WhatsApp marketing rules in India, in plain language.
India has the deepest WhatsApp penetration of any market ConvoHut will serve, and the lowest message rates. It also has a maturing data protection regime under the DPDPA.
Is WhatsApp marketing legal in India?
Yes, provided you have consent that meets the standard set by DPDPA 2023 and you identify your business clearly in every message. Data Protection Board / TRAI is the regulator. The opt-out deadline is 7 days, and the published maximum penalty is up to ₹250 crore.
Key takeaways
- Consent standard: Notice and consent are both required.
- Regulator: Data Protection Board / TRAI.
- Opt-out within 7 days — ConvoHut does it immediately.
- Maximum penalty: Up to ₹250 crore.
At a glance
| Governing law | DPDPA 2023, TRAI Regulations |
| Regulator | Data Protection Board / TRAI |
| Risk level | MEDIUM RISK |
| Consent standard | Notice and consent are both required. Promotional messaging must also respect DND registry preferences. |
| Opt-out deadline | 7 days (ConvoHut suppresses immediately) |
| Maximum penalty | Up to ₹250 crore |
| Business detail we collect | GSTIN Number |
| Local currency | INR (₹) |
| Quiet hours timezone | Asia/Kolkata |
| ConvoHut status | Planned Phase 2 — Q2 2026 |
What India actually requires
The five things that decide whether a campaign is compliant. None of them are about the wording of your message.
Notice before consent
The customer must be told what the data is for, in clear language, before they agree.
DND registry awareness
Promotional traffic to registered numbers carries additional obligations.
Consent must be withdrawable
As easily as it was given, under the DPDPA.
Seven days to process opt-out
ConvoHut suppresses immediately.
Purpose limitation
Data collected for order updates cannot silently become a marketing list.
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 India.
Marketing
$0.0140
per message
Utility
$0.0042
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 India
Phase 2 — Q2 2026. When this market is live, activating it in your account will switch on the DPDPA 2023 rule set: the consent standard above is enforced at import, the opt-out deadline is honoured immediately, quiet hours run in Asia/Kolkata, and every campaign is checked against these rules before the send button becomes available.
We collect your GSTIN Number during onboarding because the sender identification requirement in this market depends on it.
Questions this raises
Is WhatsApp marketing legal in India?
Yes, with consent meeting the DPDPA 2023 standard and clear sender identification. Data Protection Board / TRAI enforces it.
What is the penalty for getting it wrong in India?
The published maximum is up to ₹250 crore. 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 India?
The legal deadline is 7 days. 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?
Notice and consent are both required. Promotional messaging must also respect DND registry preferences.
What business details do I need to provide for India?
Your GSTIN Number. 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 India?
Join the waitlist and tell us which markets you operate in. We are prioritising by where early customers actually sell, not by market size.