How much time does WhatsApp(Meta) takes to approve a template message?

How much time does WhatsApp(Meta) takes to approve a template message?

⚡Quick answer -

Most WhatsApp Business templates are reviewed and approved within a few minutes, but Meta officially allows up to 48 hours. Approval time depends on your template’s content, media type, and compliance with WhatsApp’s Business & Commerce Policies.

📊 Average Approval Times by Template Type

Template Type

Typical Approval Time

Max

Utility

1–10 min

< 3 hrs

Authentication (OTP)

1–5 min

< 1 hr

Marketing

10–60 min

Up to 24 hrs

Non-standard / risk words

30–180 min

Up to 48 hrs (rare)

How to Check Template Status

Once submitted, each template will display one of the following statuses in your WhatsApp Business dashboard:

  • Pending (Yellow) → Under review by Meta
  • Approved (Green) → Ready to use immediately
  • Rejected (Red) → Includes rejection reason; edit and resubmit

Cases Where It May Take Longer (12–48 hours)

  • Template contains restricted industries (gambling, political etc). https://business.whatsapp.com/policy
  • Template appears spammy.
  • Template includes content that looks like marketing inside Utility/Transactional.
  • Too many recent template rejections → higher scrutiny.
  • System delays (happens rarely)

What to Do If It’s Delayed Over 24 Hours

  1. Review the content for compliance issues.
  2. Ensure placeholders ({{1}}, {{2}}) are formatted correctly.
  3. Contact your BSP (Business Solution Provider) or Meta Support if still pending.
  4. You can create new templates, as it has no limit and no cost.

Pro Tip - Always test templates with realistic sample values (e.g., names, order IDs, links) before submission. Templates with missing or placeholder-like values (e.g., “test”, “123”) are more likely to be delayed or rejected.

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