WhatsApp Error Codes Reference

This page lists the error codes that may occur while a WhatsApp message is being sent and delivered, along with the meaning of each code and how to resolve it.

Error codes come from two sources. Identify which one applies before referring to the corresponding section below:

Source	Code numbering
Meta official error codes	Identical to Meta's official codes
EngageLab platform error codes	Defined by EngageLab

Scope: This page covers message sending and delivery only. For error codes returned at the API request level, see the "Error Codes" section of the Send Message API and Template Management API documentation.

Meta Official Error Codes

The following error codes are defined by Meta, and the code numbers are identical to Meta's official codes. For more information, see the Meta official documentation.

Rate and Throughput Limits

These errors indicate that a sending rate or volume limit has been reached. There is nothing wrong with the message itself — sending resumes after you wait and retry.

Code	Error	Details	Recommended action
4	API call limit reached	The app has reached its API call rate limit.	Reduce the call frequency or try again later.
80007	Account rate limit reached	The WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) has reached its sending rate limit.	Slow down your sending pace and try again later. For bulk campaigns, send in evenly paced batches.
130429	Message throughput limit reached	The maximum number of messages that can be sent per unit of time has been reached.	Reduce the number of concurrent sends and retry. If your business requires higher throughput, contact EngageLab technical support to evaluate an upgrade.
131048	Spam rate limit hit	A significant number of recent messages from this sender number were blocked or reported as spam, which triggered a sending restriction.	Check the number's quality rating in WhatsApp Manager, then improve your content and audience targeting before sending again.
131056	Too many messages to same recipient	Too many messages were sent to the same recipient in a short period of time.	Increase the interval between messages to the same user. Sending to other recipients is unaffected.
131064	Messaging limit reached (template classification)	The account has reached its messaging limit because template categories (Marketing / Utility / Authentication) were used incorrectly. Both template messages and regular messages are affected.	Verify that template categories match their actual use. The restriction is lifted automatically once the enforcement period ends.

Account and Permissions

These errors relate to account status, integration configuration, or policy enforcement. Retrying will not resolve them.

Code	Error	Details	Recommended action
0	Authentication failed	The access token used to connect to Meta is no longer valid.	This is an integration-side issue. Contact EngageLab technical support.
3	Capability or permission issue	The capability or permission required by this endpoint is missing.	Contact EngageLab technical support to enable the required permission.
10	Permission denied	The permission was never granted or has been removed.	Contact EngageLab technical support to review permissions.
190	Access token expired	The access token used to connect to Meta has expired.	This is an integration-side issue. Contact EngageLab technical support to refresh it.
200	No access token provided	The request did not include a valid access token.	This is an integration configuration issue. Contact EngageLab technical support.
368	Temporarily blocked for policy violation	The WhatsApp Business Account has been restricted or disabled for violating a platform policy.	Review recent message content and templates for compliance. You can view the enforcement details and appeal in Meta Business Manager. The restriction is lifted automatically once the enforcement period ends.
130497	Restricted from messaging users in certain countries	The WhatsApp Business Account is restricted from messaging users in certain countries or regions.	Confirm that the recipient's country or region is permitted. See the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy for details.
131005	Access denied	The permission required by this endpoint was never granted or has been removed.	Contact EngageLab technical support to review permissions.
131031	Account locked	The WhatsApp Business Account has been restricted or disabled for violating a platform policy.	Contact EngageLab technical support to check the account status. You can also review the account health status in Meta Business Manager.
131042	Payment issue	There is a problem with the payment method or credit line — for example, no payment account attached, the credit line is over its limit or inactive, or the time zone and currency are not set.	In Meta Business Manager, verify that the payment account, credit line, time zone, and currency are all set up correctly.
131057	Business account in maintenance mode	The WhatsApp Business Account is undergoing maintenance or an upgrade.	Try again later.
131063	Marketing templates disabled on Cloud API	The template is categorized as Marketing, but marketing templates are disabled in the account's Cloud API configuration.	Re-enable marketing messages for the account, or use a Utility or Authentication template instead.
134011	WhatsApp Payments ToS not accepted	The WhatsApp Business Account has not yet accepted the WhatsApp Payments terms of service.	Accept the terms using the link provided in the error message, then retry.

Sending and Recipients

These errors relate to the content of the request, the recipient's status, or the messaging window.

