A2P 10DLC campaign registration, step by step

Registering for A2P 10DLC feels bureaucratic the first time, but the process is logical once you see the shape of it. You are telling US carriers, through The Campaign Registry (TCR), who you are and what you send — and in exchange you get reliable delivery on standard 10-digit numbers. This is general, practical guidance, not legal or carrier-policy advice.

Before you start: gather your details

Registration goes faster when you have your information ready. For most businesses that means:

• Legal business name and address — exactly as they appear on official records.
• Business identifier — in the US this is typically your EIN (tax ID). Sole proprietors follow a separate, lighter path.
• Business website — one that clearly describes what you do.
• A support contact — email and phone.
• Sample messages — real examples of the texts you intend to send.
• Your opt-in flow — how people consent to receive messages, and proof of it (a screenshot of your form, checkout box, or keyword flow helps).

Getting the brand details to match official records is the single biggest factor in avoiding delays.

Step 1: Register your brand

The brand is your business identity. You submit your company details to TCR, which verifies them against authoritative sources and assigns a trust score. That score, together with your use case, influences how much throughput carriers will grant you.

Accuracy matters here. If your legal name, address, or EIN don't match official records, verification can fail or come back with a lower score. Register the entity that actually owns the messaging, not a DBA or marketing alias, unless that's the registered entity.

Step 2: Choose your use case and register a campaign

A campaign describes a specific messaging purpose. Common use cases include marketing, account notifications, two-factor authentication, customer care, and delivery updates. You register a campaign for each purpose you actually send.

For each campaign you provide:

• A description of what the campaign does.
• Sample messages representative of the real traffic.
• Opt-in details — how subscribers consent and what they're told.
• Opt-out details — confirming you honor STOP and similar keywords.

Register the use case you truly send. Registering marketing traffic under a campaign declared as transactional is one of the most common reasons senders get flagged later.

Step 3: Wait for vetting and approval

Brand verification and campaign review take time — sometimes minutes, sometimes days, depending on the use case and whether extra vetting is triggered. Some use cases (and higher-throughput tiers) require additional brand vetting by a third party, which produces a more thorough score. Plan for this lead time before a launch; don't register the week you need to send.

Step 4: Connect campaigns to your numbers

Once a campaign is approved, your 10-digit numbers are associated with it. From that point, traffic sent from those numbers is recognized as registered A2P traffic tied to a known use case, and carriers apply your approved throughput.

Step 5: Send within your limits — and keep records

Registration is the entry ticket; sending behavior keeps you in good standing:

• Respect throughput. Sending faster than your approved rate causes queuing or drops. Throttling and sub-batching keep you inside the lines.
• Keep consent records. Be able to show when and how each contact opted in.
• Honor opt-outs immediately. STOP handling should be automatic and permanent.
• Keep content consistent with your registered samples.

Fivra's broadcasting pipeline sends within carrier limits — throttled and sub-batched, with capacity scaling as your active number pool grows — and STOP handling is automatic. You complete brand and campaign registration for your business through The Campaign Registry; the platform is built to send that registered traffic in a carrier-friendly way.

Common reasons registration stalls

• Mismatched brand details — legal name/EIN/address don't match records.
• Vague use cases or sample messages — reviewers can't tell what you actually send.
• Missing opt-in proof — no clear description of how consent is collected.
• Use-case mismatch — the declared campaign doesn't match the real content.

Fix these before you submit and most registrations move smoothly.

FAQ

How long does A2P 10DLC registration take?

It varies. Brand verification can be quick, but campaign review and any additional brand vetting can take from hours to several days depending on the use case and tier. Register well before a planned launch rather than at the last minute.

What do I need to register a brand?

Typically your legal business name, business address, a business identifier such as an EIN, a website, and a support contact — all matching your official records. Accuracy is what keeps verification from failing.

What is a messaging campaign in 10DLC?

A campaign is a registered messaging use case — such as marketing, notifications, two-factor codes, or customer care. You register each use case separately with sample messages and opt-in/opt-out details, and a brand can run multiple campaigns.

Do sole proprietors register differently?

Yes. Sole proprietors typically follow a lighter registration path designed for very small senders, with lower throughput than fully vetted brands. The exact requirements are set by the registry and carriers.

Why was my campaign rejected?

Common causes include sample messages that don't match the declared use case, missing or unclear opt-in information, or content that reads as spam. Align your samples and opt-in description with what you actually send and resubmit.

Does Fivra handle registration for me?

Brand and campaign registration is completed for your business through The Campaign Registry. Fivra is built to send that registered traffic within carrier limits, using throttled, sub-batched delivery and automatic STOP handling.