Latin America · Meta market: Colombia
WhatsApp Business API in Colombia, inside the legal send window
Colombia's consumer-contact law names app messaging outright: advertising may go out on weekdays from 7:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays from 8:00 to 15:00, never on Sundays or holidays.
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For Indian businesses with Colombian customers, and Colombian companies weighing InfiQ: when Ley 2300 de 2023 lets advertising reach people on WhatsApp, how consent works under Law 1581, what changes for debt-collection reminders, and what messages to Colombia cost.
Timing
The weekday window, on Bogotá's clock and yours
Ley 2300 de 2023 allows advertising by app messaging on weekdays from 7:00 to 19:00. Drag the send time to see where that falls in India.
Bogotá is ten and a half hours behind India all year, because Colombia keeps UTC-5 with no daylight saving. The weekday window of 7:00 to 19:00 in Colombia runs from 17:30 to 05:30 IST, so promotional sends from India are an evening and overnight job.
Saturdays are shorter: 8:00 to 15:00 in Colombia, which is 18:30 to 01:30 IST. Sundays and public holidays (festivos) are closed to advertising altogether. The clock above shades the weekday window only and does not know the holiday calendar, so check it when you schedule.
The hours govern advertising and debt-collection contact. Transaction confirmations, information the customer asked for and fraud alerts are exempt under Article 8, so an order update does not have to wait for the window.
It arrives at 00:30 in Colombia — outside weekday advertising hours. Bogotá is 10 h 30 min behind India today.
Compliance
Ley 2300, Law 1581 and who enforces them
Two laws shape a WhatsApp programme in Colombia: one on when and how you may contact consumers, one on the personal data behind every message.
Ley 2300 de 2023, in force since 10 October 2023, sets the channels, hours and frequency for contacting consumers, and its Article 5 applies the hour limits to advertising sent by SMS, app or web messaging, email and commercial calls.[1]
Point 1
Advertising hours, and an easy way out
Advertising may only be sent Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays from 8:00 to 15:00, never on Sundays or public holidays. Consumers cannot be required to accept commercial messages as a condition of a purchase, and senders must offer a quick, simple way to stop them at any time.[1]
Point 2
Collections: authorised channels, once a day
Entities supervised by the Superintendencia Financiera and anyone collecting debts may contact consumers only through channels the consumer authorised, not through several channels in the same week or more than once a day, within the same hours, and may not contact personal references.[1]
Point 3
What the limits do not cover
Transaction confirmations, information the consumer requested and fraud alerts are exempt (Article 8).[1]
Point 4
Prior, informed authorisation for the data
Law 1581 of 2012 requires the data subject's prior and informed authorisation, obtained by any means that can be consulted later (Article 9). WhatsApp's own policy separately requires an opt-in to messages from you.[2],[18]
Point 5
The SIC supervises, and can fine
The SIC's Delegated Office for Personal Data Protection supervises compliance and can fine up to 2,000 monthly minimum wages, with successive fines while a breach continues (Articles 19 and 23). Ley 2300 breaches are sanctioned by the Superintendencia Financiera and the SIC within their competences.[2],[1]
Point 6
Register the database with the SIC
The SIC runs the National Registry of Databases (Article 25), and the U.S. ITA notes that businesses must register their databases with it. Financial and credit data also fall under the Habeas Data law, Law 1266 of 2008.[2],[8]
Point 7
The do-not-contact registry is being adapted
Ley 2300 told the ICT Ministry and the communications regulator (CRC) to adapt the Registro de Números Excluidos within six months; its current coverage of messaging apps could not be confirmed.[1]
Point 8
Misleading advertising is the advertiser's liability
The Consumer Statute, Ley 1480 de 2011 (amended in 2024), prohibits misleading advertising and makes the advertiser liable for the damage it causes (Article 30).[3]
- A summary of public guidance from the sources cited, not legal advice.
Colombia's market, and where WhatsApp fits
A large consumer market with a fast-growing instant-payment system and a busy outsourcing industry.
The U.S. ITA reports that in Colombian e-commerce, WhatsApp has emerged as a preferred channel for both sales and support (March 2026).[5]
Colombia's nominal GDP was about US$457 billion in 2025, fourth in Latin America, by the IMF's estimate; the population was about 53.4 million.[9],[10]
The United States is Colombia's number one trade and investment partner, according to the U.S. ITA.[6]
Bre-B, the central bank's instant-payment system, began interoperating on 23 September 2025; in its first year it reports 245 participating entities, more than 116 million registered keys, over 36 million users and 1.7 billion transfers, 37% of them by QR code.[15]
PSE bank transfers and wallets such as Nequi, Daviplata and Mercado Pago are widely used online, and cash on delivery remains common (U.S. ITA).[5]
Personal remittances received were about US$13.1 billion in 2025 (World Bank).[11]
Spanish is the official language, and the languages of ethnic groups are also official in their territories (Constitution, Article 10).[4]
Industries
Colombian sectors and their message types
Shares are for 2025, from World Bank data, unless another source is named.
