Template Approval Process

All WhatsApp templates must be approved by Meta before they can be used to send messages. This guide explains the approval process, common rejection reasons, and how to track template status.

Approval Workflow

Submitting for Approval

Via Dashboard

Go to Senders > Select sender > Templates tab
Find the template with “Draft” status
Click the … menu and select Submit for Approval
The status will change to “Pending”

Via API

// Submit a draft template for approval
await zavu.templates.submit({
  templateId: 'tmpl_abc123',
});

# Submit a draft template for approval
client.templates.submit(template_id="tmpl_abc123")

# Submit a draft template for approval
client.templates.submit(template_id: "tmpl_abc123")

// Submit a draft template for approval
_, err := client.Templates.Submit(context.TODO(), "tmpl_abc123", zavudev.TemplateSubmitParams{})

// Submit a draft template for approval
$client->templates->submit('tmpl_abc123');

curl -X POST https://api.zavu.dev/v1/templates/tmpl_abc123/submit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ZAVUDEV_API_KEY"

Template Status

Status	Description	Can Send?
`draft`	Not yet submitted to Meta	No
`pending`	Submitted, awaiting Meta review	No
`approved`	Approved by Meta	Yes
`rejected`	Rejected by Meta	No

Approval Timeline

Typical review time: 24-48 hours
Complex templates: Up to 72 hours
Peak periods: May take longer during high volume

Meta reviews templates for compliance with their Business Messaging Policy. Ensure your templates follow these guidelines before submitting.

Tracking Status Changes

Webhooks

Configure webhooks to receive real-time notifications when template status changes:

{
  "id": "evt_1702000000000_abc123",
  "type": "template.status_changed",
  "timestamp": 1702000000000,
  "senderId": "sender_xyz",
  "projectId": "proj_abc",
  "data": {
    "templateId": "tmpl_123",
    "name": "order_confirmation",
    "previousStatus": "pending",
    "currentStatus": "approved",
    "rejectionReason": null
  }
}

Enable the webhook event:

Go to Senders > Select sender > Webhooks tab
Add template.status_changed to your webhook events

A template belongs to the WhatsApp Business Account, not to one sender, so when several senders share that account the event is delivered once, to a single sender: the first one, by creation date, that has an active webhook configured. Configure the webhook on the sender you use and it will arrive there. If two senders on the same account point at different endpoints, only the older of the two receives it — split them across accounts if both need to know.

Polling

Check template status via API:

const template = await zavu.templates.retrieve({
  templateId: 'tmpl_abc123'
});

console.log('Status:', template.whatsappStatus);
if (template.rejectionReason) {
  console.log('Rejection reason:', template.rejectionReason);
}

Syncing from WhatsApp

Two cases the webhook does not cover: a template created outside Zavu (in Meta Business Manager, or by another tool) never appears in Zavu, and a missed template.status_changed webhook leaves a template stuck in pending. POST /v1/templates/sync reconciles both. It imports Meta templates Zavu does not have — or links them to an existing template with the same name — and refreshes the status of the ones it already knows about.

curl -X POST https://api.zavu.dev/v1/templates/sync \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ZAVU_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

{
  "accountsSynced": 1,
  "imported": 2,
  "linked": 1,
  "updated": 3,
  "skipped": 12,
  "errors": []
}

Every WhatsApp sender in the project is synced by default; pass {"senderId": "sender_xyz"} to sync just one. The call waits for Meta, so it takes a few seconds per account — list your templates right after it returns. Templates that Meta reports as rejected or disabled are not imported and are counted in skipped.

Common Rejection Reasons

Content Policy Violations

Templates that violate Meta’s policies will be rejected. Common violations include:

Misleading content
Prohibited products/services
Spammy language
Missing opt-out information for marketing

Formatting Issues

Issue	Solution
Invalid variable format	Use `{{1}}`, `{{2}}` format
Too many variables	Limit to 10 variables per component
Variable in wrong position	Variables can’t be at start of template
Button URL without variable	Dynamic URLs must include variables

Category Mismatch

Templates may be rejected if the category doesn’t match the content:

UTILITY templates shouldn’t contain promotional content
MARKETING templates need clear opt-out language
AUTHENTICATION templates should only contain OTP/verification content

Rejection is not the only outcome. More often Meta recategorizes the template instead — typically UTILITY to MARKETING — and approves it under the new category. It can also recategorize a template months after approval. Either way the template keeps working and every send on it is billed at the new category’s rate. template.category reports the category Meta currently assigns, not the one you submitted. A recategorization is delivered as a template.status_changed webhook carrying data.category, and it fires even when the approval status did not move — so previousStatus and currentStatus can be identical on an event that changes what you pay. Branch on category, not only on currentStatus. To reconcile templates that were recategorized before you were listening, run POST /v1/templates/sync; it refreshes the category alongside the status.

