Europe · Meta market: France
On 11 August 2026 France closed Bloctel and made phone canvassing opt-in. WhatsApp was never the loophole: prospecting individuals by message already needed their consent.
For Indian businesses with French customers, and French firms weighing options: what the end of Bloctel and opt-in phone canvassing mean for WhatsApp, how Article L34-5 and the CNIL treat prospecting, French templates, the France rate on InfiQ and how to start.
See it work
France has moved phone canvassing from opt-out to opt-in. Scrub the timeline to see what changed for calls, and what was already true for messages.
Bloctel's end is a change for sales teams that called consumers. For messaging, the rule was already consent first: the CNIL says prospecting individuals by SMS-MMS or email is allowed only if they consented before being contacted.
The two rules now point the same way. A team that loses its cold-call list cannot move the same prospects to WhatsApp; it can invite them to start a conversation themselves, through a WhatsApp link on its site, in its emails or in an ad.
Oct 2026NowEvent 5 of 5
Messages: consent first, as before
Prospecting individuals by SMS or email still needs their consent before they are contacted, under Article L34-5 CPCE. The CNIL does not name WhatsApp; applying the rule to it follows the analogy with SMS.
Event 5 of 5: Oct 2026 — Messages: consent first, as before (now). Prospecting individuals by SMS or email still needs their consent before they are contacted, under Article L34-5 CPCE. The CNIL does not name WhatsApp; applying the rule to it follows the analogy with SMS.
Before you send
What the CNIL asks of a prospecting message to an individual, read across to WhatsApp. Tick each item once your process covers it.
Article L34-5 of the Code des postes et des communications électroniques allows prospecting individuals by SMS, MMS or email only if they consented before being contacted; the GDPR and the loi Informatique et Libertés govern the data.[2],[4]
Regulator: Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL)
6/6
ticked
Ready to send
Every item ticked.
Ready to send. 6 of 6 ticked.
Sources for each point: Consent before the first message[2],[3]; No pre-ticked boxes, no consent through the terms[3],[2]; The existing-customer exception needs a real sale[3]; Sender identified, refusal free and simple[2]; Professionals: relevant offers and an easy objection[3],[18]; WhatsApp opt-in on top[18]
This section summarises public guidance from the sources cited. It is not legal advice; check with your counsel before you send.
WhatsApp is widely used in France but, unlike in Germany or the Netherlands, it does not lead the field. Figures from the Reuters Institute, INSEE, the World Bank and the ECB.
In the Reuters Institute's 2026 survey, 64% of online respondents in France had used WhatsApp in the last week, just behind Facebook at 66%; YouTube stood at 59%, Instagram 49% and Facebook Messenger 41%.[1]
France's population was estimated at 69.1 million on 1 January 2026, up 0.25% in a year.[6]
France had the EU's second-largest GDP in 2025, about US$3.37 trillion at current prices; services were 70.9% of GDP and manufacturing 9.5%.[8],[9]
INSEE reported GDP growth of 0.0% in the second quarter of 2026 and an unemployment rate of 8.3%.[7]
Cards were used for 48.3% of point-of-sale transactions and cash for 43.1% in the ECB's 2024 study; online, cards made up 54.2% of payments by number.[10]
The Constitution makes French the language of the Republic; regional languages are recognised as part of France's heritage, not as official languages.[11]
Tourism leads because a hotel or tour operator writes to guests from everywhere; the industrial sectors run on B2B coordination. Each figure is the source's own.
Atout France estimates 102 million international arrivals in 2025, with record international receipts of €77.5 billion (Banque de France); accommodation and food services employ 1.3 million private-sector staff.[12]
Airbus has more than 56,000 staff and 46 locations in France; its Toulouse site is the country's largest industrial site, and it bought €18.8 billion from 3,500 French subcontractors in 2024.[13]
Marseille Fos, which describes itself as France's leading port, handled 74 million tonnes of goods in 2025.[14]
Paris La Défense hosts about 2,800 businesses and calls itself Europe's leading business district.[15]
The government-backed French Tech network counts 115 labelled organisations, 19 regional Capitals and 28 communities in France.[16]
Language
Consumer templates for France start in French; an English version helps with international guests and B2B contacts. Switch between the two.
Meta also has codes for Belgian, Swiss and Canadian French; plain fr is right for customers in France. Each language version of a template is approved separately.
Replies inside the 24-hour window can be in any language your agents write, which matters for hotels whose guests arrive from many countries.
Template language
French template (fr). Example text written for this page; your own templates go through Meta’s review.
