A2P 10DLC

How it works

You register your business (brand) and each messaging use case (campaign) with The Campaign Registry via your provider. Approved registrations unlock higher throughput and lower filtering.

Why it matters

Unregistered A2P traffic on 10DLC is heavily filtered or blocked by U.S. carriers. Registration is the difference between SMS that delivers and SMS that silently disappears.

What does a 10DLC brand and campaign registration ask for?

The brand record describes the legal business: registered name, tax ID (the EIN in the U.S.), address, website and a contact. The campaign record describes one messaging use case: what the messages are for, sample messages, how recipients opt in, the opt-out and help keywords, and whether links or phone numbers appear in the content. You submit both through your messaging provider, which passes them to The Campaign Registry.

Write the samples as the real messages you will send. A campaign described as appointment reminders that then carries sales offers is the kind of mismatch that gets traffic filtered later. Our 10DLC registration guide covers the form fields in order.

Why do 10DLC campaigns get rejected?

Most rejections trace back to information that does not line up. The legal name on the brand does not match the tax record exactly. The website listed has no privacy policy, or the privacy policy says phone numbers may be shared with third parties. The opt-in description says "customers agree to texts" without showing where or how. Sample messages lack the business name or an opt-out instruction.

Fix the underlying page before resubmitting. If your web form collects mobile numbers, the consent line beside the checkbox should name your business, the message type and the STOP keyword, and the reviewer should be able to find it.

How is 10DLC different from toll-free and short-code texting?

All three carry business texts in the U.S., but each has its own approval path. 10DLC uses ordinary local-looking numbers and needs brand plus campaign registration. Toll-free numbers go through a separate toll-free verification process. Short codes are five or six digit numbers leased and approved on their own, typically suited to very high volume. A local number reads as more personal to a prospect, which is why sales teams usually pick 10DLC; the related entry on 10DLC numbers explains the number type itself.

Switching paths later is not free. Numbers registered under one path do not carry their approval to another, so moving from 10DLC to toll-free means a fresh review. Pick the path that matches how prospects should see you, then register once, carefully.

What should you check before sending after approval?

Approval covers the use case you described, not everything you might text. Before the first send, confirm each number in the campaign is attached to the approved campaign at your carrier provider, that the opt-in record exists for every contact in the list, and that quiet hours apply in the recipient's timezone. The TCPA consent rules still apply on top of carrier registration. Autocloz's SMS channel runs every text through the same opt-in, STOP and quiet-hours gate as calls, and SMS starts on the Growth plan at 2,500 a day, so a first campaign can start small while you watch delivery.

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