Moving a WhatsApp Business API number to another BSP is possible and usually keeps the number's display name, quality rating and messaging limit, but you must do it deliberately: two-step verification has to be off, the destination account has to be set up first, and Meta does not publish how long the switch takes. Conversation history does not travel with the number.
This guide covers what must be true before you start, what carries over and what does not, the order of steps, what to say about downtime, and when staying put is the better call.
What has to be true before you migrate
One number, one account at a time. A number is registered on a single WhatsApp account, so migrating means the destination takes it over from the source. It is a move, not a copy, and there is no supported way to run the same number on two providers in parallel.
Two-step verification must be disabled. Meta's migration guide for Solution Partners lists this as a precondition: the client turns off the number's two-step verification PIN, and the remaining steps cannot be completed until it is off. Per Meta's phone number documentation, it can be disabled only in WhatsApp Manager, not through the API, and Meta emails a disable link to the address tied to the business portfolio. If your current provider set the PIN, you need them (or access to the portfolio) to remove it.
Source and destination must be in a compatible business setup. BSP documentation generally states that both sides must sit under the same Meta business portfolio, and that the source portfolio should be verified with an approved display name. Meta's own pages we could retrieve do not restate the same-portfolio rule, so confirm it with your destination provider before you plan around it.
Check which account model you are on. Meta's current pages carry a warning that phone number migration is not supported for accounts on the new WhatsApp account model, where the number belongs to a WhatsApp account that clients share with each partner. In that model the route is sharing the account that owns the number, or moving numbers between account hierarchies inside the same portfolio in Meta Business Suite. Ask your destination provider which path applies to your account before you cancel anything.
Check who owns the account. If your current BSP created and holds the WhatsApp Business Account, you cannot disable the PIN or authorise the move yourself. Ask for ownership or portability in writing; the choosing-a-BSP checklist lists this as a red flag for exactly this reason.
What carries over and what does not
Carries over. For the standard Embedded Signup migration, Meta states the number's display name, quality rating, messaging limit and Official Business Account status are preserved, because the number itself does not change.
Templates are copied, not moved intact. Approved templates are duplicated to the destination account, but their individual quality ratings are not migrated, and templates that were low quality, rejected or pending are not brought across. Review your template library after the move and resubmit anything missing.
History does not move. We found no Meta mechanism that transfers past conversations to the new provider, and BSP documentation says message history is not migrated. Export what you need from the old inbox before cutting over: contact notes, tags, opt-in records and open conversations. Opt-in evidence matters most, because you still need it to send marketing.
Billing splits at the switch. Messages sent before the migration are billed through the old provider, messages after through the new one. Meta bills per delivered message either way, so see per-message pricing explained for how the fee layer then differs.
The order that avoids surprises
1. Prepare the destination. Have the new provider's account, billing and webhooks ready, and agree the cutover time before you touch the old one.
2. Export and freeze. Pull history and opt-in data, and pause scheduled broadcasts so nothing is mid-flight.
3. Disable two-step verification in WhatsApp Manager through the emailed link.
4. Run the Embedded Signup migration from the destination provider, verify the number by the 6-digit code (SMS or voice), and confirm the status shows connected.
5. Re-register webhooks, resubmit missing templates and send a test message in both directions before announcing anything.
How long is the downtime, honestly
Meta publishes no figure, so nobody can promise one. We found no official duration for the switch, and the documentation we retrieved does not describe sending and receiving during the move. Treat the number as unavailable from the moment you start the move until you have confirmed a test message in both directions, and ask the destination provider what they have measured on comparable accounts. Whether the interruption is minutes or longer depends on the verification step, the account's state and how clean your setup is. One provider also warns that an incorrect or inactive business website can take the account offline after migration.
Plan around that uncertainty. Migrate off-peak, avoid campaigns and sales days, and tell support staff that inbound messages may not arrive during the window. Customers who write in that gap should be able to reach you another way.
When migrating is the wrong choice
If the problem is the price, not the platform, negotiate first: Meta's fees are the same through every provider, so a lower provider fee is the only saving, and it may not repay a migration. Compare real invoices using what WhatsApp Business API costs.
If you rely on years of conversation history in the old inbox, or the number carries a recent quality problem you would rather not move, a new number alongside the old one can be safer than a cutover. And if your account uses the new account model, a standard migration may simply not be available. If you are already switching, TikJoy's WhatsApp AI Concierge is one destination to test with the same checklist as any other.