WhatsApp Business API · Sri Lanka
WhatsApp Business API in Sri Lanka: Meta's new standalone rates, who uses it and how to start
The official WhatsApp Business API in Sri Lanka: who uses it (shops, hotels, clinics, tuition classes, finance companies), Meta's standalone rates, the October 2026 service charges, Sinhala and Tamil templates, and the PDPA.
By Broadchat teamPublished 8 min read
In short
The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's official way to run a WhatsApp number from software: a shared inbox for several staff, a chatbot, automatic booking and payment reminders, and campaigns to people who opted in. Since 1 Oct 2026 Sri Lanka is its own market on Meta's price list, with one of the lowest utility rates anywhere: US$0.0020 per delivered utility, authentication or paid service message and US$0.0732 per marketing message (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026). Meta does not bill in LKR, so Sri Lankan accounts are priced in US dollars. Templates can be written in English, Sinhala or Tamil.
Key takeaways
- The WhatsApp Business API is Meta's Cloud API; 'bulk WhatsApp' tools that drive WhatsApp Web or a rack of phones are not official, and the numbers they use get banned.
- On 1 Oct 2026 Sri Lanka moved out of Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific group: utility and authentication to +94 numbers fell from US$0.0113 to US$0.0020, while marketing stayed at US$0.0732 (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026).
- LKR is not one of Meta's 16 billing currencies, so Meta's rates for Sri Lanka are in US dollars; any LKR figure is a conversion.
- Only the first 1,000 service replies per number per month are free since 1 Oct 2026, and utility templates are charged even inside an open 24-hour window.
- Meta's template language list includes Sinhala (si_LK) and Tamil (ta), so a business can run one template per language for its customers.
- The Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 brings its core rules into operation on 1 Jan 2027; record consent now rather than later.
Official API or 'bulk WhatsApp'?
Most Sri Lankan businesses start on the free WhatsApp Business app: one phone behind the counter, a few linked laptops, and broadcast lists that only reach people who saved the number. The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta calls the WhatsApp Business Platform and runs today as the Cloud API, is the version made for software. You connect a number through Meta's Embedded Signup window, any number of staff answer it from one inbox, and your booking system, shop or loan software can send messages without anyone touching a phone.
Facebook groups and classified sites in Sri Lanka are full of offers for 'unlimited bulk WhatsApp' at a low monthly fee. Those services automate WhatsApp Web or real handsets. They are not the API, they break WhatsApp's terms, and the number is banned once enough people report it, taking the chat history with it. Our explainer on official and unofficial WhatsApp APIs lists the warning signs.
| WhatsApp Business app | WhatsApp Business API | Unofficial bulk sender | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers | One phone and its linked devices | Many agents on one number, with assignment | Usually one session |
| Messages to many people | Broadcast lists, only to people who saved your number | Approved templates to opted-in customers, within Meta's limits | Any list, until the number is banned |
| Automation | Greeting and away messages | Chatbots, triggers from your own systems, scheduled campaigns | Scripts outside WhatsApp's rules |
| What Meta charges | Nothing | Per delivered template, plus service replies after 1,000 a month | Nothing, but you pay the tool |
Who uses it in Sri Lanka
The API pays off when the same useful message goes to many people, when several people share one WhatsApp number, or when a booking or payment should trigger a message by itself. Set-ups we see most often:
| Business | Messages | Meta category |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing and electronics shops in Colombo selling online | Order confirmed, courier handed over, cash-on-delivery amount, delivered | Utility |
| The same shop before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year or a December sale | Offer to customers who opted in | Marketing |
| Boutique hotel in Galle or a guesthouse in Ella | Booking confirmation, airport pick-up details, check-out reminder, review request | Utility (the review request can be marketing) |
| Channelling centre or clinic in Kandy | Appointment number and time, doctor delayed, report ready | Utility |
| Tuition class or private school in Jaffna | Class rescheduled, fee due, exam results ready | Utility |
| Leasing or finance company | Instalment due, payment received, gold loan renewal date | Utility |
| Any app or website with logins | One-time passwords | Authentication |
Hotels have one thing to watch. Meta prices every message by the recipient's country code, so a booking confirmation to a guest's German or British number is charged at Meta's German or UK rate, not at the much lower Sri Lankan one. The pricing page has the numbers.
What Meta charges for Sri Lankan numbers
Meta charges per delivered template, by category and by the country of the number it goes to. Until 30 Sep 2026 Sri Lanka (+94) sat in Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific group; on 1 Oct 2026 it became a market of its own and its utility and authentication rates were cut sharply. Meta's USD rate card effective 1 Oct 2026 lists:
| Category | Meta rate (USD) | LKR, illustrative at LKR 300 = US$1 |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | US$0.0732 | about LKR 22 |
| Utility | US$0.0020 | about LKR 0.60 |
| Authentication | US$0.0020 | about LKR 0.60 |
| Service (after the free 1,000 per number per month) | US$0.0020 | about LKR 0.60 |
The LKR column is our conversion at a round, illustrative exchange rate, not a Meta price; your bill depends on your provider's currency and the rate it uses on the day. Two rule changes also took effect on 1 Oct 2026:
- Service replies are free only up to 1,000 per business number per month. Replies inside the 24-hour customer service window from the 1,001st on are charged at the service rate.