Locate it
Metropolitan France keeps one clock; the overseas departments and territories keep their own.
Drag the globe from New Delhi to France. Metropolitan France runs on Central European Time, with summer time from late March to late October, so a Paris morning arrives around the Indian midday.
The capital and its business district, the aerospace city and the Mediterranean port are three different audiences for one WhatsApp number. If you also serve customers in the overseas departments, schedule their messages by their own local time, not by Paris.
Drag or swipe to rotate. Use the arrow keys to rotate, plus and minus to zoom, and 0 to reset.
Prices in ₹ and EUR
France has its own line on Meta's rate card. On InfiQ: ₹7.56 per marketing message, ₹2.64 per utility message, ₹2.64 per authentication message and ₹2.64 per service reply, before GST.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ €9.38 EUR
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ €7.83 EUR
Everything a growing business needs to run WhatsApp properly.
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ €28.17 EUR
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ €23.48 EUR
Lite, plus the API, automation and team scale serious senders need.
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to France · France
| Category | ₹ INR | EUR |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹7.5588 | €0.0710 |
| Utility | ₹2.6393 | €0.0248 |
| Authentication | ₹2.6393 | €0.0248 |
| Service | ₹2.6393 | €0.0248 |
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | €0.0511₹5.4352 | €0.0215₹2.2874 | €0.0215₹2.2874 | €0.0215₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | €0.0605₹6.4397 | €0.0031₹0.3254 | €0.0031₹0.3254 | €0.0031₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | €0.0516₹5.4970 | €0.0056₹0.5981 | €0.0056₹0.5981 | €0.0056₹0.5981 |
| Chile | €0.0734₹7.8162 | €0.0165₹1.7585 | €0.0165₹1.7585 | €0.0165₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | €0.0103₹1.0993 | €0.0007₹0.0706 | €0.0007₹0.0706 | €0.0007₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | €0.0532₹5.6629 | €0.0030₹0.3167 | €0.0030₹0.3167 | €0.0030₹0.3167 |
| France | €0.0710₹7.5588 | €0.0248₹2.6393 | €0.0248₹2.6393 | €0.0248₹2.6393 |
| Germany | €0.113₹12.0088 | €0.0455₹4.8386 | €0.0455₹4.8386 | €0.0455₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | €0.0605₹6.4397 | €0.0215₹2.2867 | €0.0215₹2.2867 | €0.0215₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | €0.0710₹7.5596 | €0.0288₹3.0700 | €0.0288₹3.0700 | €0.0288₹3.0700 |
| India | €0.0089₹0.9435 | €0.0018₹0.1941 | €0.0013₹0.1402 | €0.0014₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | €0.0339₹3.6133 | €0.0206₹2.1979 | €0.0206₹2.1979 | €0.0206₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | €0.0282₹2.9992 | €0.0065₹0.6943 | €0.0065₹0.6943 | €0.0065₹0.6943 |
| Israel | €0.0292₹3.1045 | €0.0044₹0.4662 | €0.0044₹0.4662 | €0.0044₹0.4662 |
| Italy | €0.0656₹6.9847 | €0.0248₹2.6369 | €0.0248₹2.6369 | €0.0248₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | €0.0499₹5.3098 | €0.0149₹1.5824 | €0.0149₹1.5824 | €0.0149₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | €0.0654₹6.9671 | €0.0363₹3.8671 | €0.0363₹3.8671 | €0.0363₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | €0.0711₹7.5644 | €0.0116₹1.2314 | €0.0116₹1.2314 | €0.0116₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | €0.0328₹3.4877 | €0.0070₹0.7471 | €0.0070₹0.7471 | €0.0070₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | €0.0342₹3.6425 | €0.0190₹2.0218 | €0.0190₹2.0218 | €0.0190₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | €0.132₹14.0494 | €0.0413₹4.3987 | €0.0413₹4.3987 | €0.0413₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | €0.0605₹6.4397 | €0.0028₹0.2990 | €0.0028₹0.2990 | €0.0028₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | €0.0427₹4.5421 | €0.0055₹0.5898 | €0.0055₹0.5898 | €0.0055₹0.5898 |
| Oman | €0.0282₹2.9992 | €0.0204₹2.1709 | €0.0204₹2.1709 | €0.0204₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | €0.0391₹4.1620 | €0.0124₹1.3200 | €0.0124₹1.3200 | €0.0124₹1.3200 |
| Peru | €0.0581₹6.1843 | €0.0248₹2.6392 | €0.0248₹2.6392 | €0.0248₹2.6392 |
| Poland | €0.0302₹3.2105 | €0.0101₹1.0702 | €0.0101₹1.0702 | €0.0101₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | €0.0282₹2.9992 | €0.0099₹1.0547 | €0.0099₹1.0547 | €0.0099₹1.0547 |
