Account access

Which documents does Meta accept for business verification, and what else does the check look at?

By The Tofu team ·

Meta accepts articles of incorporation, a business license or registration, a government-issued business tax document or a business bank statement. A utility bill counts only for your address or phone number, and self-filed tax forms and expired papers don't count. Together, your documents must show your legal business name plus your official address or phone number. Meta also checks that you're allowed to represent the business, that your website loads over HTTPS, and that you can confirm a code or verify your domain. A decision can take up to 14 business days.

As of November 2026.

Restricted right after verifying? See why Meta restricts an ad account after you verify it. Confirming by domain? See whether you still need to verify your domain in Meta.

Which documents does Meta accept?

Meta's help article lists five "primary document types":

DocumentWhat Meta says
Certificate or Articles of IncorporationAccepted
Business registration or license documentAccepted
Government-issued business tax documentAccepted, and it "could include a Tax Certificate." Self-filed tax documents are not accepted
Business bank statementAccepted
Utility billOnly for your business address and phone number. Your legal business name must be on it, but a utility bill can't prove the name

Whatever you upload, Meta says it "should validate the legal name of your business and your business's official mailing address or phone number." If the document that shows your name doesn't also show your address or phone number, add a second one that does.

Other rules from the same article:

  • Documents must not be expired and must be "issued by the relevant authorities."
  • Cover personal details Meta doesn't need, such as a Social Security number.
  • Meta accepts documents in 21 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. For any other language, add an English translation with a translation agency's official stamp.

That article gives no file types or size limit. Meta's developer page for partner-led verification, which only approved WhatsApp solution partners can use for their clients, accepts up to 3 PDF, JPEG, JPG or PNG files of up to 5 MB each. Meta doesn't say the same limits apply when you upload in Security Center yourself.

Which documents won't Meta accept?

Meta names three kinds: self-filed tax documents, a utility bill used to prove your legal name, and anything expired or not issued by an authority. Its list is generic. It doesn't say how it treats common US papers such as an IRS EIN letter or an LLC's articles of organization, so we can't confirm whether those pass. The safest choice is a document that clearly fits one of the five types above.

What else does the check look at?

Documents are only one part. Meta's help and developer pages describe five other checks:

  1. Who is asking. Meta's status article is written for people with full control of the business portfolio, and its developer docs say only someone with an admin role in the business can complete verification. Meta can reject an attempt to verify a portfolio you don't own or aren't authorized to represent, so verify in your own portfolio, not through an agency's.
  2. Your business details. Meta's developer guide for tech providers says you give your business name, address, phone number, email and website, and you "might need to upload accepted documents to confirm these details if your business is not found." It doesn't say where Meta looks for your business.
  3. Your website. Meta can reject a submission whose website fails to load, isn't HTTPS, or links to an error page.
  4. Your link to the business. You confirm with a code sent to your business email or phone number, or by verifying your domain. Meta says to use domain verification or a phone code if you have no business phone or email, if your email domain doesn't exactly match your website domain, or if you have a .edu address, which can't receive codes. If you pick an email code, Meta may ask you to prove you own the website domain.
  5. Honesty. Meta may reject a submission with false or misleading information, or one it suspects of it, and any attempt to get around its review.

Meta One, a subscription Meta is still testing, has its own verification for a verified badge, with routes such as a government photo ID or a business bank login. Its help page is about that badge, not business verification in Security Center, so don't count on those routes there.

How long does verification take, and where do I see the result?

Up to 14 business days, Meta says, and you get a notification when the review is done. Check the status in Security Center, under Settings in Meta Business Suite. If you started from another tool, such as Commerce Manager, look there instead. If you're rejected, Meta says you may be eligible to appeal; check Security Center.

Does a B2B company have to verify before it can advertise?

Not as a blanket rule. On March 11, 2026, Meta said advertisers "may be required to verify depending on factors like where they deliver ads," whether they have a history of breaking its rules, and whether their type of ads is more open to abuse. It wants verified advertisers to drive 90% of its ad revenue by the end of 2026, up from 70%, and says this will cover the highest-risk categories. The post doesn't say whether that advertiser verification is the same check as business verification in Security Center.

Two country rules show how this plays out:

  • Singapore: in March 2025, Meta said every advertiser targeting Singapore must verify who benefits from and pays for its ads, by the end of June 2025. Advertisers with a verified business portfolio may be able to skip that step.
  • Thailand: in October 2025, Meta said advertisers whose ads reach Thailand and who meet its risk criteria get up to 7 days after Meta's notice to verify. If they don't, they can't deliver ads there.

If your developers build a Meta app that needs advanced access to permissions, or that lets other businesses access their own data, Meta's developer docs say it must be connected to a verified business.

Is business verification the same as Meta Verified?

No. Meta says verifying your business in Business Suite doesn't give you a verified badge. Meta Verified is a separate subscription. For how it compares with Meta One, see whether you have to pay for Meta One to get a real person at Meta.

How do I avoid a rejection?

  • Type your legal entity name (such as "Acme Analytics, Inc."), not your brand name, exactly as it appears on your documents.
  • Use an address and phone number that appear on your documents.
  • Check that your website loads over HTTPS and its links work.
  • Use an email address at your website's domain, or verify your domain first.
  • Have someone with full control of your own portfolio submit it.

Sources

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