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WhatsApp

What to do about the "business account is restricted from messaging users in this country" WhatsApp error

The error comes from a temporary WhatsApp restriction on cross-country messaging involving Brazil and Indonesia; it's not a problem with your account or with Elooo System. In Conversations, check the contact's country and use another channel (SMS, email, call) or a WhatsApp Business Account based in that country.

Updated on

Before you start

  • This error is not caused by your account setup or by Elooo System. It's a restriction enforced by WhatsApp itself (Meta) on all WhatsApp Business accounts.
  • Effective September 15, WhatsApp put a temporary restriction on cross-country messaging involving Brazil and Indonesia:
    • businesses outside Brazil or Indonesia can't send messages to users in those two countries;
    • businesses in Brazil or Indonesia can only message users in their own country, not other regions.
  • What still works: messaging within the same country (Brazil → Brazil, Indonesia → Indonesia); receiving messages from any customer; your account status, templates, quality rating and balance are unaffected.
  • There's no way to request an exception or bypass the restriction from Elooo System.
Where to find it

Conversations › customer's conversation › failed message › error description

Step by step

  1. Open Conversations and click the conversation where the message failed. Confirm the error is "restricted from messaging users in this country".
  2. Check the country code on the contact's number (for example, +55 for Brazil, +62 for Indonesia) and compare it with the country of your WhatsApp Business Account.
  3. If the combination falls under the restriction (your business outside those countries messaging into them, or inside them messaging out), the message won't go through WhatsApp. Don't retry: new attempts will fail the same way.
  4. Reach the customer through another channel from the same conversation: choose SMS, Email or place a call.
  5. If the customer messages you first, you'll still receive it; reply through the alternative channel and explain the situation.
  6. If your business regularly serves customers in those countries, consider creating a WhatsApp Business Account with a number from that country and connecting it in Settings › WhatsApp.

Tips

  • Follow Meta's official announcements to know when the restriction is lifted or changed.
  • In workflows with a WhatsApp action, add an SMS or email branch for contacts in those countries so follow-ups don't stop.
  • Check that contacts have the right country code on their record: a wrong code can make a customer look like they're in another country.

Common problems

  • Only customers in Brazil don't receive messages → Your account is outside Brazil. It's the WhatsApp restriction; use SMS, email or calls until it's lifted.
  • My business is in Brazil and I can't message customers in the US → Businesses in Brazil can only message users in Brazil while the restriction lasts. Use another channel.
  • I thought my account was restricted for a violation → No. An account restricted for WhatsApp policy violations shows a different error and requires a review request to Meta. This error is only about the destination country.
  • Approved templates fail too → Yes, the restriction applies to all messages, free-form or template.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask Meta to lift the restriction for my account?

No. It's a blanket WhatsApp measure, not a penalty on your account, and there's no exception request.

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