If your business sends text messages to customers in the United States, 10DLC registration is not optional. Since February 2025, every major US carrier — AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon — blocks unregistered A2P messages from 10-digit long code numbers outright. No warning, no bounce, no delivery. The messages simply disappear.
But registration alone is not enough. Your Trust Score determines how many messages you can send per day. The right campaign use case determines whether you get approved at all. And choosing the wrong messaging provider can add weeks of delay through rejected campaigns and re-submissions.
This guide covers the full picture: what 10DLC is and why it exists, the step-by-step registration process, how carriers assign Trust Scores, what common rejection reasons mean and how to fix them, and what you should expect to pay. It is written by IDT Express — a Tier-1 carrier network and direct participant in the A2P 10DLC ecosystem — not a third-party aggregator summarising carrier documentation from the outside.
2026 update: New granular rejection codes
Starting March 23, 2026, The Campaign Registry replaced its general rejection codes with a new set of granular error codes that give businesses more precise reasons for campaign rejection and specific corrective actions. If you were registered before this date and face re-vetting, you may see new code formats. This guide covers both.
What is 10DLC?
10DLC stands for 10-Digit Long Code. It refers to standard 10-digit US phone numbers — the same format as any consumer mobile number (e.g. 512-867-5309) — used by businesses to send Application-to-Person (A2P) text messages at scale.
The distinction that triggers 10DLC requirements is whether a message is A2P (Application-to-Person) or P2P (Person-to-Person). P2P is two individuals texting from personal devices. A2P is any message generated or triggered by software — automated order confirmations, appointment reminders, two-factor authentication codes, marketing campaigns, or any other business-initiated SMS.
Carriers treat all business-initiated texts as A2P, regardless of message volume or whether the content is promotional. A single automated appointment reminder sent from your CRM is A2P traffic and requires registration.
10DLC vs toll-free numbers vs short codes
| 10DLC | Toll-free number | Short code | |
| Number format | Standard 10-digit (555-867-5309) | 800/833/844/855/866/877/888 | 5–6 digit (e.g. 94253) |
| Registration body | The Campaign Registry (TCR) | Carrier-by-carrier TFN verification | CTIA / carrier approval |
| Setup time | 1–4 weeks | 3–6 weeks | 8–12 weeks |
| Monthly cost | $1.50–$10 per campaign | Typically free after approval | $500–$1,000+ |
| Throughput | Trust Score dependent (see below) | Moderate — lower than short code | Highest: up to 500 MPS |
| Local number appearance | Yes — looks like a local number | No — 800 prefix visible | No — numeric shortcode |
| Best for | 95% of business use cases | National brands, secondary channel | Extremely high-volume only |
For the vast majority of businesses sending recurring SMS to US customers — whether that is appointment reminders, shipping notifications, 2FA codes, or marketing campaigns — 10DLC is the right registration path.
Why 10DLC was introduced
Before 10DLC, any business could send automated messages from a standard 10-digit number without verification. This made long code routing the preferred channel for spammers and phishing operations. Carriers had no way to distinguish a legitimate bank sending a transaction alert from a fraudster sending a smishing attack.
In 2020, the major US carriers — coordinated through The Campaign Registry (TCR) — launched 10DLC as a registration and vetting infrastructure. The goal was to verify sender identity, link message content to an approved use case, and give carriers the data needed to apply appropriate spam filtering and throughput tiers.
By February 2025, full enforcement was in place. Unregistered A2P traffic on 10-digit numbers is now blocked, throttled, or hit with carrier surcharges significant enough to make unregistered messaging economically unworkable at any volume.
Who needs to register for 10DLC?
