Message costs · EUR
WhatsApp Business API pricing in Malta
Meta charges €0.05 per delivered marketing message to a Malta number and €0.0064 for a utility message. From 1 October 2026 replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are billed at the utility rate too, after 1,000 free service messages per business phone number each month.
Rates for Malta
| Category | What it is | EUR per message |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Promotions, offers, announcements, abandoned-cart nudges | €0.05 |
| Utility | Order updates, appointment reminders, receipts, delivery notices | €0.0064 |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes and login verification | €0.0064 |
| Service | Any reply within 24 hours of the customer messaging you — the first 1,000 per business phone number each month are free, the rest are billed at the utility rate from 1 October 2026 | €0.0064 |
What changed on 1 October 2026
- Replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are no longer free: after the first 1,000 service messages per business phone number each month, Meta bills them at the utility rate — €0.0064 per message to a Malta number.
- The marketing, utility and authentication rates for Malta did not change.
What that costs at volume
Meta's fees only. Provider subscriptions are separate.
| Messages / month | Marketing | Utility | Authentication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | €50.00 | €6.40 | €6.40 |
| 5,000 | €250.00 | €32.00 | €32.00 |
| 10,000 | €500.00 | €64.00 | €64.00 |
| 50,000 | €2,500.00 | €320.00 | €320.00 |
A worked example
A business that sends 2,000 marketing messages and 3,000 utility messages to Malta numbers in a month, plus 1,500 replies inside the 24-hour customer service window, pays Meta 2,000 × €0.05 + 3,000 × €0.0064 + 500 × €0.0064 = €122.40 for the month (the first 1,000 service messages are free), before VAT. The subscription to your WhatsApp platform is separate.
VAT for a business in Malta
A VAT-registered business in Malta buying WhatsApp messaging from a supplier in another EU member state is invoiced under the reverse charge mechanism: the supplier charges no VAT, and you account for it in your own return. Your VAT number must be valid in VIES for this to apply, and it starts with MT.
Without a valid VAT number the supply is treated as B2C and the destination rate applies — the standard VAT rate in Malta is 18%.
Sending to Malta
- Malta numbers start with +356. Store contacts in full international format — a number without its country code is the most common cause of "message undeliverable" failures.
- The rate depends on where the recipient is, not where your sending number is registered.
- Meta limits how many different people a business can message outside open conversations in a rolling 24 hours: 250 for a new business, 2,000 once it is verified, then 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited as it uses the limit with good-quality messages. Every number in the business portfolio shares it.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a WhatsApp Business API message cost in Malta?
- A marketing template message to a Malta number costs €0.05 per delivered message, charged by Meta. A utility message costs €0.0064, and from 1 October 2026 so does a reply inside the 24-hour customer service window, after 1,000 free service messages per business phone number each month.
- How much do 1,000 WhatsApp marketing messages cost in Malta?
- €50.00: 1,000 × €0.05 per delivered marketing message, charged by Meta. The same 1,000 messages sent as utility messages cost €6.40.
- What changed in WhatsApp Business API pricing for Malta on 1 October 2026?
- Replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are no longer free: after the first 1,000 service messages per business phone number each month, Meta bills them at the utility rate — €0.0064 per message to a Malta number. The marketing, utility and authentication rates for Malta did not change.
- Are incoming WhatsApp messages from Malta charged?
- No. Receiving a message is free. Replying to it inside the 24-hour customer service window is free until 30 September 2026; from 1 October 2026 Meta bills those replies at the utility rate, after the first 1,000 service messages per business phone number each month.
- Is VAT charged on WhatsApp messaging for a business in Malta?
- Meta invoices business customers in the EU under the reverse charge mechanism when a valid VAT number is supplied, so no VAT is added and the customer accounts for it in their own return. Without a valid VAT number the local rate applies — the standard rate in Malta is 18%.
- Do I need a local phone number in Malta?
- No. The rate depends on where the recipient is, not where your sending number is registered. A number in any country can message Malta at the Malta rate.
Other markets
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