WhatsApp link number format, country by country
The most common reason a WhatsApp link doesn't open the chat is a badly written number. The general rule is simple, but several countries have a quirk worth knowing.
The general rule
A wa.me link takes the number in full international format, digits only:
- First the country code, without the + sign and without leading zeros (
52, not+52or0052). - Then the national number, without the leading 0 that many countries use for domestic calls.
- No spaces, dashes, periods or brackets.
Example: the Mexican number 998 123 4567 becomes https://wa.me/529981234567.
Table by country
The example numbers are made up; look at the structure.
| Country | Code | How to build it | Example in the link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 54 | Add a 9 after the 54, then the area code without the 0 and the number without the 15 | 5491123456789 |
| Bolivia | 591 | 8-digit mobile number | 59171234567 |
| Brazil | 55 | 2-digit area code (DDD) and 9-digit mobile number (starts with 9) | 5511912345678 |
| Chile | 56 | 9 followed by the 8 digits of the mobile number | 56912345678 |
| Colombia | 57 | 10-digit mobile number (starts with 3) | 573001234567 |
| Costa Rica | 506 | 8 digits | 50681234567 |
| Ecuador | 593 | Mobile number without the leading 0 (09… becomes 9…) | 593991234567 |
| El Salvador | 503 | 8 digits | 50371234567 |
| Spain | 34 | 9 digits (mobile numbers start with 6 or 7) | 34612345678 |
| United States and Canada | 1 | 3-digit area code and 7 digits | 13051234567 |
| Guatemala | 502 | 8 digits | 50251234567 |
| Honduras | 504 | 8 digits | 50491234567 |
| Mexico | 52 | 10 digits, without the 1 that used to go after the 52 | 529981234567 |
| Nicaragua | 505 | 8 digits | 50581234567 |
| Panama | 507 | 8 digits (mobile numbers start with 6) | 50761234567 |
| Paraguay | 595 | Mobile number without the leading 0 (09… becomes 9…) | 595981123456 |
| Peru | 51 | 9-digit mobile number (starts with 9) | 51912345678 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | Area code 787 or 939 and 7 digits | 17871234567 |
| United Kingdom | 44 | Mobile number without the leading 0 (07… becomes 7…) | 447912345678 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | Area code 809, 829 or 849 and 7 digits | 18091234567 |
| Uruguay | 598 | Mobile number without the leading 0 (09… becomes 9…) | 59891234567 |
| Venezuela | 58 | Mobile number without the leading 0 (0414… becomes 414…) | 584141234567 |
The three cases that cause the most confusion
Argentina: the 9 you add and the 15 you drop
Inside Argentina, a Buenos Aires mobile number is dialed as 011 15 2345-6789. For WhatsApp you drop the 0 from the area code, drop the 15 and add a 9 between the country code and the area code: 5491123456789. If your link opens WhatsApp but says the number doesn't exist, that 9 is almost always missing or the 15 is still there.
Mexico: the 1 is gone
For years Mexican mobile numbers were written as +52 1 followed by the number. That 1 is no longer used for dialing, and today the format is 52 plus the 10 digits. If you have old links with 521, it's worth updating and testing them.
Brazil: the ninth digit
Brazilian mobile numbers have 9 digits and start with 9, after the two-digit area code. Some older WhatsApp accounts, especially outside the big state capitals, were registered without that leading 9. If the link with 9 digits doesn't find the account, try the version without the first 9.
How to check you got it right
- Open the link from a phone that does not have your number saved. It should open the chat directly.
- Test it on a computer too: it should offer WhatsApp Web or the desktop app.
- If you get an invalid number warning, check the country code first and then the leading 0.
The QLinky generator removes spaces, dashes and symbols automatically, but it can't guess whether Argentina's 9 is missing or there is an extra 0: that depends on how you type the number.
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WhatsApp link generator with message and QR code