10DLC registration
US mobile carriers do not support the alphanumeric sender IDs (Bird, Acme-Co) that many other countries accept. To send application-to-person (A2P) SMS from a US long code, the business registers a brand and campaign through a Campaign Service Provider with The Campaign Registry (TCR). TCR is the central registry behind 10DLC (10-digit long code). Complete registration and link a number to the campaign before sending US A2P traffic from that number.
The model: brand, campaign, number
Registration has three levels, each depending on the one before it:
- Brand: the business doing the sending. You register it once with your legal details, and the registry verifies its identity.
- Campaign: a declared use case under an approved brand, for example one-time passcodes or order updates. A campaign describes what you're sending and how recipients opt in and out.
- Number: one of your own US long codes, linked to an approved campaign. Linking authorizes that number for the campaign's A2P traffic.
A brand can run several campaigns, and a campaign can have several numbers linked to it. Link each sending number to the appropriate campaign before using it.
Registering a brand
Brand registration gives TCR enough information to verify the business: its legal name, entity type, tax ID, registered address, and contact details. TCR identifies a mismatch between the legal company name and tax ID as the most common reason verification fails. Confirm both against official records before submitting.
The entity type shapes what else is required:
- A private company (most businesses) needs the common requirements in this section.
- A publicly-traded company additionally needs a website, stock symbol and exchange, and a business contact email. TCR's Authentication+ (Auth+) process verifies the business contact before the brand can register campaigns.
- A non-profit or government entity needs the common set, plus a website for a government entity.
- A sole proprietor in the US or Canada without an EIN follows a separate path with its own registry rules, including a required reference ID.
Registering a campaign
A campaign declares one use case, chosen from a fixed list, for example two-factor authentication, order and delivery notifications, customer care, or marketing. Choose carefully: the use case can't be changed once the campaign is registered, and a fresh campaign is needed to change it.
Campaign registration documents the message flow and the consent controls required for its use case. For recurring messaging, prepare these details:
- How recipients opt in: what they see or do that means they've agreed to receive your messages.
- How they opt out: a supported keyword such as STOP stops future messages.
- How they get help: texting HELP has to get a reply explaining who's messaging them and how to reach you.
Requirements vary by use case. TCR exempts machine-to-machine campaigns from the opt-in declaration and exempts 2FA and machine-to-machine campaigns from the opt-out declaration. Review the requirements for your selected use case before submitting it.
Vetting
Once a brand is verified, it can request vetting, a deeper third-party review that may increase carrier throughput. Vetting does not change the campaign's approved use case.
A brand registered as a publicly-traded company is a special case: it has to pass Auth+ vetting before any campaign can be registered under it. Request it on the brand and wait for it to become active. Campaign registration is refused until it is, so the vetting fee for the campaign itself is never charged for an attempt the registry would reject.
Linking numbers
Once a campaign is approved, link your US long code numbers to it. Linking authorizes those numbers for the campaign's traffic, in addition to the destination allowlist covered in Sending SMS.
Next steps
- Sending SMS: the send API, destinations, and sender types
- SMS overview: how Bird SMS sending and receiving fit together