How to Get the WhatsApp Business API in the Netherlands: KvK Documents, Verification, Your +31 Number and First Dutch Templates
What a B.V., eenmanszaak or VOF needs before it starts, the order to do things in, and the small mismatches that cause most rejections.
Short answer: you need a Meta business portfolio, a +31 number that can receive an SMS or a voice call, a website or email on your own domain, and, for business verification, an uittreksel from the KvK Handelsregister showing the exact legal name and address. You can connect and start messaging the same day: a newly created portfolio may start conversations with 250 unique customers per 24 hours, and verification is one of three ways to lift that to 2,000. If your number already runs on the WhatsApp Business app, Coexistence lets you keep the app and add the API on the same number. Write your templates in Dutch, and decide up front whether your brand says je or u.
Before you start: the checklist
- Your KvK details: the 8-digit KvK-nummer and a recent uittreksel (extract) from the Handelsregister.
- A Meta business portfolio (Business Manager) in the company's name, with at least two admins so you are never locked out when one person leaves.
- A website on your own domain showing the same name as the Handelsregister. An address on your own domain is stronger evidence than a free Gmail or Outlook address.
- A Dutch phone number you control that is not registered on ordinary WhatsApp Messenger. A WhatsApp Business app number can be used through Coexistence.
- Someone who can add a payment method in Meta, because Meta invoices message fees to your WhatsApp Business Account, and decides with you whether to be billed in euros.
Step 1: get your KvK documents in order
Meta's business verification checks that your business is real and that the name in your portfolio matches an official record. In the Netherlands that record is the Handelsregister, kept by the Kamer van Koophandel (KvK). Almost every Dutch business is registered there, from a one-person eenmanszaak to a B.V.
| Dutch document | Where you get it | What Meta can use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Uittreksel Handelsregister (digitaal gewaarmerkt) | KvK, ordered online, delivered as a PDF | Legal name, KvK number and registered address: the strongest proof of identity |
| KvK-nummer (8 digits) | On the extract, your invoices and usually your website | Cross-check that the business you entered is the one in the register |
| Btw-identificatienummer letter from the Belastingdienst | Belastingdienst | Supporting evidence of the business name and tax registration |
| Business bank statement or energy bill in the company name | Your bank, your energy supplier | Address and phone number when the extract does not show them |
The KvK's digitally certified extract carries a qualified electronic seal and is available in Dutch or partly in English, which helps when a reviewer does not read Dutch. KvK notes that a printed copy loses its legal validity because the seal cannot be checked on paper, so upload the PDF itself rather than a scan of a printout. Check the current price on the KvK site when you order; it is a small one-off fee.
Which name to type: statutaire naam or handelsnaam?
This is where most Dutch verifications go wrong. A B.V. has a statutaire naam (for example "Bakkerij Jansen Holding B.V.") and may trade under one or more handelsnamen ("Bakkerij Jansen"). Meta wants the legal name, so type the statutory name exactly as the extract shows it, including "B.V." and the spacing and punctuation. For an eenmanszaak or VOF, use the trade name exactly as registered. Your customer-facing brand goes into the display name later, not into the legal-name field. Third-party guides from Meta partners such as 360dialog give the same advice: the name, address and phone number in your portfolio should match the document character for character.
Step 2: create the WhatsApp Business Account
The quickest route is Meta's embedded signup, opened from inside your provider's dashboard. In QuickWA it sits in Settings: you log in with Facebook, choose or create your business portfolio, create the WhatsApp Business Account, add your number and confirm it with a code. The account belongs to your portfolio, not to the provider, so your number, templates and quality history stay with you if you ever change platform.
Then add a payment method for the WhatsApp Business Account in Meta Business Suite. Since 1 October 2026, service replies above the free 1,000 a month per number are charged, and Meta warned that service messages could stop being delivered for accounts with no payment method. This is also the moment to choose euros as your billing currency if that suits your bookkeeping; our Dutch pricing guide explains why that choice matters.
Step 3: choose and write your +31 number correctly
Dutch numbers have nine digits after the +31 country code, with the leading 0 dropped. Mobile numbers start with 6: the 06 12 34 56 78 printed on a business card becomes +31 6 1234 5678. Landlines keep their area code without the zero: an Amsterdam 020 number becomes +31 20 …, Rotterdam 010 becomes +31 10 … and Utrecht 030 becomes +31 30 …. Never enter "+31 06…"; that extra zero is the most common reason a code never arrives.
