A2P 10DLC registration, explained for owners.
If your business sends texts from a regular 10-digit number through software, US carriers expect that number to be registered. Here is what A2P 10DLC is, which kind of registration fits you, and what to have ready so it doesn't get rejected.
What A2P 10DLC actually is.
A2P means application-to-person: texts sent by software, like a missed-call text-back or a review request. 10DLC means a standard 10-digit long code, the same kind of number as your cell. Twilio describes A2P 10DLC as the standard US carriers have put in place for this kind of messaging.
You register a Brand
Who is sending: your business, identified by its legal name and tax ID, or by you personally if you have no tax ID.
You register a Campaign
What you're sending and why: the use case, sample messages, and how people opted in.
Skipping it costs you
Twilio says registration means lower filtering and higher throughput. It also blocks texts to US numbers from 10DLC numbers that aren't attached to an approved campaign.
Sole Proprietor or Standard: it comes down to your EIN.
If your business has an EIN, you register a Standard (or Low-Volume Standard) Brand. Sole Proprietor registration is only for senders who don't have a business tax ID.
Sole Proprietor
One campaign, and only one 10-digit number attached to it. You confirm a one-time code sent to your mobile within 24 hours. Limited to 1,000 segments a day to T-Mobile, which Twilio puts at roughly 3,000 a day across US carriers.
Standard Brand
Registered under your business's legal name and EIN. Higher daily limits that depend on your trust score, and room for more than one campaign.
Have an EIN? You're Standard.
If the IRS issued your business an EIN, use it. Registering as a sole proprietor when you have one isn't the right path.
What to have ready so it isn't rejected.
Twilio's guidance is strict about details matching exactly, especially your business name and tax ID. Gather these first.
Your exact legal name
As it appears on your IRS CP 575 EIN letter, not your W-9. Lost it? The IRS can send a 147C letter.
Your EIN
Brand-new EINs can take 30 to 90 days to show up in the validation databases, so a fresh one may fail at first.
A working website
Public, not behind a login, and clearly the same business as the brand you're registering.
Privacy policy and terms
The privacy policy says you don't share mobile numbers, gives message frequency, and says message and data rates may apply. Terms live on the same domain.
A described opt-in
Every way people agree to get texts, listed. Our own messaging terms are an example of the HELP and STOP language.
Plan for days, not minutes.
Twilio says Sole Proprietor brand approval typically happens within minutes, but campaign vetting is a manual review its documentation describes as taking anywhere from several days to several weeks. Register before you need to send, not the week you launch a win-back campaign or turn on missed-call text-back.
Sources: Twilio, What is A2P 10DLC?; Sole Proprietor registration overview; Gather business information; A2P 10DLC Brand registration; Error 30034. Checked October 2026. Carrier rules change; your texting platform's form may look different. This is general information, not legal advice.
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