WhatsApp Business API for Irish customers, consent first
In Ireland every unsolicited marketing message can be a separate criminal offence. Follow one contact through the consent states the 2011 Regulations create, then price the conversation.
- WhatsApp weekly use
- 81% of online respondents (Reuters Institute, 2026)[1]
- Marketing rule
- S.I. No. 336 of 2011, Regulation 13[2]
- Regulator
- Data Protection Commission (DPC)[3]
- Population
- 5,525,600 (April 2026)[4]
- Official languages
- Irish, then English (Constitution, Art. 8)[10]
- Clock
- GMT in winter, Irish Standard Time (UTC+1) in summer[11]
- Meta market
- Rest of Western Europe (regional rate)
For Indian businesses selling to Ireland, and Irish firms comparing providers: how the 2011 ePrivacy Regulations treat marketing messages, how the existing-customer window works, which languages Meta's templates accept, what an Irish message costs on InfiQ and how to begin.
See it work
One Irish contact, five consent states
Under Regulation 13 a contact's status decides whether you may send them a promotion. Walk the main path, then switch to the existing-customer routes.
Two routes lead to a lawful WhatsApp promotion in Ireland. The first is consent: the DPC's FAQ calls for the clear, affirmative consent of the recipient, such as specifically opting in. The second is the existing-customer exception, which runs on a clock: the first marketing message has to go within 12 months of the sale.
Whichever route you use, every promotion carries an opt-out, and an objection ends marketing to that person. InfiQ's consent records keep each contact's opt-in source and time and enforce STOP at platform level; the date of each sale, which starts the 12-month clock, stays in your own sales records.
Consent states for WhatsApp marketing under S.I. No. 336 of 2011
- No basis to Opted in: Ticks a WhatsApp opt-in
- No basis to Existing customer: Buys; opt-out offered
- Existing customer to Opted in: Gives explicit consent
- Existing customer to Window missed: 12 months, no message
- Existing customer to Opted out: Replies STOP
- Opted in to Opted out: Replies STOP
- Window missed to Opted in: Opts in afresh
- No basis
- Opted in
- Opted out
Step 3 of 3 · end of walk
Opted out
They objected or replied STOP. Sending them marketing from now on is a criminal offence.
Arrived from Opted in via Replies STOP.
Can move to
Nothing — this is a final state.
Happy path, step 3 of 3: Opted out (via Replies STOP). They objected or replied STOP. Sending them marketing from now on is a criminal offence.
Compliance
What Regulation 13 asks of a WhatsApp promotion
Ireland layers its 2011 ePrivacy Regulations on top of the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Data Protection Commission explains how they fit together.
S.I. No. 336 of 2011, the ePrivacy Regulations, add rules for electronic direct marketing on top of the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Regulation 13(1) bars marketing by electronic mail to a person unless they have told the sender they consent.[2],[3]
Regulator: Data Protection Commission (DPC)
Point 1
Consent has to be affirmative
Consent must meet the GDPR standard. The DPC's FAQ, dated April 2020, says electronic direct marketing requires the clear, affirmative consent of the recipient, such as specifically opting in; silence, pre-ticked boxes and inactivity do not count.[3]
Point 2
The existing-customer exception has a 12-month clock
Regulation 13(11) allows marketing to customers whose details you obtained in a sale, for your own similar products, if they could opt out at collection and can in every message, and the first message is sent within 12 months of the sale.[2],[3]
Point 3
Each unsolicited message is an offence
Every unsolicited marketing message is a separate criminal offence. On indictment, fines reach €250,000 for a company and €50,000 for an individual.[2],[3]
Point 4
An opt-out in every message
Every marketing message must include a valid way to opt out, and sending marketing to someone who has objected is a criminal offence.[2],[3]
Point 5
Promotions inside service messages need consent
Regulation 13(7) requires consent for marketing placed inside a non-marketing text, such as a promotion added to a service SMS. Read across to WhatsApp, that argues for keeping offers out of order and delivery updates.[2]
Point 6
The National Directory Database is about calls
The NDD opt-out, and the rule that marketing calls to mobiles need consent, concern phone calls and automated calls. The NDD is not a do-not-message list for WhatsApp.[2]
Point 7
WhatsApp asks for opt-in regardless
Meta's WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires that the person shared their number or username with you and gave opt-in permission to receive your messages.[12]
- A summary of public guidance from the sources cited, not legal advice.
Reading Ireland's numbers correctly
Multinationals distort Ireland's GDP, so the statistics office publishes a second measure. Here is the economy, and the WhatsApp habit, with that caveat built in.
