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WhatsApp Business API in the Netherlands, where the regulator names WhatsApp

Most European regulators leave messaging apps to interpretation. The Dutch ACM does not: its spam guidance names WhatsApp messages. Here is what a compliant conversation looks like.

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Market file · NL
WhatsApp weekly use
83% of online respondents (Reuters Institute, 2026)[1]
Spam rule
Telecommunicatiewet, article 11.7[2]
Names WhatsApp?
Yes, in the ACM's spam guidance[3]
Proof of consent
Up to 5 years after sending (ACM)[3]
Population
About 18.1 million (2025)[6]
Clock
CET (UTC+1); CEST (UTC+2) from late March to late October[16]
Meta market
Netherlands (its own rate line)

For Indian businesses selling to Dutch customers, and Dutch firms comparing options: the ACM applies its spam rules to WhatsApp by name. This page shows a compliant opt-in and opt-out, the rules behind it, Dutch templates, the Netherlands rate on InfiQ and how to start.

See it work

A Dutch opt-in and opt-out, message by message

The ACM's rule is short: send electronic marketing only to people who agreed beforehand, say who you are, and make stopping easy. Play the conversation to see each rule land.

The ACM puts it in one line: avoid spam when you advertise by email, WhatsApp messages or other electronic messages, and send only to people who gave permission beforehand. That makes the Netherlands one of the few markets where a regulator has said in so many words that WhatsApp marketing is covered.

The consent has to be a deliberate choice, not a pre-ticked box or a line in the general terms, and you must be able to prove it later. InfiQ's consent records keep each contact's opt-in source and time and block messages to anyone who has sent STOP.

Order chat, opt-in, promotion and STOP, in Dutch

7 / 7
Voorbeeld Fietswinkel (example)Business account

Today

  1. Customer: Hallo, kan ik hier mijn bestelling volgen? Ordernummer 48213.10:30
  2. Voorbeeld Fietswinkel (example): Hoi! Je bestelling 48213 is verzonden en wordt morgen tussen 14:00 en 17:00 bezorgd.10:31Read
  3. Voorbeeld Fietswinkel (example): Wil je af en toe aanbiedingen van ons via WhatsApp ontvangen? Afmelden kan altijd door STOP te sturen.10:32ReadJa, graag (chosen)Nee, bedankt
  4. Customer: Ja, graag10:33
  5. Voorbeeld Fietswinkel (example): VoorjaarsactieHoi Sanne, deze week geven we korting op alle fietstassen. Bekijk de actie in onze webshop.Voorbeeld Fietswinkel · Geen berichten meer? Stuur STOP.Bekijk de actie10:34Delivered
  6. Customer: STOP10:35
  7. Voorbeeld Fietswinkel (example): Je bent afgemeld en ontvangt geen aanbiedingen meer via WhatsApp. Vragen over je bestelling kun je hier gewoon blijven stellen.10:36Read

Message 7 of 7

Voorbeeld Fietswinkel (example)TextRead (two blue ticks)

The opt-out is confirmed and enforced from now on; order questions still work.

Free-form text. A business can send it only within 24 hours of the customer’s last message.

An illustrative conversation with a fictional shop; the notes on each bubble say which rule it meets. The ACM's guidance on preventing spam names WhatsApp messages among the electronic messages that need prior consent.

Message 7 of 7: Voorbeeld Fietswinkel (example), Text, Read (two blue ticks). The opt-out is confirmed and enforced from now on; order questions still work.

Before you send

Article 11.7, as a sending checklist

The Telecommunicatiewet's spam article and the ACM's guidance reduce to a short list. Tick each item once your process covers it.

Article 11.7 of the Telecommunicatiewet bans unsolicited commercial, ideological or charitable electronic messages unless the sender can prove the recipient gave prior consent, and the ACM applies the rule to WhatsApp by name.[2],[3]

Regulator: Autoriteit Consument & Markt (ACM)

Your sending checklist

7/7

ticked

Required
7 / 7

Ready to send

Every item ticked.

Tick each item as your process covers it. This is a practical checklist, not legal advice.

Ready to send. 7 of 7 ticked.

Sources for each point: Prior consent you can prove[2],[3]; A deliberate choice[3]; Existing customers only for similar products[2]; Business numbers only if published for this[2]; Your real identity in every message[2],[3]; A quick, free unsubscribe[3]; WhatsApp's own opt-in[17]

This section summarises public guidance from the sources cited. It is not legal advice; check with your counsel before you send.

Market brief

A trading nation that lives on WhatsApp

The Netherlands in figures from the World Bank, the Reuters Institute, the ECB, the Dutch Payments Association and the ACM.