Meta requires the number to receive the one-time code by SMS or by voice call. A landline cannot receive an SMS, so choose voice verification for a practice or office number. Short codes are not accepted. The number must not be registered on WhatsApp Messenger; if it is, delete that account first. A number on the WhatsApp Business app does not need deleting: that is what Coexistence is for.
Coexistence or a new number?
Plenty of Dutch businesses, from a hairdresser in Haarlem to a bike shop in Groningen, have run customer contact from one WhatsApp Business app number for years. Coexistence connects that number to the API without giving up the app.
| Question | Coexistence (keep your app number) | New number on the API only |
|---|---|---|
| Customers keep the number they know? | Yes | No, you have to announce a new number |
| Phone app keeps working? | Yes, WhatsApp Business app 2.24.17 or later; messages sync both ways | Not on that number |
| Chat history | Messages from the last 6 months can be synchronised (not group chats) | Starts empty |
| What changes in the app | Broadcast lists become read-only; disappearing, view-once and live-location messages are off in 1:1 chats | Not applicable |
| Throughput | Fixed at 20 messages per second | Meta's standard Cloud API throughput |
| Best for | Shops, practices and agencies with an established number | New brands, separate departments, high-volume senders |
Two practical points. Coexistence is set up on a computer while you hold the phone running the WhatsApp Business app, because Meta shows a QR code to scan with that phone. And some app features, such as broadcast lists, labels and quick replies, are not available for the connected number, so you use the platform's inbox instead; QuickWA provides inbox equivalents. Our Coexistence guide walks through the screens.
Step 4: pick a display name that will pass
The display name is what customers see above your messages. Meta reviews it against its display-name guidelines when you set it and again whenever you change it. Names that match your external branding (the name on your website, shopfront or invoices) tend to pass. Names that tend to be rejected:
- Generic words or places on their own, such as "Makelaar Rotterdam" or "Fietsenwinkel".
- Words implying endorsement, such as "Official" or "Officieel".
- Slogans and offers: "Goedkoopste Schoenen NL 50% Korting".
- Emojis, or capitalisation that does not match your brand.
- A person's name with no visible link to the business, a common issue for an eenmanszaak trading under the owner's name. Make sure that name appears on the website as the business name.
Step 5: submit your first Dutch templates
Outside the 24-hour customer-service window, every business-initiated message must use an approved template. Start with three: one utility, one marketing, and an authentication template if you send login codes. Meta's language code for Dutch is nl; there is a separate nl_BE for Flemish customers, and each language is approved on its own.
Je or u?
Decide this once and keep it consistent. Most Dutch webshops and consumer brands write informally with je. Healthcare, legal, financial and many estate agents still prefer u, especially with older customers. A template that switches between the two in one message reads as machine-made.
Utility: appointment reminder (physio practice, u-form)
Beste {{1}}, dit is een herinnering aan uw afspraak bij {{2}} op {{3}} om {{4}}. Komt het toch niet uit? Laat het ons dan uiterlijk 24 uur van tevoren weten via dit gesprek.
Dear {{1}}, this is a reminder of your appointment at {{2}} on {{3}} at {{4}}. If the time no longer suits you, please let us know in this chat at least 24 hours in advance.
Utility: order shipped (webshop, je-form)
Hoi {{1}}, goed nieuws: je bestelling {{2}} is onderweg! Via de knop hieronder volg je je pakket. Vragen? Stuur ons gerust een berichtje.
Hi {{1}}, good news: your order {{2}} is on its way! Track your parcel with the button below. Questions? Just send us a message.
Marketing: new listing (makelaar, u-form)
Beste {{1}}, er staat een nieuwe woning online die past bij uw zoekprofiel: {{2}} in {{3}}. Wilt u een bezichtiging inplannen? Reageer dan op dit bericht. Geen woningaanbod meer ontvangen? Stuur STOP.
Dear {{1}}, a new home matching your search profile is now listed: {{2}} in {{3}}. Would you like to book a viewing? Simply reply to this message. Reply STOP to stop receiving listings.
"STOP" works in both languages, and it is the word QuickWA's automatic opt-out recognises. Dutch replies such as "afmelden" are not yet recognised automatically, so have someone check replies after a campaign. Dutch dates are written day-month ("dinsdag 3 november"), and times use the 24-hour clock ("om 14:30"), so give Meta sample values in that format.
Why templates get rejected
- A variable at the very start or end of the text, or two variables side by side with no words between them.
- Missing or unrealistic sample values.
