Every other sender type is a phone number that happens to carry texts. A short code is a different kind of object. It carries no voice service. It is applied for rather than bought, and it starts carrying traffic weeks after you start paying.

## How long is a short code?

Five or six digits in the United States.

The [US Short Code Registry](https://www.usshortcodes.com/learn-more/faqs/), which administers the American program, gives the length and the purpose together:

> A short code is a five- or six-digit number that can be used to send and receive text messages.

That length is a fact about the US program rather than a worldwide rule. Other countries run their own programs with their own lengths and their own eligibility. A code that exists in one country tells you nothing about another.

## Do you own a short code?

No. You lease it for a term, and pay for the whole term up front.

The registry leases codes for three, six or 12 months. The entire lease payment falls due before the code can be activated. The fees are non-refundable. So the commitment starts at the beginning of the term rather than at first message.

Who picks the digits is a separate choice with its own price. A code you choose yourself is a Select code. One the system assigns is a Random code. The registry publishes the monthly rate for each.

## Why can I not send the day I lease one?

Because leasing and provisioning are different steps, run by different parties.

The registry is explicit that paying for a code is not the end of the process:

> while you have effectively leased a code once you pay for it, this provisioning process can take two to four weeks

Each wireless carrier approves the campaign before the code will carry traffic on its network. Plan the lease start and the launch date as separate dates. A campaign scheduled from the lease start begins before the code can carry traffic.

## What varies between short codes?

Three things, and they vary independently of each other.

| Dimension                | The choices                                              | What it decides                                                                                        |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Who picks the digits     | Select, chosen by you, or Random, assigned by the system | The digits, and the registry's monthly rate                                                            |
| Who pays for the traffic | Standard, Free to End User, or Charity                   | Whether the messages count against the recipient's plan, and whether a donation is added to their bill |
| How many senders         | One or several                                           | Whether the code carries only your traffic                                                             |

The registry runs three campaign types on that middle axis. Standard messages may count against the subscriber's monthly plan. Free to End User messages do not. A Charity campaign may count against the plan and adds the donation to the subscriber's bill. Bird carries Free to End User as its own number type, `short_code_fteu`, separate from `short_code`.

On Bird a number's `kind` is `dedicated` or `shared`. That axis is how many workspaces the number is allocated to. It is not a statement that unrelated brands may send from the same code, which is a separate question governed by the messaging program and its consent rules. [Which consent model applies](/explained/sms/which-sms-consent-model-applies) covers those rules.

## How do I get one on Bird?

Ask, rather than order. Short codes reach a workspace by allocation.

You can list and read an allocated short code through the public numbers API. What you cannot do is order one. A short code is not a self-service purchase, and seeing it in inventory is not an offer to sell it. Two details make that concrete. A short code never matches a `prefix` search in `GET /v1/numbers/available`. And general country sender registration refuses senders that belong to a dedicated program, which a short code does.

So start with [contact sales](/contact-sales), naming the country, the traffic and whether you need Free to End User. The [number types guide](/docs/guides/numbers/number-types) covers what a short code can carry once it is allocated. [Which sender type should I use](/explained/sms/which-sms-sender-type-should-i-use) covers whether you need one at all.

## Related resources

- [SMS numbers](/products/sms/numbers) (product)
- [SMS sender IDs](/docs/guides/sms/senders) (docs)
- [What is a virtual phone number (VMN)?](/explained/numbers/what-is-a-virtual-phone-number) (answer)

[Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=phone-numbers)