Exporters and freight forwarders
Tens of thousands of seagoing calls a year, and Indian exporters whose consignees wait on each one.[1]
- Vessel ETA and discharge notices
- Customs release and delivery slots
- Proof-of-delivery links
South Holland51.9° N, 4.5° EWhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp Business API for Indian shippers with consignees in Rotterdam
About 27,000 seagoing vessels call at Rotterdam each year, and India and the Netherlands have agreed to build a green and digital sea corridor between their ports. The messages that follow a cargo are mostly updates; a few are offers, and Dutch law treats those differently.
For Indian exporters, freight forwarders, shipping and port-tech firms with consignees, agents and clients in Rotterdam: which WhatsApp messages to a Rotterdam contact are shipment updates, which are offers that need consent first, how to time them on Dutch time, and what a +31 message costs in rupees.
Market brief
The port, and the corridor to India
From the Port of Rotterdam's own figures and the Embassy of India in The Hague.
- 01
The port handles approximately 428 million tonnes of freight a year; throughput rose 0.9% in the first nine months of 2026, to 323.2 million tonnes.[1]
- 02
It stretches over 40 km and covers 12,500 hectares of land and water, with about 27,384 seagoing and 93,680 inland vessels a year.[1]
- 03
The port supports approximately 182,000 jobs, directly and indirectly, in Rotterdam-Rijnmond.[1]
- 04
In October 2025 India and the Netherlands signed a letter of intent on a Green and Digital Sea Corridor connecting Indian ports with the Port of Rotterdam.[2]
- 05
India's merchandise trade with the Netherlands was US$27.779 billion in 2024-25, with Indian exports of US$22.763 billion led by petroleum products and engineering goods.[2]
- 06
The Embassy counts over 300 Indian companies in the Netherlands, and the first India–Netherlands Renewable Energy working group met in Rotterdam on 20 May 2026.[2]
See it work
Sort one message to a Rotterdam contact
Pick what you want to send to a consignee, forwarder or terminal contact in Rotterdam, and see whether it is an update, a reply or an offer, and what each needs.
Most of what an Indian shipper sends to Rotterdam lands on the left of the tree: arrival, release and delivery updates about a cargo the contact is waiting for. Those need an opt-in to WhatsApp updates, not a marketing consent.
The offers are where Rotterdam trips Indian teams up. A forwarder's mobile number in a port directory is not consent; the Netherlands guide explains article 11.7 and why the ACM names WhatsApp.
Update, reply, offer or nothing
Question 1 · up to 2
What is the message about?
Your answers
None yet — pick an answer to start down the tree.
Path map
Depth 0 of up to 2. Circles are questions, squares are outcomes.
All possible outcomes (6)
Send a utility template
ETA, discharge, customs release or delivery slot for this consignment: a utility template at the Netherlands utility rate.
Path: “A shipment the contact is waiting for” → “Yes, on the booking or order form”
Reply freely inside the window
The contact wrote within 24 hours, so your desk answers without a template, in Dutch or English, at the service rate.
Path: “Their question from the last 24 hours”
Send a marketing template
Prior consent is on file. Name your company, add a way to stop, and keep the record of the yes.
Path: “Our new freight rates or a product offer” → “Someone who opted in to offers”
Ask for the WhatsApp opt-in first
Add a WhatsApp box to the booking form, or ask by email. Until then, keep updates on email.
Path: “A shipment the contact is waiting for” → “No, we only have their email”
Dutch law may allow it; Meta still wants an opt-in
The B2B exception covers published contact details only. Meta's policy asks for the recipient's opt-in to your WhatsApp messages, so get that too.
Path: “Our new freight rates or a product offer” → “A number the company published for such messages”
Do not send
A directory or fair list carries no consent and is not a number published for this purpose.
Path: “Our new freight rates or a product offer” → “Numbers from a port directory or a fair list”
Question 1: What is the message about? 3 options.
Who in India writes to Rotterdam
The trades behind India's exports to the Netherlands, and the firms that service the port.
Renewable-energy firms
The first India–Netherlands Renewable Energy working group met in Rotterdam on 20 May 2026, and Indian firms in the sector have partners and projects there to keep informed.[2]
- Meeting and site-visit confirmations
- Project milestone notices
- Document requests answered in the window
Engineering goods
The second item on the Embassy's list of main Indian exports to the Netherlands, and buyers want to know where their order is.[2]
- Order acknowledgement
- Dispatch with container number
- Warranty and service follow-up
IT and port-technology providers
Over 300 Indian companies operate in the Netherlands, among them TCS, HCL, Wipro and Infosys; port and logistics clients need their operations staff kept informed.[2]
- Incident and maintenance notices
- Release sign-off reminders
- Escalations in the team inbox
Prices in ₹ and EUR
What an update to a Rotterdam consignee costs
Netherlands numbers have their own line on Meta's rate card: ₹4.40 for a utility template such as an arrival notice, ₹14.05 for marketing, ₹4.40 for a passcode and ₹4.40 per service reply, in rupees before GST, on top of a plan from ₹999 a month.
