WhatsApp marketing rules in Europe (EU/EEA), in plain language.
Europe combines the strictest consent standard with the highest message rates. It is deliberately last in the launch order — not because it matters least, but because it deserves to be done properly.
Is WhatsApp marketing legal in Europe (EU/EEA)?
Yes, provided you have consent that meets the standard set by EU GDPR and you identify your business clearly in every message. National Data Protection Authorities is the regulator. The opt-out deadline is immediate, and the published maximum penalty is up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover.
Key takeaways
- Consent standard: Explicit, informed, freely given and specific.
- Regulator: National Data Protection Authorities.
- Opt-out within immediate — ConvoHut does it immediately.
- Maximum penalty: Up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover.
At a glance
| Governing law | EU GDPR, ePrivacy Directive |
| Regulator | National Data Protection Authorities |
| Risk level | VERY HIGH RISK |
| Consent standard | Explicit, informed, freely given and specific. Pre-ticked boxes are expressly not valid consent. |
| Opt-out deadline | Immediate (ConvoHut suppresses immediately) |
| Maximum penalty | Up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover |
| Business detail we collect | VAT number and a DPO contact |
| Local currency | EUR (€) |
| Quiet hours timezone | Europe/Berlin |
| ConvoHut status | Planned Phase 6 — Q2 2027 |
What Europe (EU/EEA) actually requires
The five things that decide whether a campaign is compliant. None of them are about the wording of your message.
Consent must be a positive act
Pre-ticked boxes, silence and continued use are all invalid.
Granular purposes
Consent to order updates is not consent to marketing.
Right to erasure and portability
And a duty to respond within a defined window.
Data residency expectations
Where personal data is stored and processed matters to European buyers, and they will ask.
A DPO may be required
Depending on the scale and nature of your processing.
What messages cost here
Meta charges per template message delivered, priced by category and by the recipient's country. These are the rates configured in the ConvoHut platform for Europe (EU/EEA).
Marketing
$0.1131
per message
Utility
$0.0425
per message
Service replies
Free
inside the 24-hour window
Rates shown in USD. Meta revises its rate card quarterly and prices by the recipient's country, so treat these as indicative and check Meta's current card before budgeting. Model your own volume.
How ConvoHut will handle Europe (EU/EEA)
Phase 6 — Q2 2027. When this market is live, activating it in your account will switch on the EU GDPR rule set: the consent standard above is enforced at import, the opt-out deadline is honoured immediately, quiet hours run in Europe/Berlin, and every campaign is checked against these rules before the send button becomes available.
We collect your VAT number and a DPO contact during onboarding because the sender identification requirement in this market depends on it.
Questions this raises
Is WhatsApp marketing legal in Europe (EU/EEA)?
Yes, with consent meeting the EU GDPR standard and clear sender identification. National Data Protection Authorities enforces it.
What is the penalty for getting it wrong in Europe (EU/EEA)?
The published maximum is up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover. Typical outcomes are lower, but penalties generally scale with the number of messages, which means list size is a risk multiplier.
How quickly must I honour an opt-out in Europe (EU/EEA)?
The legal deadline is immediate. ConvoHut suppresses the contact immediately instead, because the grace period exists for postal-era systems and there is no good reason to use it.
Can I message customers who bought from me but never opted in?
Explicit, informed, freely given and specific. Pre-ticked boxes are expressly not valid consent.
What business details do I need to provide for Europe (EU/EEA)?
Your VAT number and a DPO contact. This supports the sender identification requirement, and ConvoHut asks for it during onboarding when you activate this market.
Is this legal advice?
No. We are a software company. This page is written to help you brief your own adviser properly. Compliance in your market remains your responsibility as the sender.
Compliance by market
Each market has its own law, its own regulator, its own consent standard and its own penalty. Read the one you sell into.
Selling into Europe (EU/EEA)?
Join the waitlist and tell us which markets you operate in. We are prioritising by where early customers actually sell, not by market size.