US carriers require every business that texts from a local (10-digit) US number to register under a standard called A2P 10DLC (application-to-person 10-digit long code). You register two things:
Brand: your business, as carriers know it.
Campaign: what you send, and how people agree to receive it.
Until both are approved, carriers block messages sent from your US local numbers. Toll-free numbers use a separate process: US toll-free verification.
Before you start
Have these ready:
Your legal business name, exactly as it appears on your IRS records (your EIN confirmation letter, CP 575 or 147C), and your EIN (Employer Identification Number).
A public website for the business. It can't be behind a login.
An authorized representative's name, job title, email, and phone number.
A brand contact email at your company's domain. Don't use a free provider or a shared mailbox like info@.
A privacy policy URL. The policy must say you don't share or sell mobile numbers or SMS consent to third parties for marketing.
A terms and conditions URL that describes your SMS program.
The page, form, or script where people give you their number and agree to receive texts.
Two to five real examples of the messages you'll send.
You need permission to manage SMS settings.
Where to register
Go to Settings > Channels > SMS. Under US local (10DLC) registration, click Open registration.
Some workspaces need a migration before they can register. If yours does, this section shows the reason instead of the Open registration link, for example "This workspace sends SMS from a shared account". Contact support and we'll coordinate the migration with you.
The page shows your progress through five stages: Business profile, A2P trust product, Brand, Campaign, and Numbers. Click Refresh status to check for updates.
Step 1: Register your brand
Fill in the four sections: Business details, Business address, Authorized representative, and Brand.
Choose a Brand type:
Brand type | Choose it if you send | What to expect |
Low volume standard | Fewer than 6,000 message segments a day | Fast to register. T-Mobile caps it at 2,000 message segments a day. |
Standard | 6,000 or more message segments a day | Vetting can take up to 7 days, and checks are stricter. Carriers give the brand a trust score that sets its T-Mobile limit, between 2,000 and 200,000 a day. |
You can't change the brand type after the brand is registered.
Tips:
Enter your Legal business name exactly as it appears on your EIN letter. A trading name or abbreviation is the most common reason a brand is refused.
Enter your EIN as 9 digits with a dash, for example 12-3456789.
Check Country in the business address. It can't be changed later.
Click Submit brand. A low volume standard brand is usually approved within a few minutes.
If your brand is refused, the page shows the carriers' reason. Correct your answers and submit again. This registers a new brand in place of the refused one.
Step 2: Register your campaign
The campaign form appears once your brand is approved. Your workspace has one campaign, so describe every type of message you'll send from US local numbers.
Field | What to enter |
Campaign use case | What the messages are for. For low volume standard brands we recommend Low volume mixed: one campaign covers support replies, notifications, and reminders together. |
Campaign description | Who sends the messages, who receives them, and why. |
How people opt in | Every way someone gives you their number and agrees to be texted, with the URL where it happens. |
Sample messages | Two to five real examples, one for each type of message you'll send. |
Message content | Tick Messages include links and Messages include phone numbers if they do. |
Opt-out and help | The keywords (STOP and HELP by default) and the replies people get. |
Privacy policy and terms URLs | Public pages that carriers open and check. |
You can't change the use case after the campaign is registered. With Low volume mixed, messages send at the lowest rate carriers allow: about 225 a minute in total, and at most 2,000 message segments a day to T-Mobile numbers.
Click Submit for review.
What happens after you submit your campaign?
We review your campaign within 2 business days, before sending it to the carriers, to catch the issues carriers most often refuse.
If something needs to change, we send it back with comments and suggested edits. You get an email.
Open the registration page, choose Accept or Keep mine for each suggestion, update any fields marked as needing a change, then click Resubmit for review.
If we make small corrections ourselves before sending it on, we email you a list of what changed.
Carriers review your campaign. This usually takes 5 to 7 business days, and can take longer. We email you when your campaign is approved or refused.
In total, expect 7 to 9 business days from when you submit. Each time we send the campaign back for changes, our review starts again when you resubmit.
Step 3: Add US local numbers
Go to Settings > Channels > SMS > Countries and phone numbers and click Add a new phone number. Choose United States, set Number type to Local, then Confirm activation.
You can buy local numbers before your campaign is approved. All your US local numbers send under your campaign automatically, with no per-number step. Messages from US local numbers fail until the campaign is approved.
How to get your campaign approved the first time
Carriers check your answers against your website and opt-in page. Most refusals come from the items below.
Opt-in
Carriers compare what you describe with what's live on the page, so the opt-in has to be live before you submit.
Describe every way people opt in, and give the URL.
If the opt-in is behind a login or on paper, link to a public screenshot.
Consent checkboxes must be unticked by default.
Agreeing to texts can't be required to buy or use your service.
Ask for marketing consent separately from other messages.
Put text next to the phone number field that names your business, says what messages people will get and how often, and includes "Msg & data rates may apply", how to get help (HELP), and how to stop (STOP). Link to your terms and privacy policy there. For example:
By checking this box, you agree to receive recurring automated text messages from Acme about your orders and account at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help or STOP to opt out. See our Terms and Privacy Policy.
Sample messages
Name your business in every sample.
Include opt-out wording ("Reply STOP to opt out") in at least one.
Use [brackets] for details that change, like [first name].
Use full links on your own domain. Avoid public link shorteners such as bit.ly, and use https://.
Only use promotional wording (sales, discounts, offers) if your use case covers marketing.
Privacy policy
Your privacy policy must say you don't share mobile information for marketing. For example:
We do not share, sell, or provide your mobile phone number or messaging consent data to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
Terms and conditions
Your terms and conditions must include:
Your program name and what you send.
How often you message.
"Message and data rates may apply".
How to get help, with a support contact.
How to opt out (STOP).
That carriers aren't liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
A link to your privacy policy.
Consistency
Your business name, website, email domain, and samples should all point to the same business.
What to do if your campaign is refused
The registration page shows the carriers' reason. Correct your answers and submit again. The campaign comes back to us for review before it goes to the carriers.
Some kinds of business and content can't be registered at all. These include cannabis, gambling, loans, debt collection, cryptocurrency, firearms, tobacco, and adult content. See Staying compliant with SMS.
If we close the review instead, the page shows our note. Sort out what the note describes, then submit again.
Good to know about US local (10DLC) registration
One registration per workspace. Every US local number in the workspace sends under the same brand and campaign, including numbers assigned to different Intercom Brands. If you need separate registrations, for example for different legal entities, contact us.
STOP is final. If someone replies STOP to a US number, they won't receive any more SMS from that number, including support conversations.
Porting a number that already texts: register, and wait for approval, before you port it. The registration at your current provider doesn't move with the number. When the port completes, contact us to turn SMS on.
If you can't register: some workspaces need a migration first, for example if your SMS settings say your workspace uses a shared account, or that your phone and SMS numbers are in different accounts. Contact support to coordinate it. A migration can involve a short break in SMS and calling, so we'll agree a time with you first.
Should I use a toll-free or a local number for SMS?
| Toll-free | Local (10DLC) |
What gets registered | Each number | Your business (brand) and what you send (campaign), once per workspace |
How long it takes | 8–10 business days per number | Brand: minutes (low volume standard). Campaign: up to 2 business days for our review, then 5–7 business days with carriers (7–9 in total). |
Adding more numbers | Each new number is verified | New US local numbers are covered automatically |
What recipients see | A toll-free number | A local US number |
Where can I learn more about A2P 10DLC?
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