Email and phone

US texting registration

US phone carriers only deliver business texts from registered numbers. Register once from Settings, without opening Twilio, and follow it until it's approved.

#Why it's needed

Since 2023, US carriers block texts to US phones from business numbers that aren't registered. There are two kinds of registration:

• A2P 10DLC, for US local numbers. You register your business (the brand) and what you text people about (the campaign) once, and it covers all your US local numbers, including ones you buy later.
• Toll-free verification, for each toll-free number (800, 888 and so on).

Calls work right away. Until a number's registration is approved, its texts to US and Canadian phones are held back with a message telling you why, so nothing fails without you knowing. Texts to other countries aren't affected.

#Where each number stands

Open Settings → Phone System and scroll to US texting registration. Each US number shows Texting: Active, Pending, Rejected or Not registered. The same appears on the Phone Numbers list.

#Registering

Click Register. The form opens filled in from My business where it can be, and has four steps:

1. Business: the legal name, type, industry and EIN, exactly as on the IRS letter (CP 575), plus the website and address. The reviewers compare them, and a mismatch is the most common reason for a rejection. Your EIN is stored encrypted, and afterwards only its last four digits are shown.
2. Contact: someone at the business the carriers can reach.
3. Texts: what you text about, how people agree to get your texts, and 2 to 5 sample messages. Suggest writes samples from your business. One sample must say how to stop, like "Reply STOP to opt out."
4. Review: everything at a glance, with the fees, before you submit.

You can also ask the assistant: "Register my number for US texting". It tells you where each number stands and links to the form.

#What the reviewers look for

• The same name everywhere: the legal name and EIN match the IRS records, and the website is the business's own and working.
• A clear opt-in: how people agree to your texts, step by step. For example, a form with an unticked box saying who will text them and how to stop. If it's a web form, give its link.
• Realistic samples: messages you'll really send, naming your business, with no misleading links.
• Nothing restricted: loans, cannabis, gambling and similar content need special approval and are usually refused.

#How long it takes

A2P 10DLC goes Submitted → Brand approved → Campaign approved → Texting active. The brand usually takes minutes to a few days, and the campaign a few days to two or three weeks. Toll-free verification usually takes one to two weeks. We check with the carriers every few minutes, and Check now asks straight away. New US local numbers join an active registration automatically.

#If it's rejected

The reason appears on the card. Click Fix and resubmit: everything is filled in (leave the EIN empty to keep it), change what the reason points at, and submit. A rejected campaign is fixed on its own, and an approved brand is kept.

#Fees

The fees are Twilio's and the carriers', not ours. They're shown before you submit and appear in Usage:

• Brand registration, once: lower for low volume (under about 6,000 texts a day, enough for most small businesses) than for standard, which includes an extra carrier review.
• Campaign review, once each time a campaign is submitted.
• The campaign, every month while it's active.
• Toll-free verification: free.

A resubmission may be charged again.