  1. 01

    The Netherlands had the EU's fifth-largest GDP in 2025, about US$1.33 trillion at current prices, after Germany, France, Italy and Spain.[5]

  2. 02

    Services made up 70.4% of GDP in 2025 and manufacturing 10.1%.[7]

  3. 03

    In the Reuters Institute's 2026 survey, 83% of online respondents in the Netherlands had used WhatsApp in the last week, against 60% for Facebook, 57% for YouTube and 48% for Instagram.[1]

  4. 04

    Mobile payments were 19.4% of point-of-sale transactions in 2024, far above the euro-area average of 5.9%. Online, e-payment solutions such as iDEAL, now branded iDEAL | Wero, made up 75.8% of payments by number.[8]

  5. 05

    In 2025, 95% of Dutch debit-card payments at points of sale were contactless, and roughly one in five store payments was made in cash.[9]

  6. 06

    There is no do-not-call register to fall back on: telemarketing to consumers has needed their consent since the 2021 amendment to article 11.7.[4],[2]

  7. 07

    The government's investment agency, the NFIA, describes the Netherlands as the EU's largest maritime goods transport country.[10]

Who messages what

Ports, chips, chemicals and checkout

The Dutch economy runs on trade and technology. Claims from the national investment agency are attributed to the NFIA.

SectorWhat it sends on WhatsApp
Ports and logisticsThe Port of Rotterdam handled 323.2 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2026, up 0.9% on a year earlier.[11]
  • Delivery slot booking
  • Container and shipment status
  • Driver coordination
ChemicalsThe NFIA counts over 2,000 chemical companies, including 19 of the world's top 25, as part of the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr cluster.[12]
  • B2B order status
  • Delivery scheduling
  • Safety-document requests
High-tech systems and semiconductorsThe NFIA says the Netherlands is one of three countries with a complete semiconductor value chain; High Tech Campus Eindhoven hosts over 220 companies and institutes.[13]
  • Service tickets for B2B customers
  • Field-engineer coordination
  • Spare-parts requests with photos
Agrifood and horticultureThe NFIA highlights Wageningen University & Research, which it calls the world's No. 1 agrifood university, as the base of a strong agrifood R&D sector.[14]
  • Order confirmations to international buyers
  • Logistics updates
  • Grower coordination
IT and digital infrastructureHome to the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), which the NFIA describes as one of the world's leading digital data distributors.[15]
  • Customer support with agent hand-off
  • Maintenance and incident notices
  • Onboarding messages
E-commerceiDEAL and payment cards together cover roughly 85% of the Dutch e-commerce payment market, according to the Dutch Payments Association.[9]
  • Order and delivery updates
  • Returns handling
  • Payment links in a template button

Language

Dutch first, English for international audiences

Write consumer messages in Dutch and keep an English version for expats and international contacts. Switch between the two versions of one delivery update.

Each language version of a template is approved by Meta separately. Belgian Dutch has its own code (nl_BE); plain Dutch (nl) is the right choice for customers in the Netherlands.

Template language

Locate it

Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven

Three cities carry most of the Dutch story on this page: the capital with its internet exchange, the port, and the chip campus.

Drag from New Delhi to the North Sea coast. The European Netherlands runs on Central European Time, with summer time from late March to late October, so the gap to India shrinks by an hour in summer.

A Dutch working morning falls around the Indian midday, which lets a team in India send a delivery update for a Rotterdam slot, or answer an Eindhoven service ticket, well before its own day ends.

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 +31 message costs

The Netherlands has its own line on Meta's rate card. On InfiQ: ₹14.05 per marketing message, ₹4.40 per utility message, ₹4.40 for authentication and ₹4.40 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 Netherlands · Netherlands

InfiQ per-message rates for Netherlands in rupees and EUR
Category₹ INREUR
Marketing₹14.0494€0.132
Utility₹4.3987€0.0413
Authentication₹4.3987€0.0413
Service₹4.3987€0.0413
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. Euro amounts are indicative conversions; InfiQ invoices in rupees. For comparison, a marketing message to an Indian number is ₹0.94.

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

See all plans and rates

On InfiQ

What the ACM rules ask of your platform

Proof, identity and an unsubscribe that works: these are the platform pieces that carry them, with the status of each.

  1. Consent records and opt-out enforcement

    Proof of consent is the core of article 11.7. Each contact's opt-in source and time is recorded, and the audit trail exports when you need to show it.

  2. Broadcast campaigns

    Promotions go only to the segment that opted in, and scheduling lets a team in India time sends for Dutch mornings.

  3. Template manager and library

    Write the sender's name and the STOP line into each marketing template's footer, then draft Dutch and English versions and track their approval.

  4. Shared team inbox

    Order questions keep coming after someone opts out of marketing; the shared inbox handles them with roles, transfers and notes.

  5. Integrations over the API

    Shopify and WooCommerce stores connect through the API and webhooks for order and delivery messages; native connectors are still in development.

  6. Customer data hosted in India

    Customer data is processed in India. Dutch clients ask about GDPR transfers early, so the answer starts here.

Two ways in

Two ways in

InfiQ serves India-based businesses. Indian senders can start once Meta has verified them; a business based in the Netherlands starts with sales.

Your business is in India

  1. 1.

    Add a Dutch opt-in

    A separate, unticked choice at checkout or in the chat, in Dutch, saying offers will come by WhatsApp and how to stop them.

  2. 2.

