• Generic descriptions on their own ("Tuition Centre", "Aircon Servicing SG").
• Words implying endorsement, such as "Official" or "Verified".
• Slogans, prices or offers ("Cheapest Aircon Chemical Wash 50% Off").
• Emojis or random capitalisation that does not match your branding.
• A person's name with no visible link to the business.

A bilingual brand such as "Bright Minds 明智教育" can use the form that appears on its public signage, as long as it is consistent everywhere.

Step 5: submit your first templates

Business-initiated messages outside the 24-hour customer-service window need an approved template. Each language is a separate translation of the template, reviewed on its own. For Singapore, Meta's supported list includes English (en, en_GB, en_US and en_SG), Chinese (zh_CN for Simplified, zh_HK, zh_TW), Malay (ms) and Tamil (ta). Singapore uses Simplified script, so zh_CN is normally the right tag for Mandarin customers. Start with a utility template, a marketing template and, if you send login codes, an authentication template.

Utility: lesson reminder (tuition centre)

Hi {{1}}, this is a reminder that {{2}} has {{3}} class tomorrow, {{4}}, at our Tampines centre. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 if your child needs a make-up slot.

您好 {{1}}，提醒您：{{2}} 明天（{{3}}）在淡滨尼中心有 {{4}} 课。确认出席请回复 1，需要补课请回复 2。

Utility: appointment reminder (dental clinic)

Hello {{1}}, your appointment at {{2}} is on {{3}} at {{4}}. Please reply YES to confirm or CHANGE to reschedule.

Hai {{1}}, temu janji anda di {{2}} adalah pada {{3}} jam {{4}}. Sila balas YES untuk sahkan atau CHANGE untuk tukar tarikh.

வணக்கம் {{1}}, {{2}} இல் உங்கள் சந்திப்பு {{3}} அன்று {{4}} மணிக்கு உள்ளது. உறுதிப்படுத்த YES என்றும், மாற்ற CHANGE என்றும் பதில் அனுப்பவும்.

Marketing: payday promotion (beauty brand)

Hi {{1}}, payday treat from {{2}}: 15% off all serums until Sunday, free delivery islandwide above S$50. Shop now with the link below. Reply STOP to stop promotions.

您好 {{1}}！{{2}} 发薪日优惠：精华液全线 85 折，优惠至本周日，满 S$50 全岛免运费。点击下方链接选购。回复 STOP 即可退订优惠信息。

Notice that the opt-out keywords stay in English (STOP, YES, CHANGE) even inside Chinese, Malay and Tamil templates. Many Singapore customers type in English anyway, and QuickWA's automatic opt-out recognises English keywords such as STOP and UNSUBSCRIBE, so keeping the keyword in English is the reliable choice. Every example also opens with words rather than a variable, because Meta often rejects a template whose text starts with {{1}}.

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 an approved utility template to marketing, normally with a day's notice.
• The wrong language tag, such as Chinese text submitted under English or Traditional characters under zh_CN.
• Vague content ("Hi {{1}}, {{2}}") that tells Meta nothing about what will be sent.

Only send a customer a language they have chosen, for example on a sign-up form or by replying in it. Do not guess a language from a surname; in Singapore that is wrong as often as it is right.

Step 6: understand your messaging limits

The messaging limit caps how many unique customers you can start conversations with, using templates sent outside a customer-service window, in a moving 24-hour period. It is set for the business portfolio, so every number in the portfolio shares it. An established portfolio that already sends at a higher level keeps that level for new numbers, so check WhatsApp Manager rather than assuming you start at 250.

Quality rating

Meta scores each number on how recipients react: blocks, reports and similar signals pull it down, and only high-quality senders move up. Repeated problems lead to template pauses, sending limits and, eventually, account restrictions. In Singapore there is a second reason to be careful: marketing messages to +65 numbers are also covered by the Do Not Call rules in the Personal Data Protection Act. Our Singapore marketing rules guide explains what that means in practice.

Your first week in Singapore

1. Day 1: connect the number, choose SGD billing, add a payment method, submit three templates in English and the languages your customers actually use.
2. Day 2: start business verification with your ACRA Business Profile. Import only contacts with a recorded opt-in, with the date and source.
3. Day 3: set a sending window in QuickWA's Settings so scheduled broadcasts wait for sensible hours; it is not switched on by default, so decide your hours.
4. Day 4: switch on the AI knowledge-base bot or a no-code chatbot for after-hours questions; it replies in the customer's language.
5. Day 5 onward: send small, well-targeted batches. Quality and steady use are what move 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 Singapore page for what is included, and our Singapore pricing guide for Meta's per-message rates.

Sources

• Meta, messaging limits: developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Meta, business phone numbers (eligibility, landlines, short codes, 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: developers.facebook.com; template supported languages: developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Meta, template categories and recategorisation: developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• Meta, pricing, SGD billing currency and the payment-method notice: developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• ACRA, BizFile+ portal and verifying Business Profiles (PDF with QR code and verification URL, checked on trustBar): bizfile.gov.sg, acra.gov.sg (checked 26 Oct 2026)
• IMDA, National Numbering Plan (number series 3, 6, 8 and 9): imda.gov.sg (checked 26 Oct 2026)