Language Issues

Template body must match the declared language
Special characters may cause issues in some languages
Emojis should be used sparingly

Fixing Rejected Templates

When a template is rejected:

Check the rejection reason in the dashboard or API response
Edit the template to fix the issues
Resubmit for approval

A template’s content cannot be edited in place. Meta reviews a name plus a body, so fixing a rejection means creating a new template and submitting that. Delete the rejected one once the replacement is approved.

// Create the corrected template
const fixed = await zavu.templates.create({
  name: 'order_confirmation_v2',
  language: 'en',
  body: 'Updated message content that addresses the rejection reason',
  whatsappCategory: 'UTILITY',
});

// Submit it to the WhatsApp Business Account on this sender
await zavu.templates.submit(fixed.id, { senderId: 'sender_abc123' });

// Once the replacement is approved, drop the rejected one
await zavu.templates.delete('tmpl_abc123');

Editing an approved template will reset its status to “draft” and require re-approval.

Best Practices for Approval

Be Clear and Specific

Vague templates are more likely to be rejected. Be specific about the purpose.

Match Category to Content

Ensure your template category accurately reflects the message type.

Avoid Promotional Language in UTILITY

UTILITY templates should be purely transactional without marketing content.

Include Opt-Out for MARKETING

Marketing templates should include clear unsubscribe instructions.

Template Examples

Good UTILITY Template

Hi {{1}}, your order #{{2}} has shipped!

Tracking number: {{3}}
Estimated delivery: {{4}}

Track your package: https://example.com/track/{{2}}

Good MARKETING Template

Hi {{1}}!

We have a special offer just for you: {{2}}% off your next purchase!

Use code: {{3}}
Valid until: {{4}}

Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Good AUTHENTICATION Template

Your verification code is {{1}}.

This code expires in 10 minutes. Do not share this code with anyone.

Rate Limits

Action	Limit
Submit templates	100/minute
Templates per WABA	250 total

Getting Started

Build agents

Send & receive

Operate

Developer tools

Integrations

Template Approval Process

Approval Workflow

Submitting for Approval

Via Dashboard

Via API

Template Status

Approval Timeline

Tracking Status Changes

Webhooks

Polling

Syncing from WhatsApp

Common Rejection Reasons

Content Policy Violations

Formatting Issues

Category Mismatch

Language Issues

Fixing Rejected Templates

Best Practices for Approval

Be Clear and Specific

Match Category to Content

Avoid Promotional Language in UTILITY

Include Opt-Out for MARKETING

Template Examples

Good UTILITY Template

Good MARKETING Template

Good AUTHENTICATION Template

Rate Limits

Next Steps

Send Template Messages

Configure Webhooks

​Approval Workflow

​Submitting for Approval

​Via Dashboard

​Via API

​Template Status

​Approval Timeline

​Tracking Status Changes

​Webhooks

​Polling

​Syncing from WhatsApp

​Common Rejection Reasons

​Content Policy Violations

​Formatting Issues

​Category Mismatch

​Language Issues

​Fixing Rejected Templates

​Best Practices for Approval

Be Clear and Specific

Match Category to Content

Avoid Promotional Language in UTILITY

Include Opt-Out for MARKETING

​Template Examples

​Good UTILITY Template

​Good MARKETING Template

​Good AUTHENTICATION Template

​Rate Limits

​Next Steps

Send Template Messages

Configure Webhooks

Approval Workflow

Submitting for Approval

Via Dashboard

Via API

Template Status

Approval Timeline

Tracking Status Changes

Webhooks

Polling

Syncing from WhatsApp

Common Rejection Reasons

Content Policy Violations

Formatting Issues

Category Mismatch

Language Issues

Fixing Rejected Templates

Best Practices for Approval

Template Examples

Good UTILITY Template

Good MARKETING Template

Good AUTHENTICATION Template

Rate Limits

Next Steps