    Verify and go live

    InfiQ guides Meta business verification; once it is complete, a number is typically live in about two hours. A 7-day Lite trial needs no card.

  3. 3.

    Approve Dutch templates

    Order and delivery updates first, then marketing templates that carry your company name and a STOP line.

  4. 4.

    Keep the evidence

    Export consent records with your campaign files; the ACM expects you to be able to prove consent for up to five years.

Your business is in the Netherlands

  1. 1.

    Talk to sales

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

  2. 2.

    Check the data terms

    Customer data is processed in India. Read the data processing agreement, which answers the verwerkersovereenkomst question, and the sub-processor list.

City guides in the Netherlands

Questions businesses ask about WhatsApp in the Netherlands

  1. Q1

    The ACM names WhatsApp in its spam guidance: what does that change for us?

    It removes the guesswork. Where other regulators leave messaging apps to interpretation, the ACM lists WhatsApp messages alongside email as electronic advertising that needs prior consent. Plan Dutch WhatsApp marketing exactly as you would email marketing under article 11.7, and add Meta's own opt-in requirement on top.

  2. Q2

    How long must we keep proof of a Dutch customer's WhatsApp consent?

    The ACM says you must be able to prove consent for up to five years after sending. Keep the date, the source and the wording the person agreed to. InfiQ's consent records store each contact's opt-in source and time and export as an audit trail; keep the wording with your own campaign records.

  3. Q3

    Can we rely on article 11.7(4) to send WhatsApp offers to past customers?

    Possibly, for your own similar products, if you got the details in a sale and offered a free, easy way to object then and in every message. Because Meta's policy separately requires an opt-in to WhatsApp messages, the simplest route is to ask for that consent at checkout.

  4. Q4

    Do Dutch business buyers need to consent to WhatsApp marketing?

    Usually, yes. Article 11.7(3) removes the consent requirement only where a business or professional published the contact details for receiving such messages. A buyer's mobile number from a trade fair or a sales call does not qualify, and WhatsApp's opt-in rule applies to business recipients too.

  5. Q5

    Can we send an iDEAL | Wero payment link inside a WhatsApp chat?

    Yes, as a link. InfiQ does not offer in-chat payments, but a payment link from your payment provider can go in a template button or a reply. E-payment solutions such as iDEAL made up 75.8% of Dutch online payments by number in the ECB's 2024 study, so a link matches how most Dutch shoppers pay online.

  6. Q6

    Is there a Dutch do-not-call register we can screen against instead?

    No, and it would not help with WhatsApp. Telemarketing to consumers has needed consent since the 2021 amendment, with no register to rely on, and electronic messages need prior consent under article 11.7(1). In the Netherlands consent is the rule for both channels.

  7. Q7

    What does a WhatsApp message to a Dutch +31 number cost on InfiQ?

    ₹14.05 for a marketing message, ₹4.40 for utility, ₹4.40 for authentication and ₹4.40 for a service reply, before GST, at the Netherlands rate on Meta's card. Service replies have been charged per message since 1 October 2026. Plans start at ₹999 a month for Lite and ₹2,999 for Growth.

  8. Q8

    We are a Dutch B.V.: how do we get started with InfiQ?

    Start with 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 the Netherlands goes through sales, who can also walk you through the data processing agreement.

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, Netherlands page · Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism · read 2026-10-20
  2. [2]Telecommunicatiewet, artikel 11.7 (version from 15 August 2026) · wetten.overheid.nl · read 2026-10-20
  3. [3]Spam voorkomen bij uw reclame · Autoriteit Consument & Markt · read 2026-10-20
  4. [4]Verkoop via telemarketing · Autoriteit Consument & Markt · read 2026-10-20
  5. [5]World Development Indicators: GDP (current US$), 2025 · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  6. [6]World Development Indicators: Population, total (2025) · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  7. [7]World Development Indicators: services and manufacturing, value added (% of GDP) · World Bank · read 2026-10-20
  8. [8]Study on the payment attitudes of consumers in the euro area (SPACE) 2024, country-specific data · European Central Bank · read 2026-10-20
  9. [9]Facts & figures · Betaalvereniging Nederland (Dutch Payments Association) · read 2026-10-20
  10. [10]Supply chain solutions · Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (Invest in Holland) · read 2026-10-20
  11. [11]Throughput rose 0.9% in the first nine months (16 October 2026) · Port of Rotterdam · read 2026-10-20
  12. [12]Chemicals · Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (Invest in Holland) · read 2026-10-20
  13. [13]High tech systems · Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (Invest in Holland) · read 2026-10-20
  14. [14]Agrifood · Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (Invest in Holland) · read 2026-10-20
  15. [15]IT & tech · Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (Invest in Holland) · read 2026-10-20
  16. [16]Summertime (Directive 2000/84/EC) · European Commission · read 2026-10-20
  17. [17]WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (updated 23 September 2026) · WhatsApp (Meta) · read 2026-10-20

Send to Dutch customers who chose WhatsApp

Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and set up your opt-in and STOP handling before the first promotion. Based in the Netherlands? Talk to sales.

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