For information about all countries and regions supporting international authentication messages and the corresponding rates, see Pricing of Chat App Message Service.
Effective June 1, 2024, WhatsApp will update its authentication rates and introduce authentication-international rates. This rate update will apply to the following countries:
Indonesia (country code +62): Effective from June 1, 2024.
India (country code +91): Effective from July 1, 2024.
The existing authentication rates for all other countries/regions will remain unchanged.
The following table lists the related updates.
Recipient country/region | Authentication message (USD/conversation) | Authentication message - international authentication (USD/conversation) |
India | 0.0014 | 0.028 |
Indonesia | 0.03 | 0.136 |
Starting July 1, 2024, the authentication template rates will be available in India.
The authentication-international rates will apply to Indonesia starting June 1, 2024, and to India starting July 1, 2024.
What are authentication-international rates?
If your business sends authentication messages to WhatsApp users and the country/region dialing code of the user falls under a country with authentication-international rates, your business will be charged according to the authentication-international rates of that country under the following conditions:
Your business qualifies for authentication-international rates. For more information, see Eligibility.
The primary place of operation of your business is located in a country other than those with authentication-international rates. For more information, see Primary place of operation.
The conversation is sent on or after the date when authentication-international rates come into effect for that country.
For example, if your business is located in Indonesia and you send an authentication message to a WhatsApp user with the country/region dialing code +62 (Indonesia), you will not be charged authentication-international rates because both you and the user are in the same country. However, if your business is located in India and all the above conditions are met, you will need to pay the authentication-international rates.
Eligibility
If within 30 days your business opens more than 750,000 authentication conversations with WhatsApp users across all WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs), and the country/region dialing code of these users falls under a country with authentication-international rates, your business will be considered eligible for authentication-international rates.
Once deemed eligible by WhatsApp, WhatsApp will set a start date 30 days later for each country with authentication-international rates. Additionally, WhatsApp will attempt to use publicly available information to determine the primary place of operation of your business.
WhatsApp will then send you an eligibility email, which includes the start dates and the country identified as your primary place of operation (if WhatsApp can determine this). This notification will be sent 30 days in advance of the applicable authentication-international rates taking effect. You will receive a notification 30 days before authentication-international rates apply.
Please note that eligibility is permanent. Once your business is considered eligible, all authentication conversations initiated on or after your start date in markets where authentication-international rates apply will be charged at the authentication-international rates.
Start time
The start time is a timestamp specific to your business and the country/region. It indicates when newly initiated authentication conversations will be subject to authentication-international rates. Authentication conversations initiated by your business with WhatsApp users in these countries/regions on or after the start date will be charged at the authentication-international rates. The start time is set when your business is first deemed eligible for authentication-international rates, and it begins 30 days from the date of eligibility determination. Therefore, you will receive a notification 30 days in advance before the authentication-international rates take effect.
Primary place of operation
Your primary place of operation is the country where your business is located. If WhatsApp can determine your business location using publicly available information, it will appear in the "Primary Business Location" field in the Business Manager platform starting from May 1, 2024.
Publicly available information includes:
Location where your business is publicly traded or listed.
Corporate structure of your business (the location of the parent company or holding company, or where it is listed).
WhatsApp will attempt to determine your business location under the following circumstances:
You are deemed eligible for authentication-international rates.
You need to edit your primary place of operation in the Business Manager platform.
This process may take up to 3 business days. The determination results can be:
Verified: WhatsApp has determined your business location and set your primary place of operation to that country/region.
Need more information: WhatsApp requires additional information to make a determination.
Rejected: WhatsApp does not agree with the country/region you specified in the Business Manager platform (if you have edited the primary place of operation field).
You will be informed of the result either in the initial eligibility email or in a separate email (if you have edited the primary place of operation in the Business Manager platform).
If your application is rejected, needs more information, or if you disagree with the country/region determined by WhatsApp as your primary place of operation, you can edit your primary place of operation using the Business Manager platform.
If your primary place of operation status is not verified but you have passed the start time for a particular country, any new authentication conversations initiated with WhatsApp users in that country will be charged at the authentication-international rates.
Edit your primary place of operation
You can edit the primary place of operation of your business at any time in the Business Manager platform.
Go to Business settings > Business info > Primary Business Location > Edit.
The "Primary Business Location" field in the Business Manager platform will display one of the following statuses:
Verified: WhatsApp has verified the primary location of your business.
Pending verification: WhatsApp is in the process of determining your business's primary location.
Rejected: Based on publicly available information and the details you provided when editing the location, WhatsApp does not agree with the country/region you specified. You can manually edit your location again and include different information in your submission.
Eligibility confirmation email
When you send authentication messages via WhatsApp, WhatsApp considers this as your acknowledgment and agreement that, when your business is deemed eligible for authentication-international rates, WhatsApp will send an email to all administrator email addresses associated with your account, as well as to all third parties with whom your WABA has been shared (such as administrators of solution partners who have access to your WABA). This email serves to notify them that your business has reached the eligibility threshold.
The email will contain:
The precise start times for each country where authentication-international rates apply.
The country of your primary business location as determined by WhatsApp.
For more information about authentication-international rates, see Authentication-international rates.