---
title: 10DLC Registration: Deadlines and Requirements 2025
description: Step-by-step guide to 10DLC registration: required documents, brand vs campaign registration, trust scores, throughput limits, and how to avoid common
date: 2025-12-26
author: Victor Villalobos
locale: en
source: https://www.zavu.dev/en/blog/10dlc-registration-requirements
tags: SMS, Compliance, 10DLC, Registration
---

# 10DLC Registration: Deadlines and Requirements 2025

As of February 2025, 10DLC registration is mandatory for all business SMS messaging in the United States. This guide walks you through the complete registration process, requirements, and how to avoid common pitfalls.

## The February 2025 Deadline

**Important**: As of February 1, 2025, all major US carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) block unregistered A2P SMS traffic. If you haven't registered, your messages are not being delivered.

### What This Means

- Unregistered 10DLC messages are blocked at the carrier level
- There are no grace periods or exceptions
- Even low-volume senders must register
- Phone numbers without registration cannot send SMS

## Registration Overview

The 10DLC registration process has two main steps:

1. **Brand Registration** - Register your business with The Campaign Registry (TCR)
2. **Campaign Registration** - Register your specific messaging use case

Let's walk through each step in detail.

## Step 1: Brand Registration

Brand registration identifies your business to carriers. You need to provide:

### Required Information

| Field | Description | Example |
|-------|-------------|---------|
| Legal business name | Exact name as registered | Acme Corporation Inc. |
| DBA (if applicable) | Doing business as | Acme Co |
| EIN | Employer Identification Number | 12-3456789 |
| Business type | Entity type | Private company |
| Industry vertical | Primary industry | Technology |
| Physical address | Business address | 123 Main St, SF, CA 94105 |
| Website | Business website | https://acme.com |
| Support email | Contact email | support@acme.com |
| Support phone | Contact phone | +14155551234 |

### Business Types

| Type | Description | Trust Score |
|------|-------------|-------------|
| Public company | Traded on stock exchange | Higher |
| Private company | LLC, Corp, etc. with EIN | Medium-High |
| Sole proprietor | Individual with no EIN | Lower |
| Non-profit | 501(c)(3) organization | Medium |
| Government | Government entity | Higher |

### Industry Verticals

Common verticals include:
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Finance/Banking
- E-commerce/Retail
- Education
- Real Estate
- Hospitality

Your vertical affects campaign approval requirements. Healthcare and finance face stricter scrutiny.

### Brand Registration Timeline

- **Standard**: 1-2 business days
- **With issues**: Up to 5 business days
- **Rejected**: Requires resubmission (add 3-5 days)

## Step 2: Campaign Registration

After brand approval, you register your messaging campaign. Each campaign describes a specific use case.

### Campaign Use Cases

| Use Case | Description | Approval Difficulty |
|----------|-------------|---------------------|
| 2FA/OTP | Verification codes | Easy |
| Account notifications | Order updates, alerts | Easy |
| Customer care | Support conversations | Easy |
| Delivery notifications | Shipping updates | Easy |
| Fraud alerts | Security notifications | Easy |
| Marketing | Promotional messages | Moderate |
| Mixed | Multiple use cases | Moderate |
| Polling/Voting | Survey messages | Moderate |
| Higher education | University messaging | Easy |
| Public service | Government/emergency | Easy |

### Required for Each Campaign

1. **Use case description** - Clear explanation of message purpose
2. **Sample messages** - 2-3 example messages you'll send
3. **Opt-in description** - How users consent to messages
4. **Opt-out keywords** - Usually STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE
5. **Help keywords** - Usually HELP, INFO
6. **Message flow** - When and why messages are sent

### Sample Message Examples

**Good example (2FA):**
```
Your Acme verification code is 847293.
This code expires in 10 minutes.
If you didn't request this, please ignore.
```

**Good example (Order notification):**
```
Your Acme order #12345 has shipped!
Track: https://acme.com/track/12345
Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
```

**Bad example (missing opt-out):**
```
Flash sale! 50% off everything today!
Shop now: https://acme.com/sale
```

Always include opt-out instructions for marketing messages.

### Campaign Registration Timeline

| Campaign Type | Approval Time |
|---------------|---------------|
| 2FA/OTP | 1-2 days |
| Transactional | 1-2 days |
| Low-volume standard | 2-3 days |
| Marketing | 3-5 days |
| High-risk verticals | 5-10 days |

## Trust Scores and Throughput

After registration, you receive a Trust Score that determines messaging limits.

