WhatsApp evidence, country by country
Is WhatsApp admissible in court? It depends on your country.
In most countries a WhatsApp chat is admissible, but only if it is authenticated, and the exact procedure differs from one jurisdiction to the next. Find your country below, then preserve and certify the chat so it holds up. One certification works anywhere, delivered in 24 hours.
Delivered in 24 hours · Works in any jurisdiction · Verifiable by anyone
Every package can be verified by anyone, for free, in the open Trust Verifier.
Quick answer
Is WhatsApp admissible as evidence in court?
In most countries, yes, but only if the messages are authenticated, and the exact procedure differs by jurisdiction. Courts everywhere ask the same core questions: is the chat authentic, is its integrity intact, when did it exist, and who sent it. What changes is the local paperwork, a Section 63 certificate and hash in India, a certificate of compliance under Section 84 in Nigeria, the eIDAS presumption in the EU, and so on. A certified export answers the common questions, then you follow your country's procedure to tender it.
ProofSnap preserves and authenticates the evidence; it is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. Pick your country below for the local rules. One conversation is $59.99, in 24 hours.
Find your country
Dedicated guides for the jurisdictions where the rules are most specific. Each sets out the local law, the use cases and how to preserve and certify the chat.
India
Section 63 BSASection 63 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam requires a certificate that discloses the hash value. WhatsApp for a cheque bounce, a debt or a matrimonial case, plus the Vibhor Garg ruling.
Read the India guide →United Arab Emirates
Decree-Law 35/2022Federal Decree-Law No. 35 of 2022 gives WhatsApp the same weight as written evidence and treats an extract as the original, challengeable only for forgery. Dubai and Abu Dhabi, onshore and DIFC.
Read the UAE guide →South Africa
ECTA & CCMAThe Electronic Communications and Transactions Act admits data messages weighed on integrity and origin, and the CCMA and Labour Court accept WhatsApp in dismissal and misconduct cases. Note the hearsay rule.
Read the South Africa guide →Nigeria
Section 84Section 84 of the Evidence Act needs oral foundation or a certificate of compliance. Kubor v Dickson makes clear you cannot tender an electronic document from the bar without it.
Read the Nigeria guide →United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Ghana and more
For the US (FRE 901 and 902(14)), the UK (Civil Evidence Act 1995), the EU (the eIDAS Article 41(2) presumption), Ghana (the Electronic Transactions Act) and other jurisdictions, our admissibility page sets out the position country by country. WhatsApp is accepted, once authenticated, in many more courts too, including Australia, Singapore, Spain and Turkey.
Not sure where to start, or your country is not listed? The main WhatsApp chat evidence service works in any jurisdiction, and you can ask us about your court before you order.
The test is similar everywhere
Whatever the jurisdiction, a court weighs four things before it relies on a WhatsApp chat. A certified export answers all four, which is why one certification travels across borders.
Authenticity
Is the chat genuine, or could it have been faked? A SHA-256 hash and a signed manifest make tampering detectable, so a fake-chat allegation has nothing to stand on.
Integrity
Has it been altered since it was captured? The hash proves the export has not changed since it was sealed, which is exactly what a certificate of compliance speaks to.
A provable date
When did the messages exist? A Bitcoin anchor and an eIDAS qualified timestamp fix the date independently, which a screenshot can never offer.
The sender
Who sent it? The preserved export, and the message database if you send it, keep the identifiers that support attribution far better than an image.
Wondering whether a screenshot is enough anywhere? See are WhatsApp screenshots admissible in court, and to preserve the chat first, our guide to exporting a WhatsApp chat for court.
One certified package, valid to verify anywhere
Every certification includes both layers of proof, on top of the transcript, the hash and the chain of custody. The qualified timestamp carries a legal presumption in the EU and strong corroboration elsewhere.
Bitcoin OpenTimestamps
The SHA-256 hash of your sealed manifest is anchored in the Bitcoin blockchain: a decentralised, independent, tamper-resistant proof that the export existed at a point in time, that any court can weigh.
eIDAS qualified timestamp
Presumption in the EU
Issued by Disig a.s., a Qualified Trust Service Provider on the EU Trusted List. Under eIDAS Article 41(2) it carries a presumption of accuracy in the EU, and elsewhere a court weighs it as strong, independent corroboration.
