textually
Apply for access

10DLC readiness checklist

To text US mobiles from a local number, your texting provider registers your brand and campaign with The Campaign Registry, and carriers review both. Tick off what you have ready. Anything left shows its fix, so you can sort it out before you submit.

0 of 16 ready

16 items left. Each one shows its fix below.

Your business (the brand)

Use the legal name exactly as it appears on your tax records. Give a trading name separately if you use one.

Check that the EIN is the one on file for that exact legal name. An EIN that doesn’t match the legal name on file is a common mistake.

Use the same address that appears on your tax records.

Give the name, title, email and phone of a real person. A generic inbox with no named person is a common mistake.

Your website

Publish the site before you submit. Reviewers look at it to confirm you are a real business doing what you describe, and a missing or under-construction site is a reason for a send-back.

Add your business name and a contact page, email or phone number where reviewers can see them.

Publish a privacy policy on your site. A website with no privacy policy is a common mistake.

Add terms that explain the texts you send. A website with no mention of texting is a common mistake.

Put the opt-in form on a public page, with the consent wording next to the phone field, so a reviewer can find it.

Your campaign

Write it the way you’d explain it: “Follow-up texts to people who request a demo on our website, and reminders for booked calls.” “We text leads” is too vague.

Name the form, checkbox, call or text, quote the wording, and say what you store. A reviewer should be able to find the form and read the same words.

Write two real texts with your business name, placeholders in [brackets], and opt-out wording such as “Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.”

If the campaign says reminders, the samples should be reminders. Register a separate campaign for a second use case.

The confirmation should give the program name, customer care contact or HELP instructions, how to opt out, how often you text, and that fees may apply. CTIA, 2023, section 5.1.2.1

Your content and your list

Carrier guidance lists “SHAFT (sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, or tobacco), gambling, and sweepstakes and contests” as categories with prohibitions or extra requirements. Check yours before you submit. CTIA Short Code Monitoring Handbook, 2023, section 3.5

Drop bought, rented or shared lists. CTIA says senders “should not use opt-in lists that have been rented, sold, or shared”. CTIA, 2023

Why registrations get sent back

Reviewers check your details against public sources and read the website, the opt-in description and the samples closely. Each of these is a reason a registration can come back:

  • The legal name or tax ID doesn’t match public records.
  • The website is missing, under construction, or doesn’t match the business.
  • The opt-in description is vague, or the form it describes can’t be found.
  • Sample messages don’t name the business or include opt-out wording.
  • The campaign describes one use case and the samples show another.
  • The content falls in a restricted category.
  • Opt-in lists were bought or shared.

If a registration comes back, fix the exact reason given and resubmit. Changing several things at once makes the next review slower. A sample message reviewers can read at a glance:

Northwind: Hi [first name], thanks for asking about [product] on our website. Is a quick call today or tomorrow good? Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

Canada: toll-free verification

Canada has no 10DLC registry. Business texts to Canadian mobiles usually go out from a toll-free number that has passed toll-free verification, which is done for each number and typically takes one to two weeks. The content of each text follows Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation; see how to text customers in Canada.

For each step in detail, with an opt-in description reviewers accept, read how to register for 10DLC. To write the consent wording itself, use the SMS opt-in wording builder. This checklist is not legal advice.

We register your brand and campaign for you

Questions

What do you need to register for 10DLC?

Your legal business name and trading name, your tax ID (an EIN in the US), your registered address and a live website, an authorized contact, a description of your use case and how people opt in, and two sample messages. The details must match your official records exactly.

How long does 10DLC registration take?

Usually from a few days to two or three weeks, depending on the carriers’ review queue and whether anything is sent back for changes. Complete, consistent details are the best way to avoid a second review.

Can I register for 10DLC myself?

Not directly. The Campaign Registry says direct registration “is not available for Brands”, so a texting provider acting as your Campaign Service Provider files the brand and campaign for you, using details you give it.

Does 10DLC registration make my texts legal?

No. Registration is a carrier requirement that lets your numbers send. Consent, opt-out handling, identification and sending hours come from the law and from carrier guidance, and they apply on top of registration.