Any business, platform, or developer that sends automated or bulk text messages to US mobile numbers from a standard 10-digit phone number needs 10DLC registration. Carriers classify all of the following as A2P traffic:
- Appointment reminders and confirmations
- Order and shipping notifications
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) and one-time passcodes (OTPs)
- Marketing and promotional campaigns
- Customer service follow-ups triggered by a platform
- Employee or internal notification systems
- Subscription alerts and service updates
The defining criterion is not what the message says — it is whether software initiates the send. Even a single automated message to a single recipient technically constitutes A2P traffic under carrier rules. In practice, carriers focus enforcement on recurring or bulk sends, but the legal and compliance obligation applies from the first automated message.
Sole proprietors: you can still register
If your business does not have an EIN (Employer Identification Number), sole proprietor registration is available through TCR. Throughput limits are lower and some campaign use cases are restricted, but the registration path exists. Your messaging provider can guide you through the sole proprietor-specific flow.
If you use a toll-free number (800/833/844/855/866/877/888), the 10DLC rules do not apply — but toll-free numbers require their own separate verification process through individual carrier portals before you can send A2P traffic. Toll-free verification has its own timeline and approval process, typically 3–6 weeks.
How 10DLC registration works: the three-layer structure
Most businesses never interact with The Campaign Registry directly. Registration flows through a three-layer system:
Layer 1: The Campaign Registry (TCR)
TCR is the central database that stores brand and campaign registrations and feeds trust signals to the carriers. It runs the vetting checks, assigns Trust Scores, and determines throughput tiers. TCR does not approve or reject campaigns directly — that decision sits with the carriers’ downstream compliance agents (DCAs).
Layer 2: Messaging providers and CSPs
Your Communications Service Provider (CSP) — the platform or API you use to send messages — submits your brand and campaign data to TCR on your behalf. This is typically Twilio, Bandwidth, AWS End User Messaging, Vonage, or a carrier-grade A2P SMS provider like IDT Express. Your CSP is your primary point of contact for registration, rejection resolution, and throughput allocation.
Choosing the right CSP matters significantly. CSPs with direct carrier relationships and experienced compliance teams have faster approval timelines and better tools for resolving rejections. Approval timelines vary widely by CSP — from under 48 hours with well-connected providers to 2–4 weeks with aggregator-dependent stacks.
Layer 3: Telecom aggregators
Aggregators sit between CSPs and carriers, routing messages and applying registration metadata at delivery. You do not interact with this layer directly, but it affects message delivery reliability, surcharge pass-through, and the speed at which registration changes propagate.
Step-by-step: how to complete 10DLC registration
Step 1: Prepare your business information
Before opening any registration portal, gather the following. Errors or mismatches at this stage are the single most common cause of low Trust Scores and registration delays:
- Legal business name — must match your EIN registration exactly
- Employer Identification Number (EIN) — must be active and verifiable through business registries
- Business address — must match your EIN filing address
- Company website URL — must be live, working, and include a privacy policy
- Industry vertical — select the TCR category that most accurately describes your business
- Authorized representative contact (name, email, phone)
- Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) number — not required but significantly improves Trust Score for larger businesses
Critical: name and EIN must match exactly
A mismatch between your registered Brand Name and your EIN filing — even a difference in punctuation, abbreviation (Inc. vs Incorporated), or trade name vs legal name — results in an Unverified status with a Trust Score of zero. Verify your exact legal name on your IRS EIN confirmation letter before submitting.
Step 2: Register your Brand
Brand registration identifies your business to the carrier network. You submit this data through your CSP’s portal (not directly to TCR). The Brand registration process takes minutes to complete; the automated vetting check typically returns within a few hours to 2 business days.
TCR runs your EIN and business name against commercial business registries (Dun & Bradstreet, public filings) and assigns your initial Trust Score (0–100). This score is the single most important factor in your daily message throughput limits. See the Trust Score section below for what drives the score and how to improve it.
Step 3: Set up your opt-in mechanism and privacy policy
Before registering your Campaign, your website and message flows must meet carrier requirements for consent documentation. This is where most rejections originate — not because businesses are non-compliant, but because they cannot demonstrate compliance clearly enough for a manual vetting reviewer.