### Trust Score Levels

| Trust Score | Throughput | Typical Business |
|-------------|------------|------------------|
| Low | 1 msg/sec | Unvetted sole proprietor |
| Medium-Low | 2 msg/sec | New small business |
| Medium | 5 msg/sec | Established business |
| Medium-High | 10 msg/sec | Vetted company |
| High | 15 msg/sec | Vetted enterprise |

### Improving Your Trust Score

1. **Complete brand vetting** ($40 one-time fee)
   - Verifies business information
   - Can increase score significantly

2. **Provide complete information**
   - Don't skip optional fields
   - Include detailed descriptions

3. **Build history**
   - Scores improve with compliant messaging over time
   - Avoid spam complaints

4. **Use established business entities**
   - LLCs and Corps score higher than sole proprietors
   - Longer business history helps

## Common Rejection Reasons

### Brand Registration Rejections

| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| EIN mismatch | Ensure EIN matches IRS records exactly |
| Invalid website | Website must be live and match business |
| Missing information | Complete all required fields |
| Unverifiable business | Ensure business is registered with state |

### Campaign Registration Rejections

| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Missing opt-out | Add "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" to samples |
| Unclear use case | Provide specific, detailed description |
| URL shorteners | Use your own domain or provider's shortener |
| Prohibited content | Review carrier content policies |
| Mismatched samples | Samples must match declared use case |

### Content Prohibited by Carriers

- Cannabis/CBD (even in legal states)
- Debt collection (special requirements)
- Gambling
- Firearms
- Adult content
- Prescription medications

## Special Registration Types

### Sole Proprietor Registration

For individuals without an EIN:
- Uses SSN (last 4 digits only)
- Lower Trust Scores
- Limited to 1,000 messages/day
- $2 registration + $2/month

### Political Campaigns

Political messaging has special requirements:
- Must identify the organization
- Requires proper opt-in records
- Subject to FEC regulations
- Higher scrutiny on approval

### Healthcare (HIPAA)

Healthcare messaging requires:
- No PHI in messages
- Business Associate Agreement with provider
- Additional compliance documentation
- Longer approval times

## Registration with Zavu

Zavu simplifies the registration process:

### What We Handle

1. **Form preparation** - We pre-fill what we can
2. **Submission** - Direct connection to TCR
3. **Review** - Our team checks before submission
4. **Troubleshooting** - We help fix rejections
5. **Monitoring** - Ongoing compliance management

### What You Provide

When creating a sender in Zavu, you'll need:

```typescript
// Information you provide through our dashboard
{
  // Brand Information
  businessName: "Acme Corporation",
  ein: "12-3456789",
  website: "https://acme.com",
  address: "123 Main St, San Francisco, CA 94105",

  // Campaign Information
  useCase: "account_notifications",
  description: "Order status updates and shipping notifications",
  sampleMessages: [
    "Your order #12345 has shipped! Track: https://acme.com/track/12345",
    "Your Acme order is out for delivery today.",
  ],
  optInDescription: "Users opt-in during checkout by checking 'Send me order updates via SMS'",
}
```

### Timeline with Zavu

| Step | Time |
|------|------|
| Account creation | Immediate |
| Sender setup | 5 minutes |
| Brand registration | 1-2 days |
| Campaign registration | 1-3 days |
| **Total** | **2-5 business days** |

## Checklist Before You Start

Before beginning registration, gather:

- [ ] Legal business name (as registered)
- [ ] EIN or Tax ID
- [ ] Business address
- [ ] Business website (must be live)
- [ ] Contact email and phone
- [ ] Clear use case description
- [ ] 2-3 sample messages
- [ ] Opt-in process documentation

## Maintaining Compliance

Registration is just the beginning. To stay compliant:

### Do

- Keep opt-out lists updated
- Honor STOP requests immediately
- Include opt-out in marketing messages
- Monitor delivery rates for issues
- Update registration if use case changes

### Don't

- Send to opted-out numbers
- Share phone lists between campaigns
- Send content different from registered samples
- Exceed throughput limits consistently
- Ignore carrier policy updates

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I use one registration for multiple phone numbers?

Yes, multiple numbers can share a single campaign registration.

### What if I have multiple use cases?

You can register multiple campaigns under one brand, or use a "mixed" campaign type.

### Do I need to re-register annually?

No, registration is permanent unless:
- Your business information changes
- You want to add new use cases
- Carriers require updates

### Can I start sending immediately after registration?

Yes, once approved you can start sending right away.

### What happens if my registration is rejected?

You'll receive feedback on why it was rejected. Fix the issues and resubmit. With Zavu, we help you through this process.

## Getting Started

Ready to register? Here's how:

1. **Sign up** at [dashboard.zavu.dev](https://dashboard.zavu.dev)
2. **Create a sender** - Follow the guided setup
3. **Submit information** - We handle the TCR submission
4. **Wait for approval** - Usually 2-5 business days
5. **Start sending** - Begin messaging once approved

**Need help?** Our team can guide you through the registration process. [Contact us](/contact-us) or check out our [A2P 10DLC Guide](/a2p-10dlc) for more information.

See also:
- [What is A2P 10DLC?](/blog/what-is-a2p-10dlc) - Understanding the basics
- [A2P 10DLC Fees 2025](/blog/a2p-10dlc-fees-2025) - Complete fee breakdown
- [SMS API for Developers](/sms-for-developers) - Start sending SMS

**Need help with 10DLC registration?** [Contact us](/contact-us) or join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/ZxE8DYkveh) for support and updates.