- In WhatsApp, open the chat, then tap More options → More → Export chat.
- Choose Without media for text only, or Include media to add the most recent photos and videos sent in the chat.
- WhatsApp says the export is a text file, not a backup, and can't be imported back into WhatsApp.
- Home Affairs lists txt as an accepted file type, with a limit of 5 MB per file.
What an export gives you
Exporting a chat makes a copy of its messages as a text file, which you can save or send somewhere else. Either partner can export the same chat from their own phone.
Whether to include chat history in an application, and how much, depends on your situation. That's a question for a registered migration agent or lawyer. This guide only covers how to make the copy.
Exporting a chat
WhatsApp's help centre gives these steps:
- Open the chat you want to export.
- Tap More options → More → Export chat.
- Choose Without media or Include media.
- Choose how to share it, such as Mail, Message or Add to Notes. Sending it to your own email is a simple way to get it onto a computer.
Menu names can differ between Android and iPhone and between WhatsApp versions. WhatsApp's help page is the up-to-date reference.
With or without media
WhatsApp says Without media exports the text only, and Include media also attaches the most recent media sent in the chat. Because it's only the most recent media, older photos may not be included. Photos you want to keep are often easier to save one by one, at full quality, from the chat or your phone's gallery.
An export isn't a backup
WhatsApp says chat history can't be re-imported, because an export is a text file and not a backup file. If you're changing phones, WhatsApp's own backup is the way to keep your chats in the app. An export is a copy for reading and keeping, outside WhatsApp.
ImmiAccount's file rules
Home Affairs lists txt as an accepted file type for attachments, alongside pdf, jpg and others, with a limit of 5 MB per file. Long chats with years of messages can be large, and Home Affairs says compressed (zip) files aren't accepted.
Check the exported file's name too. A 2017 Department tip sheet says to use only letters, numbers, dashes and underscores in filenames, so a name with spaces or other characters may need renaming, for example to WhatsApp_chat_2025.txt. The full rules are in ImmiAccount upload rules, and getting files under 5 MB covers large files.
Keeping copies safe
A chat export holds both partners' private messages, so it's worth storing as carefully as any other personal document.
- Save it somewhere private. A shared family computer or a widely shared folder isn't the place for it.
- Export again later if you need to. An export only covers messages up to the day you make it.
- Keep a copy of anything you attach. Home Affairs says you won't be able to access documents in ImmiAccount after uploading them.
Two phones, one record.
In Almost Home, you and your partner add photos, screenshots and documents to one shared, private record as things happen, from either country. Each category exports as PDFs sized for ImmiAccount.
Start your recordThis guide passes on WhatsApp's published steps for exporting a chat and what Home Affairs says about attachments. It isn't migration advice and doesn't cover whether to include chat history, how much, or how it's assessed. For advice about your situation, talk to a registered migration agent or lawyer. The instructions in your own ImmiAccount application are authoritative. See WhatsApp's help page on exporting chat history.