Business texting, Compliance · 8 min read
A2P 10DLC registration: how to get your business texts approved
By the CallRoute team ·
If your business texts customers from a regular local number and the messages stopped arriving, or show as undelivered with no clear reason, the cause is almost always the same: the number is not registered for A2P 10DLC. This guide explains what that means and how to get approved without a month of back and forth.
What A2P 10DLC means
A2P stands for application to person: a text sent from software, such as a business phone app, rather than typed on a personal phone. 10DLC means a 10 digit long code, the ordinary local number format used in the US.
US carriers built a registration system for this traffic so they can tell real businesses from spammers. Every business that texts from a local number through software has to register two things: the brand (who you are) and the campaign (what you send and why people agreed to receive it). Unregistered texts are filtered or blocked outright.
Step 1: register your brand
Brand registration ties your number to a real, verifiable business. You will need:
- Your legal business name, exactly as it appears on your tax records
- Your EIN (US tax ID). Sole proprietors without one can register a sole proprietor brand instead.
- Business type, industry and the address registered with the IRS
- A working website on your own domain
- A contact person with a business email address
The single most common brand problem is a mismatch. If the name or EIN you enter does not match what the IRS has on file, the brand fails verification. Copy them from your official documents, not from memory.
Step 2: register your campaign
The campaign describes the texts you send. A human reviewer reads it, so write it plainly and make every part match what is on your website.
| Field | What reviewers look for |
|---|---|
| Use case | One that fits what you actually send, such as customer care or account notifications |
| Description | Who you text, what about, and how often, in two or three plain sentences |
| Sample messages | Two or more real examples that include your business name |
| Opt-in | Exactly how a person agrees to receive texts, step by step |
| Opt-out and help | STOP ends texts and HELP returns contact details |
Getting the opt-in right
Most rejections come down to the opt-in. The reviewer needs to see the path a customer takes before you ever text them. Good descriptions are specific:
- Website form. Name the page, quote the checkbox text, and say the box is not checked by default.
- Customer texts you first. Say that customers text your business number to start the conversation and you only reply.
- Verbal consent on a call. Say who asks, what they say, and where the consent is recorded.
Your privacy policy must also say that you do not share or sell mobile numbers or text opt-in data with third parties for marketing. Reviewers check for it.
Common rejection reasons and fixes
- Website does not match the brand. The site must clearly belong to the registered business and describe what it does.
- Sample messages without a business name. Every sample should say who is texting.
- Public link shorteners in samples. Use full links on your own domain instead.
- Use case mismatch. If your samples include promotions, register a marketing or mixed campaign, not customer care.
- Missing privacy policy clause. Add the no sharing of mobile information sentence and resubmit.
How long it takes and what it costs
Brand checks usually finish within minutes to a few days. Campaign review is manual and commonly takes one to three weeks. Every rejection restarts the wait, which is why getting the details right the first time matters more than anything else.
Carriers and the registry charge small one time brand and review fees plus a monthly campaign fee. In CallRoute this is one flat price, listed on the pricing page, and we file the registration for you.
What about toll-free numbers?
Toll-free numbers do not use 10DLC. They go through a separate toll-free verification, which asks for similar information: your business details, use case, sample messages and opt-in. If you text mostly from a toll-free number, complete that verification instead.
How CallRoute handles it
CallRoute walks you through registration inside the app, checks the common mistakes before anything is submitted, and handles STOP and HELP replies for you once you are approved. Read more about business texting in CallRoute.