Privacy policy requirements: Your privacy policy must be publicly accessible (linked from footer or main navigation), explicitly state how mobile phone numbers are collected and used, confirm whether data is shared with third parties, and include a statement that mobile numbers are not sold or shared with third-party marketers for their own use.
Opt-in language requirements: The opt-in consent must be explicit and specific. It must clearly state that the consumer is agreeing to receive text messages, identify your business by name, describe the types of messages they will receive, and include a note that message and data rates may apply.
Example compliant opt-in language: “By providing your mobile number, you consent to receive text messages from [Business Name] including order updates, appointment reminders, and promotional offers. Message & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out at any time. View our Privacy Policy at [URL].”
If your opt-in description during campaign registration says only ‘users opted in on our website’, the campaign will be rejected. Carriers require the exact URL of the opt-in form, the precise wording used, and confirmation that the consent was specific to SMS communications.
Step 4: Register your Campaign
A Campaign in 10DLC terminology is a specific messaging use case — not a marketing campaign in the conventional sense. Each distinct message type requires its own Campaign registration. A business that sends both appointment reminders and promotional offers needs two separate Campaigns.
Common campaign use cases:
- 2FA / OTP — one-time passcodes and authentication messages
- Account notifications — order confirmations, shipping alerts, account activity
- Customer care — customer service messages, support follow-ups
- Marketing — promotional content, offers, announcements
- Mixed — combination of the above (narrower throughput, higher scrutiny)
- Public safety / Emergency — time-sensitive public alerts
- Charity / Nonprofit — charitable messaging programs
When submitting your Campaign, you must provide:
- Campaign description — a detailed explanation of the use case, who is sending, who receives the messages, and what triggers the send. More detail is better. Vague descriptions are the second most common rejection reason.
- At least two sample messages — must be representative of actual message content. Avoid placeholder text. Messages must include your business name and an opt-out instruction (STOP).
- Opt-in process description — the exact URL and form where users consent, the exact consent language displayed, and how consent records are stored.
- Opt-out / help keywords — confirm that STOP, UNSTOP, HELP, and CANCEL are handled correctly by your sending system.
IDT Express handles campaign registration for A2P SMS customers
If you send A2P SMS through IDT Express, our compliance team manages the full Brand and Campaign registration process, helps you structure opt-in language and sample messages to maximise first-time approval rates, and resolves rejections on your behalf. Contact our team to start the registration process.
Step 5: Assign registered numbers to your Campaign
Once your Campaign is approved, you assign your 10-digit phone numbers to that Campaign. All outbound A2P traffic from those numbers is now registered. Numbers can only be assigned to one Campaign at a time — if you send multiple use cases, you need multiple Campaigns and can allocate different numbers to each.
Trust Scores: what they are and why they matter
Your Trust Score is a 0–100 rating assigned by TCR during Brand registration. It is the primary variable that determines your daily message throughput limits with each carrier. A high score unlocks the volume you need to run production messaging operations. A low score can cap you at 2,000 messages per day — making any meaningful campaign impossible.
What drives your Trust Score
- EIN age — older EINs score higher. New entities (less than 6 months) start low.
- Business verification — presence in Dun & Bradstreet, state business registries, and public databases boosts score.
- Name-EIN match — an exact match is required for any meaningful score. Mismatches result in score 0.
- Corporate structure — established entities (LLC, Corporation, public company) score higher than sole proprietors.
- Previous compliance history — prior carrier blocks, spam complaints, or TCPA violations associated with your EIN will reduce your score.
- Company size and online presence — TCR’s algorithm factors in the apparent scale of the business.
