How to Migrate a WhatsApp Phone Number

Overview:

Facebook allows phone numbers to be migrated from one WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) to another. This migration can be between two WABAs that are both hosted by Vonage or between a WABA at Vonage and a WABA hosted at another Business Service Provider (BSP).

The WhatsApp migration between two different BSPs will NOT result in any downtime. After being migrated, a phone number keeps its display name, quality status, messaging limits, Official Business Account status, and any high-quality message templates previously approved. Please note that message and chat history are not migrated with this process. You can find more information on Facebook's documentation.

It is the responsibility of the new destination BSP (i.e., where the WhatsApp phone number is going to) to complete the migration.

We encourage that you review post go-live instructions and complete the configuration on your Vonage account dashboard ahead of time so that your WhatsApp phone number can be used as soon as the migration is complete.

Eligibility Check

In order to complete the migration of a WhatsApp phone number, the following two requirements must be met:

1. Both the source WABA and destination WABA must be registered using the same Facebook Business Manager ID.
2. Both the source WABA and destination WABA must be in "Approved" status with:
   • Jewel Notification accepted.
   • WABA approved against Facebook’s Commerce Policy

Before We Start:

You need to ask the Source BSP (i.e., the provider that currently holds your WhatsApp phone number) to remove the 2FA pin. Vonage will not be able to do this for you. You need to liaise with the Source BSP to complete this. Removing the 2FA pin will not impact your number or its ability to send messages. The 2FA pin will be re-enabled once it is live with Vonage.

Migrating a WhatsApp Number to Vonage from Another Provider

Complete the following steps to migrate a WhatsApp phone number to Vonage, from another BSP.

1. You will need to go through Vonage’s managed onboarding process, starting with completing the Vonage WABA Application Form.
   • In the form, you can enter the 'soon to be migrated' phone number, and add a note at the end to highlight that this is a request for number migration.
2. Standard WABA onboarding requirements must be completed; You need to accept the Jewel Notification and complete the Business Verification. Facebook will then need to approve the business account.
3. Standard Vonage onboarding requirements might still be needed; where necessary, your account will be moved to postpaid billing and contracts will need to be signed.
4. You must then confirm:
   • That the source BSP has removed the two-factor authentication (2FA) pin from the WhatsApp number(s). Please note that you are responsible for asking the source BSP to confirm this.
   • The Facebook Business Manager ID on the source WABA and the destination WABA are exactly the same. We do not have any visibility of the source WABA at another BSP, so you are responsible for confirming this as well.
5. Once the new WABA is approved, you have confirmed the above and the standard Vonage onboarding requirements are complete, the Vonage team will then initiate the migration:
   • The migration of a phone number will be very similar to our existing OTP process.
   • The Vonage team will schedule a call with you to complete the migration.
   • During the call, a Voice/SMS OTP code will be sent to your phone number.
   • You will confirm the 6-digit code for the Vonage team to verify.
   • The Vonage team will then link the phone number to your chosen API key.
   • The phone number will be migrated and will appear as 'Connected' on the new WABA with Vonage.
6. You must then finalize your configuration on the Vonage account dashboard, if not done already, and then link your WhatsApp phone number to your application.