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Europe · Meta market: Germany

WhatsApp Business API for Germany, where B2B needs consent too

WhatsApp is Germany's most-used network by a wide margin, and §7 UWG is one of Europe's strictest advertising rules. Test a message against it, business recipients included.

Start free trialTalk to sales
WhatsApp weekly use
83% of online respondents (Reuters Institute, 2026)[1]
Advertising rule
§7 UWG: prior express consent[2]
B2B exempt?
No: §7(2) No. 2 covers every addressee[2]
Data supervision
16 state authorities, with the federal BfDI[5]
Population
About 83.5 million (2025)[10]
Clock
CET (UTC+1); CEST (UTC+2) from late March to late October[17]
Meta market
Germany (its own rate line)

For Indian businesses selling to Germany, and German firms comparing providers: why §7 UWG requires express consent for WhatsApp advertising to businesses as well as consumers, how the existing-customer exception works, German templates, the Germany rate on InfiQ and how to start.

See it work

Is this WhatsApp message allowed under §7 UWG?

Pick a recipient and a message, then answer the questions §7 asks. Take the business-buyer path to see that it ends in the same place as the consumer one.

The part German buyers underestimate is the business recipient. §7(2) No. 2 makes advertising by electronic mail without the addressee's prior express consent an unreasonable nuisance, and it draws no line between consumers and businesses. A purchasing manager's mobile number is no easier to market to than a shopper's.

The existing-customer exception in §7(3) is narrow: an address obtained in a sale, your own similar goods or services, no objection, and a clear notice at collection and in every message that the customer can object at any time. On WhatsApp, Meta's opt-in rule applies on top.

§7 UWG check for one WhatsApp message

Question 1 · up to 5

Who receives the message?

Your answers

None yet — pick an answer to start down the tree.

Path map

Depth 0 of up to 5. Circles are questions, squares are outcomes.

All possible outcomes (4)

  • Send, with the sender named and a way to stop

    Advertising must not hide the sender and must give a valid address for requests to stop (§7(2) No. 3). Meta's policy also requires the person's opt-in to your WhatsApp messages.

    Path: “A consumer” → “Yes: an offer, promotion or newsletter” → “Yes”

  • The §7(3) existing-customer exception may apply

    Read across to WhatsApp, the exception may cover this message. Because Meta's policy still needs the customer's opt-in to WhatsApp messages, express consent at checkout is the simpler route.

    Path: “A consumer” → “Yes: an offer, promotion or newsletter” → “No” → “Yes” → “Yes, all of these”

  • Do not send

    Without prior express consent, advertising by electronic mail is an unreasonable nuisance under §7(2) No. 2, whether the addressee is a consumer or a business. Competitors and associations can seek injunctions (§8).

    Path: “A consumer” → “Yes: an offer, promotion or newsletter” → “No” → “No: a prospect, trade-fair contact or bought-in list”

  • Not advertising: send it as a utility message

    An update the person asked for, with no offer in it, sits outside the advertising rule. Keep promotions out of it, and remember WhatsApp's opt-in rule still applies.

    Path: “A consumer” → “No: an order, delivery or appointment update they asked for”

Built on §7 UWG as published on Gesetze im Internet. The UWG does not name WhatsApp; treating a WhatsApp message as 'elektronische Post' is a common interpretation, not one this page verified from case law.

Question 1: Who receives the message? 2 options.

Compliance

UWG, GDPR and who enforces what

In Germany the advertising rule and the data rule have different enforcers. Competitors and associations act under the UWG; state authorities supervise data protection.

§7 UWG treats advertising by electronic mail without the addressee's prior express consent as an unreasonable nuisance; the GDPR (DSGVO) and the BDSG 2018 govern the personal data behind it.[2],[5]

Regulator: State (Länder) data protection authorities, with the BfDI, coordinated in the Datenschutzkonferenz

  1. Point 1

    Express consent, for consumers and businesses

    §7(2) No. 2 refers to the addressee and makes no consumer-business distinction, so a B2B promotion needs the same prior express consent. Meta's WhatsApp policy separately requires the recipient's opt-in.[2],[18]

  2. Point 2

    A narrow existing-customer exception

    §7(3): an address obtained from the customer in connection with a sale, used for your own similar goods or services, no objection from the customer, and a clear notice at collection and in every use that they can object at any time.[2]

