Why WhatsApp Templates Are Rejected with an “Invalid Format” Error

When submitting WhatsApp message templates, you may encounter an “Invalid format” error or receive a rejection notice from Meta. This usually happens when the template does not meet WhatsApp’s formatting, policy, or content requirements.

Below are the most common reasons for rejection and how to avoid them.

Common Rejection Reasons

1. Parameter Formatting

• Variable parameters are missing or have mismatched curly braces.
  ✅ Correct format: {{1}}

• Variable parameters contain special characters such as #, $, or %.

• Variable parameters are not sequential.
  ❌ Example: {{1}}, {{2}}, {{4}} (missing {{3}})

• Too many variable parameters relative to the message length.

• Template starts or ends with a parameter (dangling parameters are not allowed).

2. Content and Policy Violations

• Template contains content that violates WhatsApp’s Commerce Policy (e.g., incorrect product descriptions, missing legal disclosures, or unsupported transactions).

• Template contains content that violates WhatsApp’s Business Policy:

  • Do not request sensitive identifiers (e.g., full payment card numbers, government IDs).

  • Do not ask for documents containing sensitive information.

  • Partial identifiers (e.g., last 4 digits of SSN) are acceptable.

• Contains potentially abusive or threatening content, such as legal threats or public shaming.

3. Character Limits & Text Formatting

• The body component exceeds the allowed character limits (limits vary by template type).

• Excessive use of emojis beyond the allowed number.

4. Duplication

• Submitting a template that is a duplicate of an existing one (same wording in body and footer).

• Duplicate templates will be automatically rejected.

 Best Practices to Avoid Rejection

• Double-check parameter formatting ({{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}}) and avoid dangling or excessive placeholders.

• Ensure your content follows Commerce and Business Policy guidelines.

• Keep message length and emoji usage within allowed limits.

• Avoid submitting duplicate templates.

 For detailed guidelines, refer to the official Meta documentation here:
Meta WhatsApp Template Guidelines