Trust Score throughput tiers by carrier
| Score range | AT&T (SMS/min) | T-Mobile (messages/day) | Recommended use | Action needed |
| 75–100 | 4,500 | 200,000 | Production — high volume | None |
| 50–74 | 2,400 | 40,000 | Moderate volume — adequate for most SMBs | Consider secondary vetting |
| 25–49 | 240 | 10,000 | Low volume only | Secondary vetting strongly recommended |
| 1–24 | 240 | 2,000 | Very limited — near unusable at scale | Resolve data issues, apply secondary vetting |
| 0 (unverified) | 240 | 2,000 | Registration failed or name mismatch | Correct and resubmit Brand registration |
Secondary vetting: how to increase your score
If your automated Trust Score is low, you can apply for secondary vetting — a manual audit conducted by TCR’s vetting partners (currently Aegis Mobile). Secondary vetting costs approximately $40–$60 and takes 5–7 business days. A successful secondary vet can move a score from the 25–49 range to 75+ for established businesses with good compliance histories.
Secondary vetting reviews your business more comprehensively: corporate filings, website legitimacy, opt-in practices, messaging content, and business history. To prepare, ensure your website is complete, your privacy policy is TCPA-compliant, and your brand name matches all public filings precisely.
10DLC fees: what you actually pay
10DLC involves fees at three separate levels. Understanding all three is important for accurate cost planning at scale.
TCR registration fees (one-time and recurring)
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
| Brand registration | $4 (one-time) | Paid once per brand |
| Brand vetting (secondary) | ~$40–60 (one-time) | Optional; strongly recommended for low scorers |
| Campaign registration | $10–17 (one-time per campaign) | Varies by use case and CSP |
| Campaign monthly fee | $1.50–$10/month per campaign | Ongoing while campaign is active |
Carrier surcharges (per-message, ongoing)
In addition to TCR fees, carriers apply per-message surcharges that your CSP passes through. As of mid-2026, the rates are approximately:
| Carrier | Outbound SMS | Outbound MMS | Notes |
| AT&T | ~$0.003/msg | Higher | Applied per message segment |
| T-Mobile | ~$0.003–0.005/msg | Higher | Rates vary by campaign type |
| Verizon | ~$0.003–0.005/msg | Higher | Included in CSP rates |
These surcharges are charged regardless of Trust Score and apply to every registered message. They represent the carriers’ cost recovery for maintaining the 10DLC vetting infrastructure. At 100,000 messages per month, carrier surcharges alone add $300–$500 to your messaging cost before any platform fees.
Unregistered traffic attracts significantly higher surcharges — $0.006 to $0.017 per segment — plus the risk of outright delivery failure.
CSP platform fees
Your messaging provider charges separately for message delivery, API access, and registration management services. These vary significantly by provider. Carrier-grade wholesale A2P SMS providers like IDT Express offer significantly lower per-message rates than retail CPaaS platforms — the gap typically widens with volume, often representing 40–70% savings at 100,000+ messages per month.
10DLC rejection reasons: the most common causes and how to fix them
Campaign rejection is common — and frustrating. The good news is that the majority of rejections are fixable. Since March 23, 2026, TCR issues granular rejection codes with specific corrective actions. The categories below cover the most frequently encountered rejection triggers.
1. Missing or non-compliant privacy policy
What it means: Your website does not have a publicly accessible privacy policy, or the policy does not explicitly address mobile number collection and SMS communication.
How to fix it: Add a dedicated privacy policy page (or section on an existing legal page) that explicitly states: how mobile numbers are collected and used; that they are not shared or sold to third-party marketers; and a clear contact for data requests. Link the privacy policy from your opt-in forms and your website footer. The URL must be live and accessible to the vetting reviewer.
2. Vague or incomplete opt-in description
What it means: Your campaign registration described the opt-in process too broadly. The reviewer could not verify that consumers gave specific, documented consent to receive SMS from your business.
How to fix it: In the Campaign registration opt-in description, include: the exact URL of the opt-in form; the precise consent language displayed on that form; confirmation that the consent is specific to SMS (not buried in general terms of service); and how consent records are stored. Screenshots of your opt-in flow attached during appeal can help significantly.