  3. Point 3

    Sender named, stop address given

    Advertising messages must not conceal the sender's identity and must give a valid address for requests to stop (§7(2) No. 3).[2]

  4. Point 4

    Enforced by competitors as well as authorities

    Unsolicited advertising can be challenged through civil injunction claims by competitors, registered trade associations, qualified consumer associations and chambers (§8 UWG), not only by data protection authorities.[3]

  5. Point 5

    Consent records: the phone rule as a benchmark

    For phone advertising, consent must be documented and kept for five years (§7a), and the Bundesnetzagentur can fine unsolicited consumer phone advertising up to €300,000 (§20). These provisions concern calls, not messages; they are a useful benchmark for how long to keep WhatsApp consent records.[4]

  6. Point 6

    SMS double opt-in proves little

    The Datenschutzkonferenz's February 2022 direct-marketing guidance says that without the §7(3) conditions, advertising by email generally needs consent, and that double opt-in confirmations by SMS have low evidential value. It predates the 2022 renumbering of §7.[6]

  7. Point 7

    Tracking on click-to-WhatsApp pages needs consent

    §25 TDDDG allows storing or reading information on a user's device only with consent based on clear information, with narrow exceptions for strictly necessary services. That covers pixels on pages that carry a WhatsApp button.[7]

  8. A summary of public guidance from the sources cited, not legal advice.

Market brief

Germany in seven lines

Europe's largest economy, with a strong industrial base and a WhatsApp habit that dwarfs every other network.

  1. 01

    Germany had the EU's largest GDP in 2025, about US$5.05 trillion at current prices, ahead of France at US$3.37 trillion.[9]

  2. 02

    Manufacturing was 17.6% of GDP in 2025, roughly double the share in France (9.5%) or the UK (7.7%).[11]

  3. 03

    The United States was Germany's largest export market in 2025 (€146.2 billion, preliminary), while China was its largest trading partner by total trade (€251.8 billion).[12]

  4. 04

    GDP rose 0.2% in the second quarter of 2026 on the previous quarter, Destatis reported on 30 July 2026.[13]

  5. 05

    In the Reuters Institute's 2026 survey, 83% of online respondents in Germany had used WhatsApp in the last week, against 60% for YouTube, 46% for Instagram and 44% for Facebook.[1]

  6. 06

    Cash is still used for 53.3% of point-of-sale transactions (ECB, 2024). Online, wallet-type e-payment services lead with 45.9% of payments, ahead of direct debit (20.5%) and cards (19.8%).[16]

  7. 07

    German is the official language of administration (§23 VwVfG); consumer-facing messages should be written in German, since English alone rarely suits a mass-market audience.[8]

Who messages what

Where German messaging has a job to do

Destatis's manufacturing figures are for reference year 2020, the latest this page could access; GTAI's descriptions are the investment agency's own.

SectorWhat it sends on WhatsApp
AutomotiveThe largest manufacturing division by turnover: €460.0 billion and 848,110 people employed (Destatis, reference year 2020).[14]
  • Service-appointment reminders
  • Vehicle-ready notices
  • Document exchange with dealers
Machinery and equipmentThe largest division by employment: 1,151,175 people and €267.3 billion turnover in 2020. GTAI calls Germany the world's leading machinery and equipment manufacturer.[14],[15]
  • B2B order status
  • Spare-parts requests with photos
  • Field-service coordination
Chemicals364,349 people employed and €164.0 billion turnover in chemicals and chemical products (2020).[14]
  • Delivery slot confirmations
  • Shipment exception alerts
  • Safety-document requests
Healthcare and life sciencesGTAI describes Germany as Europe's largest healthcare and life sciences market.[15]
  • Appointment reminders
  • Prescription-ready notices
  • Patient intake questions
LogisticsGTAI calls Germany Europe's logistics leader, bordering nine countries with access to more than 500 million EU consumers.[15]
  • Delivery-window notices
  • Proof-of-delivery photos
  • Driver coordination
E-commerceWallet-type e-payment services were used for 45.9% of online payments by number (ECB, 2024), a checkout culture distinct from card-led markets.[16]
  • Order and shipping notifications
  • Returns handling
  • Back-in-stock alerts to opted-in customers

Language

Write it in German

Consumer templates for Germany start in German, with English kept for tech, start-up and multinational contacts. Switch to compare one appointment reminder.