- Utility templates are charged even while the window is open.
- Chats started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad open a free entry point window: if you reply within 24 hours, your messages to that person are free for up to 7 days.
For a worked monthly bill, the rates for foreign guests and a comparison with bulk SMS, see WhatsApp API pricing in Sri Lanka.
Sinhala, Tamil and English
Meta's list of supported template languages includes Sinhala (code si_LK) and Tamil (code ta) as well as English. A template is approved per language, so the usual approach is one template in each language your customers read, with the language stored on the contact so the right one goes out. Chatbot replies and inbox messages can be in any language; staff simply type them. The Broadchat panel itself is available in 23 languages, but not yet in Sinhala or Tamil.
Consent and the Personal Data Protection Act
WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy allows you to message someone only if you have their number and their opt-in to hear from your named business, and you must stop when they ask. Sri Lanka's Personal Data Protection Act, No. 9 of 2022, as amended by Act No. 22 of 2025, adds national rules. An order in Extraordinary Gazette No. 2498/16 of 22 July 2026 brings the scope sections and Parts I and III, covering lawful processing and the duties of controllers and processors, into operation on 1 Jan 2027. That order does not list Part IV, which deals with direct-marketing ('solicited') messages, so watch the Data Protection Authority's announcements for its date.
Practical steps that work under both WhatsApp's policy and the Act: record when and where each contact agreed (a tag or a custom field is enough), offer an opt-out in every marketing template, collect only what the message needs, and ask your provider for a data processing agreement, because Meta's Cloud API and Broadchat's servers are outside Sri Lanka. This is general guidance, not legal advice; check your obligations with your lawyer.
Getting started
- Prepare a Meta business portfolio in the company's legal name and keep your Registrar of Companies or business name certificate at hand.
- Pick a number that is not active on the WhatsApp app, or move it off the app first.
- Connect it through Embedded Signup and set the display name customers will see.
- Have one utility and one marketing template approved, import opted-in contacts, and begin with utility messages.
The full walk-through, including which Sri Lankan documents match Meta's verification categories, is in how to get the WhatsApp Business API in Sri Lanka. Weighing local providers? See WhatsApp API providers in Sri Lanka compared.
How Broadchat reaches Sri Lankan businesses
Broadchat is sold through partners: bulk-SMS resellers, web developers, hosting companies and digital agencies who run it under their own brand, set prices in LKR, collect payment their own way and give support in Sinhala, Tamil or English. If you already sell SMS, websites or social media management to Sri Lankan SMEs, read the white-label WhatsApp API for Sri Lankan partners.
Other editions of this page
Sources
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (Sri Lanka moved out of Rest of Asia Pacific, billing currencies, rate cards effective 1 Oct 2026) — Meta for Developers, checked 2 November 2026
- Supported languages for message templates — Meta for Developers, checked 2 November 2026
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp, checked 12 October 2026
- Data protection laws of the world: Sri Lanka — DLA Piper, checked 2 November 2026
- Data protection compliance regime takes effect on 1 Jan. 2027 — Daily FT, checked 2 November 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
Last updated:
Frequently asked questions
How much does the WhatsApp Business API cost in Sri Lanka?
Meta charges per delivered template: US$0.0732 for marketing and US$0.0020 for utility or authentication to Sri Lankan numbers (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026), about LKR 22 and LKR 0.60 at an illustrative LKR 300 to the dollar. The first 1,000 service replies per number per month are free. Your provider's software fee comes on top.
Why did WhatsApp messages to Sri Lanka get cheaper in October 2026?
On 1 Oct 2026 Meta moved Sri Lanka out of its Rest of Asia Pacific group into a market of its own. Utility and authentication to +94 numbers fell from US$0.0113 to US$0.0020 per delivered message, while marketing stayed at US$0.0732 (Meta rate card effective 1 Oct 2026).
Can I send WhatsApp templates in Sinhala and Tamil?
Yes. Meta's supported template languages include Sinhala (si_LK) and Tamil (ta). Each language version is submitted and approved as its own template, so create one per language and pick the right one for each contact.
Can I pay Meta in Sri Lankan currency?
No. LKR is not among Meta's billing currencies, so Meta prices Sri Lankan messages in US dollars. Many businesses pay a local provider or partner in LKR instead, and the provider pays Meta.
Is bulk WhatsApp messaging allowed in Sri Lanka?
Sending one template to many people is allowed on the official API when every recipient opted in, the template is approved and you stay within your messaging limit. Tools that blast from WhatsApp Web break WhatsApp's terms and lose numbers to bans. The Personal Data Protection Act also requires a lawful basis, such as consent, for using customer data.
Who runs Broadchat?
Broadchat is built and operated by Nxiora and sold through partners. It runs on the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) and is an independent platform, not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta.