SMS destination
United Kingdom
Dialing code +44 · Europe. Review the recorded SMS sender capabilities and country requirements for United Kingdom.
Part of Bird SMS. Compare the sender and operational requirements across your markets.
Policy last updated July 13, 2026
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Read more customer storiesWhat you can send
Two-way messaging
Supported
Before you send
The recorded policy requires alphanumeric sender registration for United Kingdom. Review the evidence and sender requirements before submission, then track the registration status.
Sender types
Compare the sender types listed for this destination, their registration requirements and recorded setup estimates. Confirm availability, throughput and timing for your use case.
| Sender | Activation | Setup time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short code | Short-code provisioning | ~40 business days | Supports two-way replies. |
| Alphanumeric Sender ID | Sender ID registration | ~5 business days | One-way only. |
| Long code (phone number) | Number registration | ~5 business days | Supports two-way replies. |
Rules & regulations
Use this recorded country reference to prepare your launch. Requirements can depend on message purpose, sender type, network and recipient location; confirm the applicable rules before sending.
- United Kingdom enforces strict segmentation between marketing and transactional messaging:
- Each Sender ID can only be registered for one segment—either marketing or transactional. If your content spans both, you must register separate Sender IDs for each.
- Generic senders (e.g. Verify), sub-variations of generic senders (verify), and senders which contain part of generic senders (VerifyCode), are not allowed.
- Following special characters are allowed: "." (dot), "-" (dash), "_" (underscore), " " (space), "&" (ampersand). All other special characters are not supported.
- Character replacement (e.g. A to 4, or B to 8, etc.) is not allowed.
- If the company name and requested sender have different names, please make sure to specify what is the connection between them.
- Sender IDs belonging to Russian companies can not be registered
What this market refuses
Gambling is legal and regulated in this market. All forms of online gambling require a license from the Commission. To register a Sender ID, you must include a copy of your gambling license with your request. Additionally, some senders are protected by UK operators, which may require an authorization letter for registration.
One API
How sending works
Use the same SMS API across supported destinations. Prepare an eligible sender, enable the destination and apply the recipient permission your message requires. Track the accepted message through carrier submission and the delivery reports available for that route.
Sending to United Kingdom, answered
What senders ask before their first message to United Kingdom.
Do I need to register a sender before sending SMS to United Kingdom?
Can I use an alphanumeric sender ID in United Kingdom?
How long does sender registration take in United Kingdom?
Can I receive replies from United Kingdom?
Are there quiet hours for SMS in United Kingdom?
Do I need consent before messaging someone in United Kingdom?
What other channels can Bird reach United Kingdom on?
The rest of the SMS platform
One API, one set of keys. Explore the other capabilities.
Put it into practice.
Continue with the documentation, guides and examples for this topic. Resources are in English.
Start sending to United Kingdom
Create a workspace, register a sender, and send your first message from the same API you will scale on.