If your business sends WhatsApp messages through the official WhatsApp Business Platform (the API) and Meta bills you as an Indian customer, your WhatsApp Business account has to be billed in Indian rupees by 31 December 2026. Meta says that from 1 January 2027 it will stop delivering messages from accounts that haven't moved to INR. Here is who this applies to, how the switch works and what to check before you do it.
What Meta has announced
Meta's WhatsApp pricing updates page lists these dates for India:
| Date | What happened or happens |
|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2026 | INR billing launched for eligible Indian customers. The India marketing message rate also went up on this date. |
| 1 Apr 2026 | The India authentication-international rate went up. |
| 1 Jun 2026 | Meta made "WABA Currency Migration APIs" available to make the switch faster. |
| 31 Dec 2026 | Deadline: "Eligible customers must ensure all WABAs in their business portfolio are migrated to INR." |
| 1 Jan 2027 | "Meta will no longer deliver the messages of non-INR WABAs of eligible customers." |
(WABA means WhatsApp Business Account: the account that holds your phone numbers and message templates.)
Does this affect your business?
Meta describes eligible customers as partners and directly integrated clients whose Sold-To country in Meta's Billing Hub is India. In practice, it depends on who pays Meta:
- Meta bills you directly (you added your own card or invoicing in Meta Business Suite for WhatsApp): the migration is your responsibility, or your developer's.
- You pay a WhatsApp platform or provider (a Business Solution Provider) and they pay Meta: the provider is usually the party Meta bills. Ask them, in writing, whether your account is covered and when they will migrate it.
- You only use the free WhatsApp Business app on a phone: this change is about the paid Business Platform (API) billing, so it doesn't apply to the app.
If you aren't sure which group you're in, look at who sends you the invoice for WhatsApp messages. That's who needs to act.
How the switch to INR works
Meta's developer documentation explains that changing billing currency creates a new WhatsApp Business account in the new currency and moves your setup across to it. According to that documentation:
- Moved over: message templates (all statuses), Flows, the app installation, users and permissions, and then your phone numbers. Phone number limits are preserved.
- Changes: template IDs are different on the new account.
- Not moved: templates in outdated formats, phone numbers that are in "manual review", and insights or analytics, which stay on the old account.
- After the move: the original account can no longer send messages. It isn't deleted.
- Not eligible for this migration method: Coexistence and Authorized Agents accounts.
Developers can do it through the migration API: start the migration with INR as the currency, wait until it's ready, check templates and permissions, then complete it so the phone numbers move. Many providers will handle these steps for you.
Checklist before you migrate
- List your templates and fix or recreate any in outdated formats, because those won't move.
- Check your phone numbers. Resolve anything stuck in manual review first.
- Find everything that uses template IDs. Your CRM, chatbot, booking system or automation tool may store them. Since IDs change, these integrations need updating straight after the move.
- Export the reports you need. Insights stay on the old account.
- Pick a quiet time. Don't migrate during a sale, a broadcast or a busy appointment day.
- Test straight after. Send a test template and a reply inside a customer chat, and check that your automations still trigger.
- Don't leave it to the last week of December. Give yourself time to fix anything that doesn't move cleanly.
Will your WhatsApp costs change?
The deadline is about the billing currency. What you pay per message depends on Meta's rate card for India, the message category (marketing, utility or authentication) and whether the message is free, for example a reply inside the 24-hour customer service window. Meta did raise the India marketing rate on 1 January 2026 and the authentication-international rate on 1 April 2026, so check the current INR rate card on Meta's pricing page rather than relying on old numbers. If you use a provider, they will add their own platform fee and applicable taxes on top of Meta's charges.
For a plain-English explanation of how WhatsApp automation and message charges work, see our WhatsApp automation guide.
What happens if you miss the deadline?
Based on Meta's announcement, messages from non-INR accounts of eligible customers won't be delivered from 1 January 2027. For a clinic that sends appointment reminders, or a shop that sends order updates, that means customers simply stop receiving them. Treat this as a hard cut-off, not a soft warning.
Quick answers
Do I need a new phone number?
No. Meta's documentation says phone numbers move to the new account and their limits are preserved.
Will my message templates need approval again?
Templates move across, but they get new IDs. Templates in outdated formats don't move and will need to be recreated.
I use a WhatsApp marketing platform. Do I have to do anything?
Ask your provider to confirm whether they're the billed party and when your account will be migrated. Then update any integrations that use template IDs after they finish.
Does this apply to the WhatsApp Business app?
No. It applies to accounts billed on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API).
Need a hand?
If you're not sure whether your account is affected, or your automations depend on template IDs, we can review your WhatsApp setup and plan the switch with you. Learn more about our WhatsApp automation services or send us a message.
This article summarises Meta's public documentation as read on 18 October 2026. Meta may update its rules, so check the official pages linked below before acting.
Sources
- Meta: Pricing updates on the WhatsApp Business Platform
- Meta: Change WhatsApp Business account billing currency
- Meta: WhatsApp Business Platform pricing
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