Ireland's population was 5,525,600 in April 2026, up 1.2% in a year; Dublin had about 1,597,700 people, 28.9% of the total.[4]
GDP grew 8.0% in 2025, but the growth came from multinational-dominated sectors (+14.5%); domestic sectors grew 2.2%. Multinational-dominated sectors account for 50.4% of total value added.[5]
Because of that distortion the CSO publishes modified GNI (GNI*): €334.0 billion in 2025 against GDP of €602.4 billion, with real GNI* growth of 4.7%.[5]
Goods exports reached a record €260.3 billion in 2025, and 42.9% of them (€111.7 billion) went to the United States.[6]
IDA Ireland's client companies directly employed 312,468 people in 2025, around 11% of national employment, across more than 1,800 operations.[7]
In the Reuters Institute's 2026 survey, 81% of online respondents in Ireland had used WhatsApp in the last week, ahead of YouTube (65%), Facebook (61%) and Instagram (53%).[1]
Cash still made up 48.8% of point-of-sale transactions in the ECB's 2024 study, cards 36.5% and mobile payments 10.3%. Online, cards were 49.0% of payments and wallet-type e-payment services 28.7%.[9]
Industries
The industries an Irish programme serves
Ireland's export sectors are large and B2B-heavy, which shapes what goes over WhatsApp: order status and logistics as much as promotions.
- 01
Pharmaceuticals and medical products
Medical and pharmaceutical exports were €138.6 billion in 2025, up 39.0% and 53.2% of all goods exports.[6]
On WhatsApp: Distributor order updates · Field-service scheduling · Shipment notices to B2B buyers
- 02
Information and communication
IDA-supported information and communication companies employed 112,300 people in 2025.[7]
On WhatsApp: EMEA support from one shared inbox · Account and billing notices · Chatbot answers with agent hand-off
- 03
Modern manufacturing
114,962 people worked in IDA-supported modern manufacturing, including biopharma, medtech and electronics, in 2025, up 3.5% on 2024.[7]
On WhatsApp: Supplier coordination · Spare-parts requests with photos · Delivery slot confirmations
- 04
Business and financial services
61,155 people were employed in IDA-supported business, financial and other services companies in 2025.[7]
On WhatsApp: Account alerts · Onboarding document collection · Appointment booking
- 05
Agri-food and drink
Bord Bia reports record food, drink and horticulture exports of €19 billion in 2025, led by dairy at €7.3 billion, with the UK the largest single market at €6.7 billion.[8]
On WhatsApp: Distributor order confirmations · Logistics updates to UK and EU buyers · Price and availability notices
Dublin on the globe, and on the clock
Ireland keeps one time zone and changes its clocks on the EU dates, so the gap to India narrows by an hour each summer.
Drag the globe west from New Delhi to Dublin. Ireland sits on Greenwich Mean Time in winter and Irish Standard Time in summer, so a Dublin morning lands in the Indian afternoon all year round.
For an Indian team that is a workable overlap: schedule promotions for Irish mornings before your own day closes, and keep the inbox staffed into the Indian evening, when the replies come back.
Drag or swipe to rotate. Use the arrow keys to rotate, plus and minus to zoom, and 0 to reset.
English first, Irish when it matters
Meta accepts templates in Irish as well as English. Each language version is approved separately, so add Irish where your audience expects it rather than everywhere.
The Constitution makes Irish the first official language and English the second, yet customer messaging in Ireland is overwhelmingly in English. Replies inside the 24-hour service window can be in either language, whichever your agents write.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| English (Ireland) | en_IE | The default for consumer and business messaging |
| Irish | ga | For Irish-speaking audiences and organisations that publish in Irish |
| English (UK) | en_GB | If one template set also serves Northern Ireland or Britain |
Prices in ₹ and EUR
What an Irish message costs
Ireland has no line of its own on Meta's rate card; it is priced in the Rest of Western Europe group. On InfiQ that is ₹5.21 per marketing message, ₹1.50 per utility message, ₹1.50 per authentication message and ₹1.50 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 Ireland · Rest of Western Europe (regional rate)
| Category | ₹ INR | EUR |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹5.2054 | €0.0489 |
| Utility | ₹1.5019 | €0.0141 |
| Authentication | ₹1.5019 | €0.0141 |
| Service | ₹1.5019 | €0.0141 |
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and EUR
| 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 figures are indicative conversions. InfiQ invoices in rupees, and Indian businesses pay GST on top.
Rates for every Meta market, plus plans and add-ons, are on one page.
See all plans and ratesOn InfiQ
The InfiQ pieces an Irish programme leans on
Consent evidence, a shared inbox and data handling come up first when an Irish client reviews a provider. Here is what each does today.
- Consent records and opt-out enforcement
Regulation 13 turns on proof of consent and on honouring objections. Opt-in source and time are recorded per contact, and STOP is enforced even against later imports.
- Broadcast campaigns
Promotions go to the segments you define, so contacts on the existing-customer route can be kept apart from those who opted in.
- Shared team inbox
One number, many agents: roles, transfers, labels and canned replies for teams answering Irish customers through the Indian afternoon and evening.
- Template manager and library
English and Irish versions of a template are drafted and tracked through Meta's approval, each on its own.
- Customer data hosted in India
Customer data is processed in India, which is the starting point for the GDPR transfer questions an Irish client will ask.
- Account security controls
Role-based access, two-factor sign-in and hash-chained audit logs answer the access questions in a vendor review.
