WhatsApp Coexistence in India: availability, Meta rates and INR billing
Coexistence is available for Indian numbers: Meta's onboarding documentation for Business app users names no country restriction. From October 1, 2026, Meta charges US$ 0.0118 per delivered marketing template to a +91 number and US$ 0.0014 per utility or authentication template. Businesses whose Billing Hub Sold-To country is India must move every WhatsApp Business Account to INR by December 31, 2026.
Meta's rate for a marketing template delivered to an Indian number, effective October 1, 2026.
Meta's INR rate for a utility or authentication template delivered to an Indian number.
Deadline for businesses with India as Sold-To country to move every WhatsApp Business Account to INR billing.
Minimum WhatsApp Business app version Meta requires for Coexistence onboarding.
Is WhatsApp Coexistence available in India?
Yes. Meta's current documentation for onboarding WhatsApp Business app users lists its requirements (app version 2.24.17 or newer, and a Tech Provider or Solution Partner running Embedded Signup) and one limitation, a fixed throughput of 20 messages per second. It names no country, region or calling code restriction, so a +91 number active in the WhatsApp Business app qualifies on the same terms as a number anywhere else.
What stops an Indian number is what stops any number: still being on the consumer WhatsApp app, running an app version older than 2.24.17, or already being attached to another provider. If Embedded Signup does not refuse the number, Coexistence is available to it.
What does Meta charge per message in India?
Meta charges per delivered template message, and the rate follows the country calling code of the recipient, not the location of the business. A template delivered to a +91 number is priced at India's rate wherever the sender is based.
The figures below come from Meta's USD and INR rate cards effective October 1, 2026. Non-template replies inside an open 24 hour customer service window are free, utility templates sent inside that window are free, and messages typed in the WhatsApp Business app on a Coexistence number stay free. Marketing templates are always charged. Meta's monthly volume tiers can lower the utility and authentication rates for large senders.
What changes with INR billing in India?
Meta launched INR billing localization on January 1, 2026 for partners and directly integrated businesses whose Sold-To country in Billing Hub is India. Those businesses must have every WhatsApp Business Account in their portfolio migrated to INR by December 31, 2026. Meta states that from January 1, 2027 it will no longer deliver the messages of non-INR accounts belonging to eligible customers.
On a Coexistence number this affects paid sends through the API, because the payment method sits on the business's own WhatsApp Business Account. India also carries an authentication-international rate, which applies to an eligible business based outside India once Meta sets its start date, with 30 days of notice.
How do you connect an Indian number to the API and keep the app?
Through Meta's Embedded Signup with the Coexistence option, run by a Tech Provider. The business logs in with Facebook, selects its Business Portfolio, enters the +91 number already registered in the WhatsApp Business app, and confirms by scanning a QR code shown in the app. Chat history from the app can then be synchronized, with media available only for the last two weeks of it.
The number keeps working in the app and gains Cloud API access at a fixed 20 messages per second. The full sequence, with what each screen asks for, is on the connecting a number page.
Common mistakes
- Leaving a WhatsApp Business Account on USD after December 31, 2026 when the Sold-To country is India. Meta has said it will stop delivering those messages.
- Pricing a campaign on the sender's country. Meta charges by the recipient's calling code, so +91 recipients cost India's rate.
- Treating every template as utility. A template Meta classifies as marketing costs more than eight times the utility rate in India.
EasyCoexistence connects a +91 number through Meta's own Embedded Signup in about two minutes and charges a flat fee per connected number, from US$ 9 a month. Meta bills its message rates to your own account, and we never mark them up.
Frequently asked questions
Are replies to Indian customers free?
Non-template replies inside the 24 hour customer service window are free, and so are messages typed in the WhatsApp Business app. Templates outside the window are charged.
Which currency does Meta bill Indian businesses in?
Businesses whose Billing Hub Sold-To country is India are moving to INR, with every account due on INR by December 31, 2026. Meta publishes an INR rate card for this.
Do I pay India's rate if my business is abroad?
Yes for marketing and utility, because the rate follows the recipient's +91 code. Authentication can move to the authentication-international rate once Meta sets a start date for your business.
Can I keep using the app on my phone?
Yes. Coexistence keeps the WhatsApp Business app working on the same number, as long as it runs version 2.24.17 or newer and is opened regularly.
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