- 01
BPO and outsourcing
ProColombia's investment arm says BPO operations can scale in six metro areas of over a million people, including Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, and that the sector passed 705,000 jobs by the end of 2021.[16]
On WhatsApp: Customer service for local and foreign clients · English and Spanish support · Shift notices to agents
- 02
- 03
- 04
Oil, gas and coal
Fuels were about 35% of merchandise exports in 2025.[12]
On WhatsApp: Contractor and field-crew notices · Site logistics
- 05
Agriculture and food
Agriculture, forestry and fishing were about 10% of GDP, and food about 25% of merchandise exports, in 2025.[13]
On WhatsApp: Buyer updates · Logistics coordination
- 06
Manufacturing
Manufacturing value added was about 9.9% of GDP in 2025.[14]
On WhatsApp: B2B order status · Dealer support
Colombian Spanish, with English for outsourcing
Meta has a template code for Colombian Spanish. Each language version of a template is approved on its own.
Write consumer templates in es_CO with a Colombian speaker, and keep the register your brand already uses with customers, which in Colombia is often usted.
InfiQ's own support team works in English and Hindi. Spanish copy and Spanish-speaking agents come from your side.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Colombia) | es_CO | Consumer templates |
| English | en | BPO and nearshore teams serving foreign clients |
Prices in ₹ and COP
What WhatsApp messages to Colombia cost
Colombia has its own row on Meta's rate card. On InfiQ a marketing message to a Colombian number costs ₹1.10, utility ₹0.0706, authentication ₹0.0706 and a service reply ₹0.0706.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ $33,412 COP
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ $27,860 COP
Everything a growing business needs to run WhatsApp properly.
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ $100,303 COP
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ $83,580 COP
Lite, plus the API, automation and team scale serious senders need.
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to Colombia · Colombia
| Category | ₹ INR | COP |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹1.0993 | $36.8 |
| Utility | ₹0.0706 | $2.4 |
| Authentication | ₹0.0706 | $2.4 |
| Service | ₹0.0706 | $2.4 |
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and COP
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | $182₹5.4352 | $76.5₹2.2874 | $76.5₹2.2874 | $76.5₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | $215₹6.4397 | $10.9₹0.3254 | $10.9₹0.3254 | $10.9₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | $184₹5.4970 | $20.0₹0.5981 | $20.0₹0.5981 | $20.0₹0.5981 |
| Chile | $261₹7.8162 | $58.8₹1.7585 | $58.8₹1.7585 | $58.8₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | $36.8₹1.0993 | $2.4₹0.0706 | $2.4₹0.0706 | $2.4₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | $189₹5.6629 | $10.6₹0.3167 | $10.6₹0.3167 | $10.6₹0.3167 |
| France | $253₹7.5588 | $88.3₹2.6393 | $88.3₹2.6393 | $88.3₹2.6393 |
| Germany | $402₹12.0088 | $162₹4.8386 | $162₹4.8386 | $162₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | $215₹6.4397 | $76.5₹2.2867 | $76.5₹2.2867 | $76.5₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | $253₹7.5596 | $103₹3.0700 | $103₹3.0700 | $103₹3.0700 |
| India | $31.6₹0.9435 | $6.5₹0.1941 | $4.7₹0.1402 | $4.8₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | $121₹3.6133 | $73.5₹2.1979 | $73.5₹2.1979 | $73.5₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | $100₹2.9992 | $23.2₹0.6943 | $23.2₹0.6943 | $23.2₹0.6943 |
| Israel | $104₹3.1045 | $15.6₹0.4662 | $15.6₹0.4662 | $15.6₹0.4662 |
| Italy | $234₹6.9847 | $88.2₹2.6369 | $88.2₹2.6369 | $88.2₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | $178₹5.3098 | $52.9₹1.5824 | $52.9₹1.5824 | $52.9₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | $233₹6.9671 | $129₹3.8671 | $129₹3.8671 | $129₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | $253₹7.5644 | $41.2₹1.2314 | $41.2₹1.2314 | $41.2₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | $117₹3.4877 | $25.0₹0.7471 | $25.0₹0.7471 | $25.0₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | $122₹3.6425 | $67.6₹2.0218 | $67.6₹2.0218 | $67.6₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | $470₹14.0494 | $147₹4.3987 | $147₹4.3987 | $147₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | $215₹6.4397 | $10.0₹0.2990 | $10.0₹0.2990 | $10.0₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | $152₹4.5421 | $19.7₹0.5898 | $19.7₹0.5898 | $19.7₹0.5898 |