3. Sample messages not representative or missing opt-out language
What it means: Your sample messages do not reflect actual message content, use placeholder text (e.g. [Customer Name]), or do not include the required STOP opt-out instruction.
How to fix it: Rewrite sample messages using realistic content. Every sample must include your business name, a clear message purpose, and the STOP opt-out instruction. Example: “IDT Express: Your account has been credited $50. Reply STOP to unsubscribe from notifications.”
4. Use case mismatch
What it means: The Campaign use case category you selected does not match the sample messages or opt-in description you submitted. For example, registering under ‘Account notifications’ but including promotional offers in sample messages.
How to fix it: Align your use case selection, campaign description, and sample messages precisely. If you send multiple types of messages, register separate Campaigns for each use case rather than trying to cover everything under a single ‘Mixed’ registration. Separate campaigns also give you cleaner throughput allocation per use case.
5. Website is inactive, incomplete, or missing
What it means: The website URL you submitted is under construction, returns an error, or does not contain enough content to verify your business identity.
How to fix it: Your website must be fully live before submitting for registration. It must include at minimum: your business name, a description of your services, contact information, and a working privacy policy. A single-page site with complete information is sufficient — the issue is sites with ‘coming soon’ pages or broken links at the time of review.
6. High-risk industry restrictions
What it means: Your industry falls into a category carriers classify as high-risk or prohibited. Carriers have absolute restrictions on certain content categories regardless of registration status.
Prohibited content categories (non-resubmittable):
- SHAFT content: Sex, Hate, Alcohol (underage), Firearms, Tobacco/Cannabis
- Phishing, fraud, or deceptive content
- Third-party lead generation with shared consent
- Get-rich-quick schemes or deceptive financial offers
High-risk but registrable with care: Finance (loans, debt consolidation, credit repair), healthcare, real estate, weight loss, insurance, and political messaging. These categories face stricter manual review. Keep sample messages factual, avoid guarantees or extreme claims, and ensure your opt-in is airtight.
Non-resubmittable rejections vs fixable rejections
Rejections for prohibited content categories (SHAFT, phishing, fraud) are final — you cannot resubmit. Rejections for procedural issues (privacy policy, opt-in description, sample messages, website) are fixable — correct the issues and resubmit the campaign registration. If you believe a rejection was made in error on a prohibited-category basis, you can file an appeal through your CSP.
Staying compliant after registration
Registration is not a one-time task. Ongoing compliance requires attention to message content, consent management, and opt-out handling.
Message content rules
- Every message must identify your business by name
- Every marketing message must include a STOP opt-out instruction
- Message content must match the approved use case — sending promotional content through a 2FA Campaign registration is a compliance violation
- Do not send to purchased or shared lead lists — carrier systems detect list quality issues through bounce and complaint rates
- Respect quiet hours — avoid sending between 9 PM and 8 AM in the recipient’s local time zone
Consent record management
Under TCPA rules and carrier requirements, you must be able to demonstrate that every recipient explicitly opted in. Store consent records with timestamps, the exact opt-in language displayed, the URL of the form, and the IP address of the submission. Carriers can request this documentation during traceback investigations, and TCPA litigation routinely requires producing consent evidence.
Opt-out handling
Your platform must process STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, and QUIT as opt-out keywords and immediately cease messaging the number. HELP must return your business name and contact information. These are carrier requirements and TCPA obligations, not suggestions. Failure to honour opt-out requests is one of the most litigated TCPA violations and exposes businesses to $500–$1,500 per message in statutory damages.
New in 2026: FCC one-to-one consent rule
Under the FCC’s January 2026 rule, consent obtained through a comparison shopping site, lead generation form, or any third party cannot be reused by multiple downstream businesses. Each brand must obtain its own direct consent. If your SMS contact list includes any purchased, shared, or lead-gen-sourced numbers, it requires immediate legal review before continued use.
