How agencies request access to a client's Facebook Page or ad account

From your own business portfolio you can request a client's Facebook Page (Settings > Pages > + Add > Request shared access to a Facebook Page), a client's ad account (Settings > Ad accounts > + Add > Request access to an ad account in another business portfolio), or several asset types at once (Settings > Partners > Add > Ask a partner to assign you their assets). Each request waits until someone with full control on the client's side approves it. The other route is to send the client your business portfolio ID and let them give you access.

Ask or request?

There are two ways to get access, and both end with the same partner access.

• The client gives you access. You send your business portfolio ID; a person with full control on the client's side shares the assets they choose. This is one action for the client, with no request to find. Send them the partner access guide.
• You request access. You start from your business portfolio, and the client approves. This helps when the client does not know where to start, or when you need one specific Page or ad account.

By asset:

• Facebook Page: request it by name or URL.
• Ad account: request it by its ad account ID.
• Instagram account, dataset and other assets: ask the client to give you partner access. A partner request (below) also lets you choose asset types, but Meta's help does not list which types it offers.
• Catalog: the owner can create a one-time invitation link for your business, valid for 30 days.

Sending a partner request needs full control of your own business portfolio.

Request access to a client's Page

You need a primary Page in your business portfolio first; the first Page you added is your primary Page.

1. Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite for your business portfolio.
2. Under Accounts, select Pages.
3. Click the + Add dropdown and select Request shared access to a Facebook Page.
4. Enter the Page name or URL and select the Page.
5. Choose partial access or full control. For partial access, select the tasks, such as Ads and Insights.
6. Click Confirm.

The request goes to someone with full control of the Page or of the business portfolio the Page is in. If the Page is not in a business portfolio, the Page's admin can accept it. When it is approved, the Page appears in your business portfolio with the client shown as owner.

Request access to a client's ad account

Ask the client for the ad account ID first. It is in the account dropdown at the top of their Meta Ads Manager.

1. Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite for your business portfolio.
2. Under Accounts, click Ad accounts.
3. Click + Add and select Request access to an ad account in another business portfolio.
4. Enter the Ad account ID.
5. Choose partial access or full control. For partial access, select the tasks; Manage campaigns covers creating and editing ads.
6. Click Confirm.

Meta says this works for an ad account in another business portfolio or one owned by a person. The ad account owner, or someone with full control of the portfolio it is in, has to approve.

Send a partner request for several asset types

1. Go to Settings in Meta Business Suite for your business portfolio.
2. Under Users, click Partners.
3. Click Add, then Ask a partner to assign you their assets.
4. Review the information and click Get started.
5. Enter the client's email address and their business portfolio ID.
6. Select your business's role and the client's role, then click Next.
7. Choose the asset types and permissions you want, then click Next.
8. Review and click Send request.

The client picks the specific assets. They can approve, deny, or change which asset types and permissions to share. You see the status under Partners, and you can cancel the request there.

Where the client finds your request

Meta says that, due to privacy concerns, it cannot tell you who can accept your request. So tell your client exactly where to look.

• A Page request, in Meta Business Suite: Settings > Requests > Other requests, then Approve or Decline.
• A Page request, from the Page: open the Page, Settings > Page setup, click Next beside Page access, then Review request and Accept.
• An ad account or partner request: Meta's help does not name the screen. Requests in Settings is where Meta sends people for other approvals, so start there.

For a Page request that is still pending, Meta's advice is to send its approval instructions directly to the person with full control of the client's business portfolio. If your contact does not have full control, they need to forward it. When the client cannot find it at all, see a Meta invitation or Page access request not showing.

A message you can send your client

Adapt this, and send it from an address the client knows:

Hi, we have sent an access request to your business from our business portfolio, [your business name]. It asks for [the Page and ad account] with [Ads and Insights / Manage campaigns] access. Someone with full control of your business portfolio can approve it in Meta Business Suite, starting under Settings, then Requests. You can see exactly what we asked for before you approve, and you can remove our access at any time under Partners. We never need your password.

Keep the message free of links other than Meta's own help pages, so the client approves inside Meta Business Suite and nowhere else. If your client wants to check the request first, the guide on checking an agency access request is written for them.

When access arrives: assign your people

Partner access goes to your business, not to a person. Assign your staff yourself: in Settings, either open People, click a person and Assign assets, or open the asset and click Assign people. If the client gave you partial access, you can only give your people the tasks the client gave you.

Why tools cannot send the request for you

Meta's business-to-business developer guide says access to the endpoints for requesting another business's ad accounts and Pages has been limited since June 8, 2021, and apps without access get an error. So an app without that access cannot send the request for you; it can only help the client give the access from their side.

Doing it with an access link

Our access link works from the client's side, so you do not send requests at all. You connect your business portfolio once and send the link; the client signs in with Facebook, picks their accounts and confirms. A Meta ad account is a guided step on Meta's own screen, where the box shows the client your business ID to paste and checks that the access arrived. You see where each client stands on your dashboard.