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SMS Sender profile registration
Last updated on: July 18, 2023

Complete your Sender Profile registration to avoid blocked messages

Anyone sending SMS or MMS messages to U.S. or Canadian numbers must complete their Sender Profile Registration. This registration keeps you in compliance with the 2023 update to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

If you send messages without registering, carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc. will likely block your messages. You will still be charged for sending blocked messages.

To avoid this, submit your Sender Profile Registration here. And use the information below to successfully complete your registration. Reach out to our Support team with any questions!

Note that The Campaign Register (TCR) reviews each submission manually. Their review might take a few weeks, and they may contact you for more information.

This article will help you successfully submit your Sender Profile registration so you can send SMS/MMS messages to numbers in the US and Canada.

Table of contents

SMS Sender Profile registration
Twilio Brand verification
Usage limits by registration type
Sole Proprietor Brand registration
Low/High Volume Brand registration
Twilio Campaign Use Case vetting
Message Flow
Campaign Description
Sample SMS Messages
Sender Compliance Message

SMS Sender Profile registration

In March 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) enhanced the rules of Application-to-person (A2P 10DLC) messaging to combat spam and scams from text messages. A2P 10DLC messaging is a system that allows apps such as Twilio and Ontraport to send SMS and MMS messages quickly and reliably.

Any businesses sending SMS or MMS messages from an app (including Ontraport and our SMS provider, Twilio) to US or Canadian phone numbers must now be registered. This registry is designed to promote transparency about who is sending SMS messages and their purpose. To see the full report by the FCC released in March 2023, click here.

Registering your Sender Profile involves brand verification and campaign use case vetting.

  • Brand verification establishes your company with a governing body.
  • Campaign vetting confirms that the purpose and types of SMS messages you’re sending in a campaign align with your brand.

In this article, you’ll find information about the different registration types as well as guidance on how to successfully submit your Sender Profile registration.

Twilio Brand verification

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Brand verification contains information about your company. Every Ontraport customer sending SMS messages to contacts in the US or Canada (even if you do not reside in the US or Canada) must provide information about their company. This information is sent to The Campaign Registry, the reputation authority for customers sending SMS messages through an app.

  • There is a one time $10 brand registration fee associated with this process
    • Note: If your brand verification is not submitted successfully after three attempts, you will be charged an additional $10 fee to restart the process.
  • To avoid delays on your brand registration, ensure the information you submit is accurate. The application requirements differ based on whether you’re registering as a sole proprietor and whether you are a low or high volume customer.
    • See the diagram below to determine which registration type applies to your business.
  • Learn more about each registration type below, or visit the Sender Profile Registration page here to get started on your application.

Usage limits by registration type

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Each registration type is subject to usage limits:

Sole ProprietorLow VolumeHigh Volume
  • 1 SMS number
  • 1 SMS segment sent per second
  • 1 MMS segment sent per second
  • 3k message segments sent per day (1k only to T-Mobile customers)
  • More than 1 SMS number
  • Up to 3.75 SMS segments sent per second
  • 1 MMS segment sent per second
  • 6k message segments sent per day (2k only to T-Mobile customers)
  • More than 1 SMS number
  • Up to 225 SMS segments sent per second
  • 1 MMS segment sent per second
  • No message segment limits to most carriers (200k only to T-Mobile customers)

Sole Proprietor Brand registration

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Prerequisites

  • You do not have an EIN/CCN/ACN or equivalent business registration.
  • You have a valid address in the US or Canada.
  • You have a valid US or Canadian mobile phone number.
    • Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Google voice number are not acceptable.
    • You must be able to reply to a confirmation message sent to this number within 24 hours of receipt.

Profile requirements

FieldDescription

Business name

Your company name or your first and last name

First and last name

Your first and last name

Email address

Preferably your business email

Mobile phone number

A valid US or Canadian mobile number

Physical address

A valid US or Canadian address (PO boxes accepted)

Once you submit brand verification, you will receive a text message that says “The Campaign Registry (TCR): Please confirm your registration for US A2P Messaging by replying YES. Msg & data rates may apply.” You must reply YES within 24 hours.

Preventing brand registration failure

Some brand registrations fail and need to be amended and resubmitted. Here are the most common reasons brand registrations are rejected:

  • The business contact cell phone number is not a valid US or Canadian cell phone number.
  • The applicant did not reply to the SMS compliance message from The Campaign Registry within 24 hours.
  • The email address is not a valid domain or uses a freemail or disposable email address (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)
  • The physical address is not a valid US or Canadian address.
  • The brand name is not the applicant’s real business name.

See Twilio here for more reasons brand registration can fail.

Low/High Volume Brand registration

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Prerequisites

  • You have an EIN/CCN/ACN or equivalent business registration.
  • You have a physical street address ( PO boxes are not accepted).
  • You have a valid phone number.
  • You have a valid email address.

Business information profile requirements

FieldDescription

Business name

Must match the name listed on your tax registration.

Business registration type

The registration type corresponding to the location of your business

  • For example, select EIN if your business is located in the US, or ACN if your business is located in Australia.
  • Select “other” if your business registration type is not included in the dropdown.

Business registration number/ID

Your EIN, CCN, ACN or equivalent business registration number that matches the values on your tax registration document

  • This should not be a “doing business as” (DBA) name.
  • Canada residents: provide your seven-digit provincial corporation number as your business registration number. Here are example provincial corporations where you can find your number:
    • Alberta Corporation Number
    • British Columbia Corporation Number (the BC prefix is part of the number)
    • Manitoba Corporation Number
    • Ontario Corporation Number (enter only the numbers after the first two leading zeros)
    • Saskatchewan Corporation Number
    • Quebec Corporation Number
  • Find Twilio guidance for Canadian companies here and information about the Canada Revenue Agency program information here.

