What A2P 10DLC is
A2P means application-to-person: messages a business sends from software rather than a person typing on a phone. 10DLC means a standard ten-digit local phone number. US carriers require A2P traffic sent over local numbers to be registered through The Campaign Registry before it is delivered. Unregistered traffic is filtered or blocked.
Registration has two parts:
- Brand: the business that sends the messages, verified against its legal and tax records.
- Campaign: what the messages are for, how recipients opted in, and samples of what they will receive.
Toll-free numbers follow a separate process called toll-free verification, which asks for much of the same information.
How Sndiq handles registration
Sndiq is fully managed. You never open your own carrier or registry account. You give us your business and program details once, and we:
- submit your brand for verification;
- submit your campaign with your use case, opt-in description, and sample messages;
- handle toll-free verification where a toll-free number is the better fit;
- assign your numbers to the approved registration; and
- tell you when you can start sending, or what the carriers asked to change.
The decision belongs to the carriers and the registry. What you control is the quality and consistency of what you submit, which is the biggest factor in a fast approval.
What brand registration needs
Have these ready, exactly as they appear on your official records:
- Legal business name, matching your tax registration letter character for character. A trade name or "doing business as" name can be added, but the legal name must match.
- Tax identifier, such as a US Employer Identification Number (EIN), and the country it was issued in.
- Business type: private company, public company, nonprofit, or government entity. Public companies also provide their stock symbol and exchange.
- Business address, matching your registration records. Use a physical address, not a P.O. box.
- Website that is live, matches the business name, and shows what you do.
- Industry that honestly describes the business.
- Support contact: an email address and phone number where the business can be reached.
Sole proprietors without a tax identifier have a separate, more limited registration path with lower sending limits. Tell us if that applies to you.
What campaign registration needs
- Use case. What the messages are for, such as marketing, customer care, account notifications, delivery updates, or a mix. Pick the one that matches what you will actually send.
- Campaign description. A few plain sentences: who sends, who receives, and why. "Acme Dental sends appointment reminders and occasional promotions to patients who opted in at booking" is the level of detail carriers want.
- Sample messages. Real examples of what recipients will get, each naming your brand, with the kinds of links or phone numbers you plan to include. If you send promotions, include a promotional sample.
- Opt-in description. Exactly how people give you their number and agree to receive texts, with a link to the form or a screenshot of it.
- Opt-out and help messages. What a recipient receives after replying STOP or HELP.
- Content flags. Whether messages contain links, phone numbers, or age-gated content.
Opt-in that passes review
Most rejections come down to the opt-in. Reviewers check that a real person could find your form, read the disclosure, and knowingly agree. Wherever you collect numbers, the call to action should:
- name your brand;
- say what kind of messages people will receive;
- say that message frequency varies, or state the frequency;
- say that message and data rates may apply;
- explain how to opt out (reply STOP) and get help (reply HELP);
- link to your terms and your privacy policy; and
- for marketing, say that consent is not a condition of purchase.
The consent checkbox must be unchecked by default and separate from any agreement to your general terms. Your privacy policy must state that you do not share mobile opt-in data with third parties for their marketing. For verbal or paper opt-in, describe the script or form and how you record it.
A disclosure that covers all of this:
"By checking this box, you agree to receive recurring marketing texts from Acme Dental at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Terms and Privacy Policy."
Keep a record of every opt-in: the number, date and time, where it happened, and the exact wording shown. Our TCPA Compliance Policy lists what to keep.
HELP and STOP handling
Carriers require every registered program to respond to two keywords.
STOP
When a recipient replies STOP, or STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT, they must stop receiving messages from that program. Sndiq records the opt-out against your workspace and checks it before every send, so a suppressed number is not texted again by a later campaign or an API call. One confirmation may be sent, with no marketing in it:
"Acme Dental: You are unsubscribed and will receive no more messages. Reply START to resubscribe."
Requests that arrive another way, by phone, email, or a reply like "please stop texting me," count too. Record them as opt-outs.
HELP
A HELP reply must tell the recipient who is texting them and how to reach a person:
"Acme Dental: For help, call (555) 010-0000 or email [email protected]. Msg frequency varies. Msg and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out."
How long it takes
Brand verification is usually the quick part. Campaign review is done by carriers, often by hand, and commonly takes from several business days to a few weeks. Toll-free verification follows a similar pattern. A rejection means fixing the issue and resubmitting, which restarts the review, so a complete, consistent first submission is the fastest path.
Plan around it: submit before you need to send, not the week of a launch. We tell you as soon as anything is approved or returned.
Common reasons for rejection
- The legal name or tax identifier does not match official records.
- The website is down, under construction, or does not match the business.
- The privacy policy is missing, or does not address mobile data sharing.
- The opt-in cannot be verified: no link, no screenshot, or a form without the required disclosure.
- Sample messages do not name the brand, or do not match the chosen use case.
- Messages use public link shorteners carriers restrict.
- The content falls in a category carriers restrict or review more heavily.
Some categories, such as lending or health products, are allowed but receive heavier review and tighter limits. Expect more questions, and keep your consent records especially complete.
Throughput after approval
Carriers set how fast a registered campaign can send, based on the registration and the brand's verification results. Sndiq sends as fast as those limits allow without going over them, which protects your delivery. Content that drifts from the registered samples, high opt-out rates, or complaints can lead carriers to filter messages or suspend a campaign, so keep sending what you registered.
For agencies
Each client registers as its own brand, under its own legal name and tax identifier, because the brand is the business named in the messages. Do not register client traffic under the agency. Each client workspace in Sndiq carries its own registration, numbers, contacts, and opt-outs, and consent collected for one client never covers another.
Checklist before you submit
- Legal name, tax identifier, and address copied from official records
- Live website with your business name, a privacy policy, and SMS terms
- Opt-in form or script with the full disclosure, plus a link or screenshot
- Use case and a plain-language campaign description
- Sample messages that name your brand and match the use case
- HELP and STOP replies written
- A support email and phone number
Questions about your registration? Email [email protected].