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 Rotterdam · Netherlands
| Category | ₹ INR | EUR |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| 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. Most port traffic is utility, the cheaper category, so a shipping programme's cost follows its consignments. The same notice to a colleague's +91 number costs ₹0.19. Euro figures are indicative; InfiQ invoices in rupees.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costOn InfiQ
What an Indian shipper runs for Rotterdam
Updates sent by the system that knows first, and a record of who agreed to what.
- Developer API and webhooks
The TMS or ERP sends the arrival, release and delivery templates the moment a status changes at Maasvlakte or the warehouse.
- Consent records and opt-out enforcement
Each Rotterdam contact's opt-in source and time is stored, separately for shipment updates and for offers, and STOP blocks later marketing.
- Shared team inbox
Documentation, operations and sales desks in India answer one number, with transfers when a consignee's question belongs to someone else.
- Published per-market rates
The +31 rate is published in rupees before you send, so a season of arrival notices can be costed per consignment.
English for the quay, Dutch for the warehouse
Meta approves each template once per language. Port and forwarding contacts mostly read English; warehouse and retail contacts may want Dutch.
The Embassy puts the Hindustani-Surinamese community at over 200,000 across the Netherlands; many of its members read Dutch first, so ask at opt-in rather than assume Hindi. InfiQ's own support team works in English and Hindi.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| English | en | Forwarders, terminals, agents and most B2B threads |
| Dutch | nl | Warehouses, Dutch retailers and consumers |
| Hindi | hi | Indian expat families who prefer it |
Nearby
City pages near Rotterdam
The nearest city guides on this site, in the Netherlands and across its borders.
Consent, the ACM's view of WhatsApp and the Netherlands rate apply nationwide; the Netherlands guide covers them in full.
Guides for Rotterdam teams
Questions Rotterdam businesses ask
Question: Our containers from Nhava Sheva discharge at Maasvlakte. Can the consignee in Rotterdam get the arrival and customs release on WhatsApp?
Answer: Yes, if the consignee agreed to shipment updates on WhatsApp, for example on your booking form. Each update is a utility template at ₹4.40 per delivered message to a +31 number, sent by your TMS through the API when the status changes. Questions the consignee sends back are answered from the team inbox.
Question: We found Rotterdam forwarders' mobile numbers in a port directory. Can we send them our freight rates on WhatsApp?
Answer: No. Dutch law drops the consent requirement for business contacts only where the business published those details to receive such messages, and a directory listing is not that. Meta's policy also asks for an opt-in to your WhatsApp messages. Ask by email first, and record the yes.
Question: When should a dispatch notice leave India to reach a Rotterdam office at 08:30?
Answer: At 13:00 IST while the Netherlands keeps Central European Time, from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March, and at 12:00 IST in summer. India does not change its clocks, so schedule by Rotterdam time and the notice keeps its place in the morning.
Question: India and the Netherlands signed a Green and Digital Sea Corridor letter in 2025. Does it change how we message partners at the Port of Rotterdam?
Answer: No. The corridor is a government letter of intent about connecting Indian ports with Rotterdam. WhatsApp messages to Dutch numbers still follow Dutch consent law, Meta's opt-in rule and the Netherlands rate on Meta's card, whatever the corridor brings for shipping.
Question: Should our messages to Hindustani-Surinamese families in Rotterdam be in Hindi or in Dutch?
Answer: Ask them. The community's roots are in India, but many of its members read Dutch first. Hindi (hi) and Dutch (nl) are both on Meta's template list, each version approved separately; record each contact's preferred language at opt-in and send that version.
Question: Our forwarding company has a branch in Rotterdam's port area and its head office in Chennai. Which one should hold the InfiQ account?
Answer: InfiQ is built for India-based businesses: it bills in rupees with GST and keeps customer data in India. The Chennai head office can hold the account and message +31 numbers at the Netherlands rate. If your business is based in Rotterdam, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
- [1]Facts and figures · Port of Rotterdam · read 2026-10-20
- [2]India-Netherlands Relations · Embassy of India, The Hague · read 2026-10-20
- [3]tzdb 'europe' file: the EU daylight-saving rule · IANA Time Zone Database · read 2026-10-20
Put Rotterdam's arrival notices on WhatsApp
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and connect your TMS once Meta business verification is complete. If your business is based in Rotterdam, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