| Oman | $100₹2.9992 | $72.6₹2.1709 | $72.6₹2.1709 | $72.6₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | $139₹4.1620 | $44.1₹1.3200 | $44.1₹1.3200 | $44.1₹1.3200 |
| Peru | $207₹6.1843 | $88.3₹2.6392 | $88.3₹2.6392 | $88.3₹2.6392 |
| Poland | $107₹3.2105 | $35.8₹1.0702 | $35.8₹1.0702 | $35.8₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | $100₹2.9992 | $35.3₹1.0547 | $35.3₹1.0547 | $35.3₹1.0547 |
| Romania | $253₹7.5596 | $85.1₹2.5436 | $85.1₹2.5436 | $85.1₹2.5436 |
| Russia | $236₹7.0520 | $118₹3.5173 | $118₹3.5173 | $118₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | $169₹5.0537 | $31.4₹0.9401 | $31.4₹0.9401 | $31.4₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | $215₹6.4397 | $47.1₹1.4072 | $47.1₹1.4072 | $47.1₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | $112₹3.3385 | $28.0₹0.8369 | $28.0₹0.8369 | $28.0₹0.8369 |
| Spain | $208₹6.2161 | $58.8₹1.7578 | $58.8₹1.7578 | $58.8₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | $215₹6.4397 | $5.9₹0.1759 | $5.9₹0.1759 | $5.9₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | $32.1₹0.9587 | $2.6₹0.0792 | $2.6₹0.0792 | $2.6₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | $253₹7.5596 | $87.4₹2.6138 | $87.4₹2.6138 | $87.4₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | $169₹5.0537 | $46.2₹1.3811 | $46.2₹1.3811 | $46.2₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | $187₹5.5795 | $64.7₹1.9346 | $64.7₹1.9346 | $64.7₹1.9346 |
| North America | $73.5₹2.1976 | $10.0₹0.2989 | $10.0₹0.2989 | $10.0₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | $66.2₹1.9796 | $11.8₹0.3516 | $11.8₹0.3516 | $11.8₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | $248₹7.4057 | $33.2₹0.9938 | $33.2₹0.9938 | $33.2₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | $253₹7.5596 | $62.2₹1.8595 | $62.2₹1.8595 | $62.2₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | $218₹6.5048 | $33.2₹0.9934 | $33.2₹0.9934 | $33.2₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | $115₹3.4490 | $26.7₹0.7998 | $26.7₹0.7998 | $26.7₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | $174₹5.2054 | $50.2₹1.5019 | $50.2₹1.5019 | $50.2₹1.5019 |
| Other | $178₹5.3098 | $22.6₹0.6769 | $22.6₹0.6769 | $22.6₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. Peso amounts are indicative conversions; InfiQ invoices in rupees, excluding GST.
Rates for every Meta market, plus plans and add-ons, are on one page.
See all plans and ratesOn InfiQ
The InfiQ pieces that keep you inside the window
Scheduling for promotions, an always-on path for transactional messages, and a record of every opt-in.
- Broadcast campaigns
Send approved template campaigns to up to 2,00,000 contacts per broadcast, with segments, scheduling and delivery analytics.
Segments and scheduling let you time each promotional campaign inside Ley 2300's hours; check the festivo calendar before you set it.
- Consent records and opt-out enforcement
Each contact's opt-in source and time are recorded, STOP replies are enforced at platform level (even against later imports), and the audit trail exports.
Each opt-in's source and time are recorded and STOP replies are enforced at platform level: the authorisation record and the easy exit the law asks for.
- Developer API and webhooks
A REST API with scoped keys, idempotency keys and per-key rate limits, plus HMAC-SHA256-signed webhooks retried for 24 hours. Included on Growth, an add-on on Lite.
Transaction confirmations and fraud alerts are triggered from your own systems through the API, separately from scheduled promotions.
- Shared team inbox
One WhatsApp number answered by a team: 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, agent and manager roles, transfers, private notes, labels and canned replies.
Agents answer customers who write first, at any hour, from one shared number with transfers, notes and labels.
- InfiQ Flows chatbot builder
A no-code builder for automated conversations (27 blocks, versioned publishing with rollback), priced per flow; the Growth plan includes one.
Automated answers for order status and common questions in Spanish, published without code.
- Template manager and library
Draft, submit and track WhatsApp message templates for Meta's approval, starting from a library of 1,000+ ready templates in 27 categories.
Draft and track es_CO templates through Meta's approval, with promotional and transactional templates kept apart.
Getting started
Getting started with Colombian customers
Indian businesses can start today. A business based in Colombia starts with sales.