What certification proves, and what it does not
What certification proves
- The export existed in that exact state no later than the timestamp.
- It has not been altered since it was sealed, with a SHA-256 hash on every file.
- The raw export is preserved for a court or an expert to examine.
- If you also send the sealed message database, an expert can examine the sender identifiers.
What it does not do
- It does not replace a local certificate where one is required, such as India's Section 63 or Nigeria's Section 84; those are completed by the party, an expert or the device holder.
- It does not decide your case or give legal advice; the court decides, on your country's rules.
- On its own it ties messages to an account, not conclusively to a named person; the court decides authorship.
The certified package supports authentication under the eIDAS Article 41(2) presumption in the EU, FRE 901 and 902(14) in the US, and the local rules set out in each country guide. ProofSnap is an evidence tool, not a law firm, and this is not legal advice.
From a WhatsApp chat to court-ready, in four steps
You export the conversation; we do the rest. The same four steps, wherever your court is.
Export the chat
Use WhatsApp's built-in Export chat, with media, on your phone or computer.
Pay and upload
A secure upload page appears right after payment, so nothing sensitive goes by email.
We certify it
We seal your export with a SHA-256 hash, a signed manifest, chain of custody and a qualified timestamp.
You get the package
Within 24 hours: a transcript, the hash and a signed ZIP anyone can verify for free.
Pricing
Already have the WhatsApp conversation exported? We certify it as-is, for any jurisdiction.
One certification covers one conversation, including its attachments and any supporting file.
WhatsApp Chat Certification
1 conversation · certified in 24 hours
billed in USD, local-currency figures on each country guide
- Your WhatsApp export, certified as-is
- SHA-256 hash on every file, for a local certificate where one is needed
- Line-numbered transcript, deleted messages marked
- eIDAS qualified timestamp + Bitcoin anchor + chain of custody
- Raw export preserved, verifiable by anyone for free
Right after payment, a secure upload page appears where you send us your files, so nothing sensitive has to go by email. If we cannot process your files, we will help you produce a usable export or issue a full credit. Not sure about your court? Ask us before you order.
A specific kind of dispute?
See contract and payment disputes, divorce and custody, or harassment and stalking.
Prefer to do it yourself?
For a web page rather than a chat, the SnapPack from $4.99 lets you self-certify. The full service is on the WhatsApp chat evidence page.
Frequently asked questions
For a web page, not a chat
Evidence on a website, a listing or in webmail, not WhatsApp?
If the evidence is a marketplace listing, a social profile, a company portal or a webmail thread, ProofSnap is a Chrome extension that captures it as court-ready evidence yourself, in seconds, before it is edited or taken down. Same integrity you read about here: a SHA-256 hash, an RSA-4096 signature, a Bitcoin blockchain timestamp and a Provenance Certificate, packaged into an 11 to 15 file evidence ZIP you can verify for free.
Standard SnapPack
10 captures · no expiration · one-time purchase
Pay-as-you-go, no subscription. All features: export, metadata, a short video proof, Provenance Certificate and blockchain timestamp.
eIDAS SnapPack
EU qualified timestamps (Disig a.s.)
$5.00 / stamp · also 1× $6.99 or 10× $49.99
Adds a qualified eIDAS timestamp per capture (Article 41), with a legal presumption of accuracy across the EU. Whitelabel branding on the evidence PDF.
Subscription
Essential · Professional · Enterprise
Annual plans save 20%
For regular use: monthly capture allowances, File Certification and eIDAS stamps on higher tiers. Includes a 7-day free trial (a credit card is required to start).
Prefer no subscription and no auto-renewal? The Standard SnapPack at $4.99 is a one-time purchase. SnapPacks are bought inside the extension after you install it. See the full ProofSnap pricing and features on getproofsnap.com.
Free to install · capture your first web evidence in under a minute.