| Romania | €0.0710₹7.5596 | €0.0239₹2.5436 | €0.0239₹2.5436 | €0.0239₹2.5436 |
| Russia | €0.0662₹7.0520 | €0.0330₹3.5173 | €0.0330₹3.5173 | €0.0330₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | €0.0475₹5.0537 | €0.0088₹0.9401 | €0.0088₹0.9401 | €0.0088₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | €0.0605₹6.4397 | €0.0132₹1.4072 | €0.0132₹1.4072 | €0.0132₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | €0.0314₹3.3385 | €0.0079₹0.8369 | €0.0079₹0.8369 | €0.0079₹0.8369 |
| Spain | €0.0584₹6.2161 | €0.0165₹1.7578 | €0.0165₹1.7578 | €0.0165₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | €0.0605₹6.4397 | €0.0017₹0.1759 | €0.0017₹0.1759 | €0.0017₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | €0.0090₹0.9587 | €0.0007₹0.0792 | €0.0007₹0.0792 | €0.0007₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | €0.0710₹7.5596 | €0.0246₹2.6138 | €0.0246₹2.6138 | €0.0246₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | €0.0475₹5.0537 | €0.0130₹1.3811 | €0.0130₹1.3811 | €0.0130₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | €0.0524₹5.5795 | €0.0182₹1.9346 | €0.0182₹1.9346 | €0.0182₹1.9346 |
| North America | €0.0206₹2.1976 | €0.0028₹0.2989 | €0.0028₹0.2989 | €0.0028₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | €0.0186₹1.9796 | €0.0033₹0.3516 | €0.0033₹0.3516 | €0.0033₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | €0.0696₹7.4057 | €0.0093₹0.9938 | €0.0093₹0.9938 | €0.0093₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | €0.0710₹7.5596 | €0.0175₹1.8595 | €0.0175₹1.8595 | €0.0175₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | €0.0611₹6.5048 | €0.0093₹0.9934 | €0.0093₹0.9934 | €0.0093₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | €0.0324₹3.4490 | €0.0075₹0.7998 | €0.0075₹0.7998 | €0.0075₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | €0.0489₹5.2054 | €0.0141₹1.5019 | €0.0141₹1.5019 | €0.0141₹1.5019 |
| Other | €0.0499₹5.3098 | €0.0064₹0.6769 | €0.0064₹0.6769 | €0.0064₹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. Euro amounts are indicative conversions; InfiQ invoices in rupees. Compare ₹0.94 for a marketing message to an Indian number.
Rates for every Meta market, plus plans and add-ons, are on one page.
See all plans and ratesOn InfiQ
Consent before the first message, an easy refusal after it, and conversations the customer starts: these are the InfiQ pieces that carry them.
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.
The CNIL expects consent before the first message and an easy refusal after it. Opt-in source and time are recorded, and STOP is enforced even against later imports.
Learn moreInfiQ Flows chatbot builder
A no-code chatbot can greet people who click a WhatsApp link, answer their first questions in French and ask for marketing consent before handing over to an agent.
Shared team inbox
Conversations customers start are answered from one number by a team, with transfers, labels and canned replies.
Template manager and library
French templates drafted from the library and tracked through Meta's approval.
Customer data hosted in India
Customer data is processed in India, the first fact a French client's data protection officer will ask about.
Getting started
InfiQ serves India-based businesses. Indian senders follow the first four steps; a business based in France starts with sales.
From India
Put a WhatsApp link on your French site, in emails and in ads, so customers start the conversation.
From India
InfiQ guides business verification; once Meta business verification is complete, a number is typically live in about two hours. A 7-day Lite trial needs no card.
From India
A separate, unticked choice to receive offers on WhatsApp, with how to stop explained.
From India
Booking, order and delivery updates first; promotions only to contacts with a recorded opt-in.
Based in France
InfiQ bills in Indian rupees and supports teams in English and Hindi on India time. Availability for a business based in France goes through sales.
Based in France
Customer data is processed in India; the data processing agreement and the sub-processor list explain how transfers are handled.
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.
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and put a WhatsApp link where French customers can find it. Based in France? Talk to sales about availability.