Each language version of a template is approved by Meta separately. Meta also lists Austrian and Swiss German (de_AT, de_CH) if the same programme reaches those markets.

Use the formal Sie in consumer templates unless your brand already speaks to customers with du.

Template language

Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg

One time zone covers the whole country, with summer time on the EU dates.

Drag the globe from New Delhi to central Europe. Germany runs on Central European Time, an hour further ahead in summer, so a German working morning falls around the Indian midday and a German afternoon runs into the Indian evening.

Use the globe to place your customers: a Berlin software user, a Frankfurt bank customer and a Hamburg shipper all read German templates, but each expects a different message from you.

Drag or swipe to rotate. Use the arrow keys to rotate, plus and minus to zoom, and 0 to reset.

Prices in ₹ and EUR

What a German message costs on InfiQ

Germany has its own line on Meta's rate card. On InfiQ: ₹12.01 per marketing message, ₹4.84 per utility message, ₹4.84 per authentication message and ₹4.84 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

Growth

₹2,999 / month≈ €28.17 EUR

₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ €23.48 EUR

Enterprise

Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.

Per message to Germany · Germany

InfiQ per-message rates for Germany in rupees and EUR
Category₹ INREUR
Marketing₹12.0088€0.113
Utility₹4.8386€0.0455
Authentication₹4.8386€0.0455
Service₹4.8386€0.0455
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and EUR
Per-message rates by market, effective 1 October 2026
MarketMarketingUtilityAuthenticationService
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
Currency converter

€9.38 EUR

Indicative conversion at reference rates (ExchangeRate-API snapshot). InfiQ sets and invoices prices in Indian rupees, excluding GST; your bank’s rate on the day you pay will differ. Rates By Exchange Rate API.

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. For comparison, a marketing message to an Indian number is ₹0.94. Euro amounts are indicative conversions; InfiQ invoices in rupees.

Rates for every Meta market, plus plans and add-ons, are on one page.

See all plans and rates

On InfiQ

What a German programme needs from the platform

Proof of consent, clean opt-outs and controlled access come up in every German vendor review. Here is what each piece does today.

  1. Consent records and opt-out enforcement

    §7 disputes turn on proof. Each contact's opt-in source and time is recorded, STOP is enforced at platform level, and the audit trail exports.

  2. Template manager and library

    German and English versions of each template, drafted from the library and tracked through Meta's approval.

  3. Account security controls

    TLS 1.2+ in transit, AES-256 at rest, role-based access, two-factor sign-in and hash-chained audit logs: the questions a Datenschutzbeauftragter will ask.

  4. Shared team inbox

    Conversations customers start can be answered by any agent on the shared number, with notes, labels and transfers.

  5. Integrations over the API

    Shopify, HubSpot and other systems connect through the API and webhooks today; native connectors are still in development.

  6. Customer data hosted in India

    Customer data is processed in India, which is where your transfer assessment begins.

Getting started

From consent to first send

InfiQ serves India-based businesses. Indian senders follow the first four steps; a business based in Germany starts with sales.

  1. From India

    Get express consent, B2B included

    An unticked opt-in in German that names WhatsApp and advertising, for every recipient you will promote to.

  2. From India

    Verify with Meta

    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.

  3. From India

    Approve German templates

    Service and order templates first; every advertising template carries your company name and how to object.

  4. From India

    Keep the proof

    Export consent records with each campaign. Five years, the standard for phone advertising, is a sensible retention benchmark.

  5. Based in Germany

    Talk to sales

    InfiQ bills in Indian rupees and supports teams in English and Hindi on India time. Availability for a business based in Germany goes through sales.

  6. Based in Germany

    Review the data terms

    Customer data is processed in India. Read the data processing agreement, which covers international transfers, and the sub-processor list.

City guides in Germany

Questions businesses ask about WhatsApp in Germany

  1. Q1

    Is a WhatsApp promotion 'elektronische Post' under §7 UWG?

    Very likely, but the UWG does not say so. §7(2) No. 2 covers advertising by electronic mail without prior express consent, and the law does not name WhatsApp or messaging apps. Treating WhatsApp as electronic mail is a common interpretation that this page has not verified from case law; plan as though it applies.