How IDT Express supports 10DLC-compliant A2P SMS
IDT Express is a Tier-1 global carrier network with direct carrier interconnects across 160+ countries and a dedicated A2P SMS gateway built for wholesale buyers — enterprises, SaaS platforms, UCaaS providers, and contact centres routing high message volumes.
For US A2P SMS specifically, IDT Express provides:
- Full 10DLC brand and campaign registration management — our compliance team handles the submission, tracks approval status, and resolves rejections on your behalf
- Direct carrier interconnects to AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon — no aggregator middlemen, which means faster propagation of registration metadata and better delivery reliability
- SMPP and REST API access with 10DLC-registered routes available from day one of account activation
- Wholesale per-message rates significantly below retail CPaaS platforms — typically 40–70% lower at 100,000+ messages per month
- US toll-free number verification support alongside 10DLC — manage both number types from a single account
- Dedicated account management with SLA-backed support for registration and compliance issues
If you are migrating from Twilio, Bandwidth, or another provider, IDT Express can port your existing registered numbers and campaigns to our network without losing your approved registrations — minimising disruption to live messaging operations.
Get started with IDT Express A2P SMS: www.idtexpress.com/a2p-sms/
Frequently asked questions
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How long does 10DLC registration take?
Brand registration typically completes within a few hours to 2 business days. Campaign registration and carrier approval takes 1–4 weeks depending on your CSP’s DCA relationships and the complexity of your use case. CSPs with direct carrier relationships can achieve under 48-hour campaign approval timelines. High-risk industries or incomplete submissions can extend the process significantly.
What happens if I send SMS without 10DLC registration?
Unregistered A2P messages from 10-digit numbers are blocked outright by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. In addition to delivery failure, unregistered traffic attracts per-message carrier surcharges of $0.006 to $0.017 per segment — significantly higher than the $0.003–0.005 surcharges on registered traffic. Persistent unregistered sending can result in number blacklisting.
Can I use the same 10DLC number for different message types?
A single phone number can be assigned to one Campaign registration at a time. If you need to send different use cases (e.g. both 2FA messages and marketing promotions), you need separate Campaign registrations — and can assign different phone numbers to each. This is the recommended approach as it gives each use case its own throughput allocation and prevents content mismatches that trigger carrier filtering.
What is a Trust Score and how do I improve it?
A Trust Score (0–100) is assigned by The Campaign Registry during Brand registration. It determines your daily message throughput limits with each carrier. Scores above 75 unlock full production throughput. You can improve a low score by applying for secondary vetting (a manual audit that costs approximately $40–60), ensuring your business name exactly matches your EIN filing, and building your business presence in public databases like Dun & Bradstreet.
Does 10DLC apply to toll-free numbers?
No. 10DLC registration only applies to standard 10-digit long code numbers. Toll-free numbers (800/833/844/855/866/877/888) have a separate verification process managed carrier-by-carrier. However, if you use a toll-free number for A2P messaging, you must still complete toll-free verification before sending, or risk delivery failures and surcharges on that number type as well.
What is the difference between a Brand and a Campaign in 10DLC?
A Brand is your business entity — registered once, it verifies who you are and generates your Trust Score. A Campaign is a specific use case — each distinct message type (2FA, marketing, account notifications, etc.) requires its own Campaign registration. A single Brand can have multiple active Campaigns simultaneously, each with its own assigned phone numbers and throughput allocation.
How does IDT Express help with 10DLC registration?
IDT Express manages the full Brand and Campaign registration process for A2P SMS customers. Our compliance team handles TCR submission, tracks approval status across carriers, helps structure opt-in language and sample messages to maximise first-time approval rates, and resolves rejections on your behalf. Customers sending through the IDT Express A2P SMS gateway benefit from our direct carrier relationships, which reduce approval timelines and improve delivery reliability versus aggregator-dependent providers.