- Promotional wording inside a template submitted as utility. "Je pakket is onderweg, en bestel nu met 10% korting" is marketing. Meta can also recategorise such a template after approval.
- Dutch text submitted under the English language code, or Flemish wording under nl when you meant nl_BE.
- Vague content such as "Hoi {{1}}, {{2}}" that gives the reviewer no idea what will be sent.
Step 6: understand your messaging limits
The messaging limit caps how many unique customers you can reach with business-initiated templates in a moving 24-hour window. Meta calculates it for the whole business portfolio, and all your numbers share it. Replies to customers who wrote to you first do not count.
| Level | Unique customers per 24 hours | How you get there |
|---|---|---|
| Starting level | 250 | Every newly created business portfolio |
| Level 2 | 2,000 | Verify your business, have your partner verify it, or deliver 2,000 template messages outside service windows to unique numbers within 30 days, with high-quality templates |
| Level 3 | 10,000 | Automatic within about 6 hours when quality is high and you used at least half your current limit in the last 7 days |
| Level 4 | 100,000 | Same automatic rule |
| Level 5 | Unlimited | Same automatic rule |
An established portfolio that already sends at a higher level keeps that level for new numbers you add to it, so check WhatsApp Manager instead of assuming you start at 250. For a Rotterdam makelaar with 1,500 opted-in house-hunters, 250 a day is a real constraint during the first week; for a physio practice sending 100 reminders a day, it rarely matters.
Quality rating
Meta rates every number on how recipients react. Blocks and reports pull the rating down, and only high-quality senders move up the levels. Repeated problems lead to template pauses, sending blocks and eventually account restrictions. The simplest protection is to message only people who opted in and to stop the moment they ask. Our guide to the Dutch marketing rules covers consent in detail.
Your first week
- Day 1: connect the number, add the payment method, choose the billing currency, submit three Dutch templates.
- Day 2: start business verification with the KvK extract. Import only contacts who opted in, with the date and source of consent.
- Day 3: set your sending window in QuickWA's Settings so scheduled broadcasts wait for sensible hours. It is off by default, so switch it on.
- Day 4: set up an after-hours chatbot or AI reply in Dutch for common questions: opening hours, delivery times, how to reschedule.
- Day 5 onward: send small, well-targeted batches; steady use and good quality are what move you up the levels.
Plans start at $5/month with no setup fee and no per-seat fees; every plan, feature and limit is shown after sign-up. See the QuickWA Netherlands page for what is included.
Sources
- Meta, messaging limits (250 starting level, routes to 2,000, automatic scaling, portfolio-level limits): developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Meta, onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (Coexistence: app version, 6-month history, 20 mps, disabled features): developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Meta, template supported languages (nl and nl_BE): developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- Meta, pricing and the payment-method notice for 1 October 2026: developers.facebook.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- KvK, Uittreksel Handelsregister digitaal gewaarmerkt (PDF, qualified electronic seal, Dutch or partly English): kvk.nl (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- 360dialog, Meta business verification (document types, exact name matching): docs.360dialog.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (opt-in, templates outside the 24-hour window): whatsappbusiness.com (checked 26 Oct 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need for the WhatsApp Business API in the Netherlands? +
For Meta business verification, use a digitally certified uittreksel from the KvK Handelsregister showing your legal name, KvK number and address. A Belastingdienst letter or a business bank statement can support it. The legal name in Meta must match the extract exactly.
Do I need to verify my business before using the WhatsApp API in the Netherlands? +
No. You can connect and start messaging straight away. A newly created business portfolio can start conversations with 250 unique customers per 24 hours; verification is one of three ways to lift that to 2,000.
How do I write a Dutch mobile number for WhatsApp Business API? +
Drop the leading zero and add +31: 06 12 34 56 78 becomes +31 6 1234 5678. Landlines work the same way, for example 020 becomes +31 20. A landline needs voice verification because it cannot receive the SMS code.
Can I keep my WhatsApp Business app and use the API on the same number? +
Yes, with Coexistence, on WhatsApp Business app version 2.24.17 or later. Messages from the last six months can sync to the platform, but broadcast lists become read-only and some app features stop working on that number.
Should my Dutch WhatsApp templates use je or u? +
Use whichever your brand already uses on its website and in emails. Most webshops write with je; healthcare, legal and financial businesses and many makelaars use u. Keep one form throughout a template.
Can I send WhatsApp templates in Flemish? +
Yes. Meta lists Dutch (nl) and Dutch Belgium (nl_BE) as separate template languages. Submit each translation separately and send Belgian wording only to customers who chose it.