Registering a 10DLC Brand
Before you can send SMS to US numbers from a long code, you must register your business as a brand. US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, US Cellular) require it for spam control and deliverability.
Brand registration lives at Brand Registry. Submit a new one at Brand Registry → New.
What you'll need
Have these ready before opening the form — the registry is strict about exact matches:
- Legal business name — must match your EIN/tax registration exactly, including punctuation.
- EIN (US) or equivalent business tax ID. Sole proprietors can register without one but with reduced throughput.
- Country of registration and business address.
- Vertical (industry). Pick the closest match; "Other" lowers your approval odds.
- Website that clearly describes your business. Parked or "coming soon" pages get rejected.
- Point-of-contact email and phone.
- Stock symbol and exchange (only if publicly traded).
- Number of employees and annual revenue range.
Brand types
| Type | When to use | Throughput |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Most private businesses with a valid EIN | Up to 2,000 segments/sec (with vetting) |
| Sole proprietor | Single-person business without an EIN | Capped at lower throughput; some use cases unavailable |
| Non-profit | 501(c) and equivalents | Same as Standard, often eligible for discounted use cases |
| Government | US federal/state/local government | Highest trust; bypasses most filters |
| Publicly traded | Listed on a major exchange | Highest throughput tier |
Choose at Brand Registry → New. You cannot change the brand type after submission — you'd have to register a new brand.
Submitting
- Open Brand Registry → New.
- Fill in every field. We validate format inline; the registry validates substance.
- Review and submit.
We forward the submission to the registry. Vetting usually takes minutes to a few hours. Status updates appear on the brand's detail page (/brand-registry/<id>) and any compliance feedback shows up in the Compliance Inbox.
Brand statuses
| Status | Meaning | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Saved but not yet submitted | Open at /brand-registry/<id> and submit |
| Pending | Submitted, waiting for review | Wait. Most resolve within a few hours |
| Verified | Approved | Create a campaign at Campaigns → New |
| Failed | Rejected by the registry | Read the reason on the detail page, fix, resubmit |
| Suspended | The registry or a carrier paused the brand | Address the compliance inbox notice |
Vetting score
After approval, an external vetting partner assigns your brand a score from 0–100. A higher score unlocks:
- Higher per-second throughput (MPS)
- Access to restricted use cases (e.g., political, sweepstakes)
- Reduced filtering risk
Request additional vetting from the brand detail page if your initial score is below 75 and you expect high volume.
Common rejection reasons
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Business name doesn't match EIN | Use the exact legal name on your tax filings |
| Website parked, broken, or behind login | Publish a public page describing the business |
| Address can't be validated | Use the address registered with your state |
| EIN doesn't exist or is for a different entity | Re-check the IRS letter; verify the tax ID type |
| Vertical doesn't match the website | Pick the vertical that matches what your site sells |
Fix the underlying issue, then resubmit from the brand detail page.
After approval
Now you're ready to create a campaign. See Creating a 10DLC Campaign and head to Campaigns → New.