Code	Error	Details	Recommended action
1	Invalid request or server error	The request is malformed, or a server error occurred on Meta's side.	Check the request format against the API documentation. If the format is correct, try again later.
2	Temporary downtime or overloaded	Meta's service is temporarily unavailable due to downtime or overload.	Try again later.
100	Invalid or misspelled parameter	The request included one or more unsupported, misspelled, or over-length parameters.	Check parameter names, values, and length limits against the API documentation.
130403	Business has blocked the user on WhatsApp	Your business number has blocked this recipient on WhatsApp.	Do not retry. Unblock the user in WhatsApp Manager first, then send again.
130472	Message not sent as part of an experiment	The recipient was included in a Meta marketing message experiment (control group), so the message was not sent per the experiment rules.	No action needed. This does not indicate a problem with your message or account.
131000	Unknown error	The message failed to send due to an unknown error.	Try again later. If it keeps failing, contact EngageLab technical support.
131008	Required parameter missing	The request is missing a required parameter.	Add the required parameters as described in the API documentation and resend.
131009	Parameter value invalid	One or more parameter values are invalid.	Check the supported values and formats for each parameter in the API documentation.
131016	Service temporarily unavailable	A service on Meta's side is temporarily unavailable.	Try again later.
131021	Sender and recipient are the same	The recipient number is the same as the sender number.	Send to a different recipient number.
131026	Unable to deliver to recipient	The recipient is not a WhatsApp user, has not accepted the latest Terms of Service, or is using an outdated client version.	Confirm the number is registered on WhatsApp. Using another channel, ask the recipient to accept the latest terms and update WhatsApp.
131037	No approved display name	The sender number does not have an approved display name.	Get the display name approved first, then send.
131045	Phone number registration error	The message failed because of a registration problem with the sender number.	Confirm the sender number is fully registered. If there is a problem, register the number again.
131047	Outside 24-hour messaging window	More than 24 hours have passed since the recipient last replied, so free-form messages can no longer be sent.	Use an approved template message instead. The 24-hour window reopens once the user replies.
131049	Message not delivered to maintain healthy ecosystem engagement	The recipient has reached the limit for marketing template messages they can receive within a given period.	Wait at least 24 hours before resending, and control the frequency and relevance of your marketing messages.
131050	User opted out of marketing	The recipient has chosen to stop receiving marketing messages from your business.	Do not retry. Remove the user from your marketing list and send only essential Utility messages.
131051	Unsupported message type	An unsupported message type was used.	Use a supported message type as described in the Send Message API documentation.
131052	Media download failed	The media sent by the user could not be downloaded.	Ask the user to provide the file through another channel.
131053	Media upload failed	The media file in the message could not be uploaded.	Check that the file format and size meet the requirements, then retry.

Templates and Flows

These errors relate to the template's status, content, or parameter values.

Code	Error	Details	Recommended action
132000	Template parameter count mismatch	The number of variables supplied does not match the number defined in the template.	Add or remove parameters to match the template's actual variable count, then resend.
132001	Template missing or not approved	The template does not exist in the specified language, or it has not been approved.	Verify that the template name and language code match exactly (including case and underscores) and that the template status is "Approved".
132005	Translated text too long	The template translation for this language exceeds the length limit.	Shorten the template text for that language.
132007	Template content violates policy	The template content violates a WhatsApp policy.	Revise the content according to the template review guidelines and resubmit for review.
132012	Template parameter format invalid	The format of the variable values does not match the format defined in the template.	Provide the variables in the format defined by the template.
132015	Template paused due to low quality	The template has been paused because of a low quality rating and cannot be sent.	Edit the template to improve its quality and use it again once re-approved. In the meantime, use another approved template.
132016	Template permanently disabled (low quality)	The template has been paused too many times for low quality and is now permanently disabled.	The template cannot be restored. Create a new template with different content.
132018	Template validation error	The parameters in the template failed validation.	Correct the parameter configuration based on the error message and resend.
132068	Flow is blocked	The Flow used is in a blocked state.	Review and fix the Flow configuration, or reach the user through another method.
132069	Flow is throttled	10 messages have already been sent using this Flow within the last hour, triggering throttling.	Wait until the throttling window ends before sending again.

Phone Number Registration and Verification

Code	Error	Details	Recommended action
133000	Deregistration incomplete	A previous deregistration attempt failed, so the number cannot be registered again.	Deregister the number again, then register it.
133004	Server temporarily unavailable	Meta's server is temporarily unavailable.	Try again later.
133005	Two-step verification PIN incorrect	The two-step verification PIN in the request is incorrect.	Verify the PIN. If you have forgotten it, disable two-step verification and set a new PIN.
133006	Phone number re-verification needed	The number must be verified before it can be registered.	Verify the number first, then register it.
133008	Too many PIN attempts	The PIN was entered incorrectly too many times and is temporarily locked.	Wait until the lock is released, then try again.
133009	PIN entered too quickly	The PIN was submitted too frequently.	Try again later.
133010	Phone number not registered	The number is not registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform.	Register the number before sending.
135000	Unknown request parameter error	There is an unknown error in the request parameters.	Check the request syntax and parameters against the API documentation. If the error persists, contact EngageLab technical support.

Sender Number Status

Code	Error	Details	Recommended action
33	Business phone number has been deleted	The business phone number used for sending has been deleted.	Verify the sender number. If it has been deleted, use another valid sender number or register it again.
133015	Phone number recently deleted; deletion not yet complete	The number was recently deleted and the deletion process has not finished.	Wait about 5 minutes, then retry.
133016	Too many registration/deregistration attempts; number temporarily blocked	There have been too many registration or deregistration attempts for this number in a short period, and the number is temporarily blocked.	Wait until the block is lifted before trying again, and avoid repeated attempts in the meantime.

EngageLab Platform Error Codes

Code	Error	Details	Recommended action
1	Invalid recipient number	The recipient number format is invalid and failed validation.	Check that the number contains only digits, includes the country code, and has no `+`, spaces, or hyphens, then resend.
5000	Send timeout	The request timed out while the message was being submitted to Meta, and the message was not sent.	Try again later.
5001	Insufficient balance; message not sent	The account balance is insufficient, so the message was not sent.	Top up your account in the console and resend. We recommend enabling balance alerts.