If your business is located in Indonesia and your Primary Business Location in Meta has been verified as Indonesia, sending WhatsApp OTP codes to Indonesian numbers (+62) will always be charged at the regular Authentication rate.

Meanwhile, International Authentication rates only apply to OTPs sent to numbers in certain countries and to businesses that send messages in very high volumes.

Here is some important information you need to know:

• Authentication messages: Messages containing OTPs or verification codes, such as "288955 is your verification code."

• International Authentication rates: Special rates set by Meta for sending OTPs to users in other countries. For comparison, the regular rate for Indonesian numbers is approximately IDR 357 per OTP, while the international rate is approximately IDR 1,940 per OTP, or about five times higher. These rates refer to Meta's rates recorded in Qontak as of October 2026 and may change at any time.

• Countries subject to International Authentication rates (18 countries):

  1. Before October 1, 2026: Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

  2. Starting October 1, 2026: Bangladesh, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine.

Important
Regardless of the message volume sent, make sure your Primary Business Location in Meta has been verified as Indonesia. If the location has not been verified, even OTPs sent to Indonesian numbers may be charged at the International Authentication rate.

A. Conditions for Applying International Rates 

International Authentication rates are only charged if your business meets all specified requirements. If any one of the requirements is not met, OTPs will continue to be charged at the regular Authentication rate, as shown in the following flow. 

Volume-based discounts from Meta based on monthly message volume still apply to both types of rates. The calculation is performed separately for each country.

B. Message Volume Requirements 

Your business is considered eligible if it sends more than 750,000 template messages to users in the previously mentioned 18 countries, including Indonesia, within a rolling period of 30 days. This calculation only includes template messages sent outside the 24-hour customer service window.  The types of messages counted toward this limit include: 

Additional requirements:

• The calculation includes all WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs) in your Meta business portfolio, including accounts that use providers other than Qontak. Therefore, a business with a low message volume in Qontak may still be considered eligible.

• Once a business is deemed eligible, Meta will set the start date for applying international rates, which is 30 days after the eligible status is established. Meta will also send notification emails to all account admins and partners with access, including Qontak.

• Eligible status applies permanently, even if your business's message volume later decreases.

Meta does not provide further details about the scope of the business portfolio used in this calculation. Therefore, it is possible that messages sent through channels outside the WhatsApp Business API (BSP) may also count toward the 750,000-message limit. 

C. Case Examples

All of the following examples use a business scenario in Indonesia with message volume calculated over a 30-day period. In Examples A through D, the business location has been verified as Indonesia. 

Things to note

A high volume of messages sent to Indonesia will not cause OTP rates for Indonesian numbers to become more expensive as long as your business location has been verified as Indonesia.

However, Case E is a risk that should be noted. Since October 2026, several businesses in Indonesia have reportedly experienced OTP cost increases for Indonesian numbers of up to approximately five times overnight.

Steps to take

All businesses that send OTPs through WhatsApp must take the following steps, regardless of the number of messages sent:

1. Check the Primary Business Location (Primary Business Location). Open Meta Business Settings and make sure the listed country is Indonesia with a Verified status.
2. Update the location information if it has not been filled in, is incorrect, or has a Rejected status. Select Indonesia, answer the questions displayed, and then click Submit for review. Meta's review process may take up to 3 business days.
3. Monitor emails from Meta to find out your eligible status and the start date for applying international rates.

Unable to change the location field?

According to Meta, the location field will be locked while the verification process is in progress (Pending verification). You need to wait until the review process is complete, which may take up to 3 business days.

Sources:
https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/authentication-international-rates 

https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing#effective-october-1-2026