Business street address

Street address, city, state, postal code, country

  • PO boxes are not accepted.

Industry

Select the one that is closest to the nature of your business.

Regions you send SMS from

Select US & Canada, Asia & Australia, Europe, Latin America, or Africa.

Business contact information profile requirements

FieldDescription

Business contact

Provide a leading representative that is a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), General Manager (GM), Vice President (VP), Director or General Counsel member.

  • This person should be easily reached by phone and email.

Position type

Select CEO, CFO, CM, VP, Director, or General Counsel from the dropdown.

Job title

Enter a job title that matches the position type.

Email address

Use a domain email address that you monitor regularly 

  • Do not use a free mail domain (Gmail, Yahoo, etc).

Cell phone

Use a valid cell phone number where you can be reached.

Twilio Campaign Use Case vetting

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The second part of the registration process is campaign use case vetting. Mobile carriers need to confirm that the purpose and types of SMS messages you’re sending align with your brand. This process gives mobile network operators (AT&T, T-Mobile/Sprint, Verizon, etc.) a way to control message traffic on their networks.

  • There is a one-time $40 campaign vetting fee associated with this process.
    • After approval, there is an ongoing campaign use fee of $5/month. The fee is $20/month for High Volume.
  • Read more about Twilio’s campaign approval best practices here.
    • Note, Twilio does not allow certain categories of message types on its platform, including messages about high-risk financial services, third-party lead generation services, debt forgiveness, illegal substances, prescription drugs, gambling, sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco.

There are four parts of your Campaign Use Case that will be evaluated:

  1. Message Flow
  2. Campaign Description
  3. Sample SMS Messages
  4. Sender Compliance Message

Message Flow

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In this section, describe how and where a contact can opt in to receive SMS messages from you. It proves that contacts are legitimately consenting to receive messages from you.

  1. The call to action must be explicitly clear and inform the receiver of the types/nature of SMS messages they’ll receive from you.
  2. If there is more than one way a contact can opt in to receive SMS messages, such as a form on a website, paper form, form behind a membership login, or by sending a message to your SMS number, list them all here.
Opt-in methodMessage flow must include:Example message flow description

Website form on your website

  1. A link to your website
    • Your site will need terms of service and a privacy policy. Your privacy policy needs to include a statement of non-sharing for mobile numbers, message frequency, and a “message and data rates may apply” disclosure.
    • Your site must have an SSL certificate.
  2. A link to the page where you collect SMS numbers

“Customers opt-in by filling out a registration form on this page: https://pawsitivevibes.com/signup and entering their SMS number into the non-required field.”

Texting a message to your number

  1. Opt-in keywords they need to include in their message
  2. Opt-in message they will receive

“Customers send us a text message to get information about our product. Our offer of information includes the following message: “By sending us a message, you authorize ACME to send text messages with offers and other information. Message/data rates apply. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Text STOP to unsubscribe at any time.” [Page//Link to terms and conditions]

Paper form or form behind a membership login

  1. A hosted link to an image of your opt-in form
  2. A “message and data rates may apply” disclosure

“Customers opt-in by filling out this form: [Page//hosted link with a screenshot of opt-in form].”

Campaign Description

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In this section, explain the campaign’s objective or purpose in detail. Your description should include the type of messages you’ll send. What you describe must be appropriate and realistic for your brand. For example, a software company should not describe a campaign for a food delivery messaging campaign use case. And if you specify that the campaign’s purpose is to send appointment reminders, you can not also send messages about other topics, such as new products and services.

Here are a few example campaign descriptions:

  • “This campaign allows customers to confirm when they’ve made changes to their own profile or preferences.”
  • “This campaign provides shipping alerts to customers about products they ordered on [Page//website name].”
  • “This campaign sends SMS webinar reminders to clients who have opted in.”

Sample SMS Messages

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In this section, provide sample messages that are typical of this particular campaign. These messages should also be consistent with your campaign description.

  • Ensure that at least one sample message includes your business name.
  • Ensure at least one sample message includes opt-out language.
  • Use brackets to indicate any merge fields you are using.

Here are some examples of effective and ineffective sample SMS messages.

ThisNot that

Pawsitive Vibes here. Friend, welcome to the Pet Club! Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Friend, welcome to the club!

You have an appointment with Pawsitive Vibes on [Page//appointment date] at [Page//appointment time].

You have an appointment on [Page//Appointment Date] at [Page//Appointment time].

Hi Friend, this is Pawsitive Vibes. We’re having a sale! Use code GIMME to save 35% on all items. [Page//website link] Text STOP to unsubscribe.

We’re having a sale! Use code GIMME to save 35% on all items.

The webinar is happening today! Join The Three Marketeers today at noon here: https://zoom.us/j/123456789

Click this link to join the webinar. bit.ly/click-bait

Sender Compliance Message

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Provide a sample SMS message that explains what your contacts have subscribed to, and how they can opt out of receiving your messages. You must include one of these keywords: STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END or QUIT.

ThisNot that

You signed up to receive promotional messages from Pawsitive Vibes. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

You opted in for these messages.

Three Marketeers here. You are subscribed to receive text appointment reminders. Type STOP at any time to unsubscribe.

Hey, it’s [Page//company name]. You’re all set for getting text messages.

To learn more about Twilio’s campaign vetting process, read their FAQs here and their campaign approval best practices here.

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