WhatsApp authentication-international rates

Some countries cost more for authentication templates. Meta calls the higher rate authentication-international, and it applies when the business sending the code is based outside the country receiving it. The business in question is whoever owns the WhatsApp Business Account the message goes out on.

Where the rate applies

As of October 1, 2026, these 18 destinations have an authentication-international rate. Select a country to see its published WhatsApp pricing:

The destination alone does not determine your rate: Meta also checks the sending business's location and eligibility. Meta's rate cards list both authentication rates by country.

The list expanded from nine to 18 destinations on October 1, 2026. Meta has measured eligibility across all 18 since September 1, 2026. See October 2026 pricing changes.

What Meta looks at

Meta assesses eligibility, the business’s primary location and the effective date for each destination market. An international destination alone does not establish which rate applies to your business.

Check the eligibility notice for the business portfolio that owns the sending account. Confirm the destination, the primary business location Meta has recorded and the country-specific start date. Use Meta’s current authentication-international reference for the applicable volume criteria and timing.

How to check your business

Review the notices sent to the account administrators and the portfolio’s information in Business Settings.
Confirm that the primary business location describes the company that owns the sending WhatsApp Business Account. Follow Meta’s review process if that information needs correction.
Check the effective date for the destination before forecasting spend. Keep the ordinary authentication and authentication-international rates separate in the estimate.
After sending, reconcile the applied category and charge in your billing records. Business verification alone does not determine the international rate.

Where to see what you spent

The Usage page breaks WhatsApp consumption down by destination country, so each affected market is its own row, and the Spend page is the wallet ledger, one row per charge with a running balance. Per message, read it back with GET /v1/whatsapp/messages/{message_id}: the cost object shows the message’s recorded charge projection, which can lag or remain incomplete. A null amount is not evidence of a free message. Use the billing records for financial reconciliation. The international premium sits in passthrough_amount, Meta's share, which can land from an applicable delivered or read callback and is priced under the category Meta itself reports rather than the one your template carries.

Shared senders and managed templates

Bird Verify and Authifly shared senders are unavailable in the 18 destinations above. You can still send verification codes there with a connected WhatsApp business number.

For shared senders on Verify or managed authentication templates in the WhatsApp API, the sending account belongs to the service provider. Your business location does not determine the rate for that account. Check the published rate for the managed route you use.

Next steps

Usage, spend & invoices: where WhatsApp charges land across the three billing pages.
Sending WhatsApp messages: the send call and the cost model behind each message.
WhatsApp templates: categories, variables, and the catalog you send from.
Plans & pricing: what the plan covers and what is pay-as-you-go.

Continue with the documentation, guides and examples for this topic.

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