Getting started
From first opt-in to first send
InfiQ serves India-based businesses. The steps for an Indian sender come first; a business based in Ireland starts with a conversation with sales.
From India
Write an opt-in that names WhatsApp
An unticked box or a button the customer presses, saying they will get offers from you on WhatsApp, with the opt-out explained.
From India
Verify with Meta
InfiQ guides business verification and number setup; once Meta business verification is complete, a number is typically live in about two hours.
From India
Get templates approved
Start with utility templates for orders and deliveries in English (Ireland), then add marketing templates for contacts with a recorded opt-in.
From India
Send, and watch the window
For existing customers, send the first promotion within 12 months of the sale, or ask for consent instead.
Based in Ireland
Talk to sales
InfiQ bills in Indian rupees and supports teams in English and Hindi on India time; availability for a business based in Ireland goes through sales.
Based in Ireland
Review the data terms
Customer data is processed in India. Read the data processing agreement and the sub-processor list before you decide.
City guides in Ireland
Questions businesses ask about WhatsApp in Ireland
- Is a WhatsApp promotion 'electronic mail' under S.I. No. 336 of 2011?
- Probably, on the cautious reading. The Regulations define electronic mail as any text, voice, sound or image message sent over a public communications network that can be stored until collected. Neither they nor the DPC's FAQ names WhatsApp, so applying them is an interpretation, but planning as if they apply costs little and avoids the risk of an offence.
- How does the 12-month existing-customer window work for WhatsApp offers?
- Under Regulation 13(11) you can market your own similar products to a customer whose details you got in a sale, if they could opt out when you collected them and can in every message, and if the first message goes within 12 months of the sale. Miss that window and you need fresh consent; WhatsApp's policy needs their opt-in either way.
- Can we add a discount code to a WhatsApp delivery update for Irish customers?
- Not without consent, on a cautious reading. Regulation 13(7) requires consent for marketing placed inside a non-marketing text message, and the same logic carries over to WhatsApp. Keep order and delivery updates free of offers, and send promotions as marketing messages to contacts who opted in.
- Is the National Directory Database a do-not-message list for WhatsApp?
- No. The NDD records people's opt-out from marketing calls, and the related rule on marketing calls to mobile phones also concerns calls. WhatsApp promotions fall under Regulation 13's consent rules instead, which ask more of you: an affirmative opt-in or the existing-customer exception.
- What covers the transfer when Irish customer data is processed in India?
- Sending personal data from Ireland to India is a restricted transfer under the GDPR. InfiQ processes customer data in data centres in India, and its published data processing agreement incorporates the EU Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers into India. The sub-processor list shows where each provider processes data.
- Can a Dublin-registered company run its EMEA support on InfiQ?
- Talk to sales first. InfiQ serves India-based businesses, bills in rupees and supports teams in English and Hindi on India time, so availability for a company based in Ireland goes through sales. On the product side, one number can be answered by many agents in the shared inbox, each replying in the language they write.
- What does a WhatsApp message to an Irish +353 number cost?
- Ireland is priced in Meta's Rest of Western Europe group: on InfiQ ₹5.21 for a marketing message, ₹1.50 for utility, ₹1.50 for authentication and ₹1.50 for a service reply, before GST. Service replies have been charged per message since 1 October 2026. Plans start at ₹999 a month.
- Can Irish customers pay inside the WhatsApp chat?
- Not through InfiQ, which does not offer in-chat payments. You can send a payment link from your payment provider in a template or a reply. In the ECB's 2024 study, cards made up 49.0% of online payments in Ireland and wallet-type e-payment services 28.7%, so a card or wallet checkout link covers the methods most used online.
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]Digital News Report 2026, Ireland page · Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism · read 2026-10-20
- [2]S.I. No. 336 of 2011 (ePrivacy Regulations) · Irish Statute Book · read 2026-10-20
- [3]FAQ on Consent for Electronic Direct Marketing (April 2020) · Data Protection Commission · read 2026-10-20
- [4]Population and Migration Estimates, April 2026: Key Findings · Central Statistics Office · read 2026-10-20
- [5]Annual National Accounts 2025: Key Findings (July 2026) · Central Statistics Office · read 2026-10-20
- [6]Goods Exports and Imports December 2025: Key Findings · Central Statistics Office · read 2026-10-20
- [7]Annual Report & Accounts 2025 · IDA Ireland · read 2026-10-20
- [8]Irish food, drink and horticulture exports reach a record €19 billion (January 2026) · Bord Bia · read 2026-10-20
- [9]Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE) 2024, country-specific data · European Central Bank · read 2026-10-20
- [10]Constitution of Ireland (Bunreacht na hÉireann), Article 8 · Irish Statute Book · read 2026-10-20
- [11]Standard Time (Amendment) Act 1971 · Irish Statute Book · read 2026-10-20
- [12]WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (updated 23 September 2026) · WhatsApp (Meta) · read 2026-10-20
Message Irish customers who said yes
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and build your opt-in flow before your first promotion. Based in Ireland? Talk to sales about availability.