  2. Q2

    Can we send WhatsApp offers to German business customers without consent?

    No. §7(2) No. 2 speaks of the addressee and draws no line between consumers and businesses. A buyer's number from a trade fair or a sales call needs prior express consent before any advertising, unless the §7(3) existing-customer conditions are met, and WhatsApp's own opt-in rule applies to business recipients too.

  3. Q3

    How do we document consent so it holds up in a §7 dispute?

    Record who consented, when, where and to what wording, and keep the record. The UWG asks phone advertisers to keep consent documentation for five years, a sensible benchmark for WhatsApp too. InfiQ's consent records store each contact's opt-in source and time and export as an audit trail; the wording stays in your own files.

  4. Q4

    Does the §7(3) existing-customer exception work for WhatsApp?

    It can, within tight limits: the address came from the customer in a sale, the message is for your own similar goods or services, the customer has not objected, and each message says clearly that they can object at any time. Meta's policy still needs their opt-in to WhatsApp messages, so asking for express consent at checkout is the simpler route.

  5. Q5

    Is an SMS double opt-in enough proof for a German WhatsApp list?

    Be cautious. The Datenschutzkonferenz's 2022 guidance says double opt-in confirmations by SMS have low evidential value. If you confirm opt-ins inside the WhatsApp chat instead, record the time, the source and the exact wording, and keep that record with your campaign files.

  6. Q6

    Who supervises a German company's WhatsApp data: the BfDI or a state authority?

    Usually a state authority. The BfDI says the state data protection authorities are also generally competent for the non-public sector, so most private companies answer to the authority of their Land. Advertising complaints under the UWG run separately, through injunction claims by competitors and associations.

  7. Q7

    What does a WhatsApp message to a German number cost on InfiQ?

    Germany has its own rate: ₹12.01 per marketing message, ₹4.84 per utility message, ₹4.84 for authentication and ₹4.84 per service reply, before GST. Service replies have been charged per message since 1 October 2026. Plans start at ₹999 a month.

  8. Q8

    Can a GmbH in Germany become an InfiQ customer?

    Through sales. InfiQ serves India-based businesses: it bills in rupees, processes customer data in India and supports teams in English and Hindi on India time. Availability for a business based in Germany goes through sales, who can share the data processing agreement with your Datenschutzbeauftragter.

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. [1]Digital News Report 2026, Germany page · Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism · read 2026-10-20
  2. [2]Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG), §7 · Gesetze im Internet (Federal Ministry of Justice) · read 2026-10-20
  3. [3]Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG), §8 · Gesetze im Internet (Federal Ministry of Justice) · read 2026-10-20
  4. [4]Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG), §20 · Gesetze im Internet (Federal Ministry of Justice) · read 2026-10-20
  5. [5]Addresses of the state data protection authorities · Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) · read 2026-10-20
  6. [6]Orientierungshilfe Direktwerbung (February 2022) · Datenschutzkonferenz (DSK) · read 2026-10-20
  7. [7]TDDDG §25 · Gesetze im Internet (Federal Ministry of Justice) · read 2026-10-20
  8. [8]Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz §23 · Gesetze im Internet (Federal Ministry of Justice) · read 2026-10-20
  9. [9]World Development Indicators: GDP (current US$), 2023-2025 · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  10. [10]World Development Indicators: Population, total (2025) · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  11. [11]World Development Indicators: Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  12. [12]Ranking of Germany's trading partners in foreign trade 2025 · Destatis (Federal Statistical Office) · read 2026-10-20
  13. [13]National accounts, domestic product · Destatis (Federal Statistical Office) · read 2026-10-20
  14. [14]Key data of enterprises in manufacturing (reference year 2020) · Destatis (Federal Statistical Office) · read 2026-10-20
  15. [15]Industries · Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) · read 2026-10-20
  16. [16]Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE) 2024, country-specific data · European Central Bank · read 2026-10-20
  17. [17]Summertime (Directive 2000/84/EC) · European Commission · read 2026-10-20
  18. [18]WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (updated 23 September 2026) · WhatsApp (Meta) · read 2026-10-20

Message German customers who said yes

Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and build express-consent opt-ins before your first promotion. Based in Germany? Talk to sales about availability.

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