From India
Separate promotions from updates
Mark every template as advertising or transactional, and schedule only the advertising inside the window.
From India
Collect authorisation
Ask for prior, informed authorisation and keep it where it can be consulted later, in InfiQ's consent records.
From India
Go live
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed. Once Meta business verification is complete, a number is live in about two hours.
Based in Colombia
Talk to sales
InfiQ serves India-based businesses and bills in rupees; a company based in Colombia should ask sales about availability.
Based in Colombia
Register and map
Register your database with the SIC and map which of your messages count as advertising before you choose a provider.
City guides in Colombia
Questions businesses ask about WhatsApp in Colombia
- Can WhatsApp promotions reach Colombian customers on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday?
- Saturday only until 15:00, and Sunday not at all. Under Ley 2300 de 2023, advertising by app messaging may go out Monday to Friday from 7:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday from 8:00 to 15:00, never on Sundays or public holidays. Schedule weekend promotions for Saturday morning, Bogotá time.
- Do order confirmations and fraud alerts have to wait for the Ley 2300 hours?
- No. The hours apply to advertising and to debt-collection contact, and Article 8 exempts transaction confirmations, information the consumer requested and fraud alerts. Keep those templates free of promotional content so they stay on the right side of the line.
- How do we capture 'autorización previa e informada' under Law 1581?
- Ask before you collect, explain what the messages will be, and keep the answer in a form that can be consulted later, as Article 9 requires. You can ask on a website form or in a conversation the customer starts; InfiQ records the source and time of each opt-in.
- What does Ley 2300 change for WhatsApp debt-collection reminders?
- Collectors may use only channels the consumer authorised, may not use several channels in the same week or make contact more than once a day, must keep to the same hours, and may not contact personal references. On WhatsApp that means at most one reminder a day, inside the window, and only if WhatsApp is an authorised channel.
- Do we need to register our customer database with the SIC?
- The SIC runs Colombia's National Registry of Databases under Law 1581, and the U.S. ITA notes that businesses must register their databases there. A business based in Colombia should do so before it starts messaging.
- Can Colombian customers pay by Bre-B, PSE or Nequi from a WhatsApp message?
- Yes, through your own checkout. InfiQ does not offer in-chat payments, but a utility template can carry a payment link from your provider, and the customer pays by Bre-B, PSE or a wallet there. More than a third of Bre-B operations already use QR codes.
- We run a BPO in Medellín. Can we serve client brands on InfiQ?
- Start with sales. InfiQ serves India-based businesses, invoices in rupees and processes customer data in India, so a business based in Colombia should ask about availability first. Sales can also explain how client brands and numbers would be set up.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. InfiQ's rates come from its published rate card. Page updated 2026-10-20.
- [1]Ley 2300 de 2023 · Secretaría General del Senado de Colombia · read 2026-10-20
- [2]Ley Estatutaria 1581 de 2012 · Secretaría General del Senado de Colombia · read 2026-10-20
- [3]Ley 1480 de 2011 (Estatuto del Consumidor) · Secretaría General del Senado de Colombia · read 2026-10-20
- [4]Constitución Política de Colombia 1991 · Secretaría General del Senado de Colombia · read 2026-10-20
- [5]Colombia: eCommerce (17 March 2026) · U.S. International Trade Administration · read 2026-10-20
- [6]Colombia: Market Overview (10 March 2026) · U.S. International Trade Administration · read 2026-10-20
- [7]Colombia: Distribution & Sales Channels · U.S. International Trade Administration · read 2026-10-20
- [8]Colombia: Digital Economy · U.S. International Trade Administration · read 2026-10-20
- [9]World Economic Outlook database: GDP, current prices (NGDPD), Colombia · International Monetary Fund · read 2026-10-20
- [10]World Development Indicators: population, total (SP.POP.TOTL), Colombia · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
- [11]World Development Indicators: personal remittances received (BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT), Colombia · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
- [12]World Development Indicators: fuel exports (TX.VAL.FUEL.ZS.UN), Colombia · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
- [13]World Development Indicators: agriculture value added and food exports (NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS; TX.VAL.FOOD.ZS.UN), Colombia · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
- [14]World Development Indicators: manufacturing value added (NV.IND.MANF.ZS), Colombia · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
- [15]Bre-B · Banco de la República · read 2026-10-20
- [16]Outsourcing of services: BPO · Invest in Colombia (ProColombia) · read 2026-10-20
- [17]Time Zone Database 2026e, 'southamerica' file (Colombia) · IANA · read 2026-10-20
- [18]WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (updated 23 September 2026) · WhatsApp (Meta) · read 2026-10-20
Send inside the window, from India
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and schedule your first es_CO templates inside Ley 2300's hours. Or talk to sales about a programme for Colombian customers.
