A2P 10DLC registration, step by step

What 10DLC and A2P mean

10DLC stands for 10-digit long code. It is an ordinary 10-digit phone number, like your office's local number, approved for business texting. The Campaign Registry describes it as the standard for business texting on a 10-digit number that the mobile carriers have sanctioned. The same number still takes calls.

A2P stands for application-to-person. It means messages sent from an application to a person's phone. The Campaign Registry counts all business messaging as A2P, including a single reply your receptionist types in a texting app. Texts between two people on their own phones are consumer messaging, which older industry guidance labelled P2P.

So "A2P 10DLC" means business texting from a standard local number. Short codes (5 or 6 digits) and toll-free numbers are separate routes, each with its own registry and rules.

Why carriers require registration

Carriers want to know who is sending each business text and what it will say. The Campaign Registry says registration gives carriers that view of every campaign. One major carrier says business messages must be part of an approved campaign to reach its customers.

The aim is to keep unwanted texts off people's phones. The industry's main guidance is CTIA's Messaging Principles and Best Practices, in its May 2023 edition. The same carrier requires the companies that carry business texts to follow it, and The Campaign Registry points providers to it. It asks every business sender to get consent, honor opt-outs and avoid misleading content.

Brand and campaign: the two registrations

Registration has two parts, and they happen in this order.

1. Brand. Your business is the brand: the company the customer believes is texting them. The registry checks your legal name, EIN and address against independent sources and gives the brand an identity status. Only a verified brand can register a campaign.
2. Campaign. A campaign is your use case: what kind of messages you will send, and how customers agreed to get them. You pick a use case, describe the program and give sample messages. Your numbers are then linked to the campaign.

You do not register with The Campaign Registry yourself. It says direct registration is not available to businesses. Your texting provider, which the registry calls a campaign service provider, submits both parts for you.

The Campaign Registry also does not approve or reject campaigns. Your provider and the companies between it and the carriers review them.

What your business provides

For a privately owned business, The Campaign Registry asks for these details. The first six describe the brand, and the rest describe the campaign.

Details that keep a registration moving

• Match the IRS exactly. The Campaign Registry says the most common reason a brand comes back unverified is a legal name and EIN that do not match federal records. It charges your provider a fee for each resubmission.
• Pick the closest use case. It cannot be changed once the campaign is created.
• List every opt-in method. The registry says that if customers can sign up in more than one way, you must list them all.
• Write real sample messages. Use what you will actually send, with your business name in it.
• Skip public link shorteners. The registry says they are not accepted.
• Publish a privacy policy. The link field is optional, but the registry says a compliant privacy policy is required.

Campaign types and sending limits

The Campaign Registry lists the use cases a campaign can be registered for. The table shows six of its standard use cases.

The registry gives a single doctor's office as an example of a low volume mixed campaign.

Each campaign also gets a sending limit, and carriers set it in different ways. One major carrier sets a per-minute rate for each campaign. Another sets a daily cap for each brand, tied to your EIN and shared by all your campaigns.

These figures come from The Campaign Registry's April 2026 guide for providers. Carriers can change them, and the guide lists only these two carriers. A low-volume and an entry-level standard campaign get the same daily cap from the second carrier. The bigger difference is the first carrier's per-minute rate, which matters when one message goes to a long list at once.

A brand can apply for third-party vetting, and the score can raise a standard campaign's limits. In the guide's tables, top scores reach 4,500 texts a minute on the first carrier and 200,000 a day on the second. Low-volume and sole proprietor limits stay the same whatever the score.

Consent, opt-in and the call to action

Your registration describes how customers opt in, so the consent itself has to be right. CTIA sorts business texts into three kinds, each with its own level of consent.

CTIA warns that adding a coupon code to an informational text can make it promotional.

Wherever a customer opts in, CTIA expects a clear call to action. It should say what the program is, which number the texts come from and who is sending them. It should also mention any fees, explain how to opt out and get help, and link to your privacy policy.

For recurring messages, CTIA says to send a confirmation before anything else. It should name the program, say how to get help and how to opt out, say how often messages come, and mention any fees. For example:

[Your business name]: You are signed up for appointment reminders. Expect up to 2 texts per appointment. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to opt out.

Keep a record of each opt-in. CTIA suggests the date and time, how consent was given, the wording the customer saw, the campaign and the phone number. Never text a bought or rented list. Under CTIA's guidance, an opt-in covers only the campaign and sender it was given for.

Federal law adds its own rules. The FCC's rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) require consent for many automated and marketing calls and texts. This guide describes industry and carrier practice as published. It is not legal advice, so check your messaging with a lawyer, especially before you send marketing.

STOP and HELP replies

Your campaign registers two automatic replies. The Campaign Registry's form fills in the keywords STOP and HELP, and a reply to each is mandatory.

STOP. CTIA says to use the word STOP in your opt-out instructions. You should also act on everyday wording such as stop, end, unsubscribe, cancel, quit or "please opt me out", whatever the capitals or punctuation. Send one confirmation that the customer is opted out, then nothing more on that campaign.

The FCC's TCPA rule points the same way. A reply of stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel or unsubscribe revokes consent to the texts the rule covers. You must honor it within a reasonable time, and no later than 10 business days. One confirmation text is allowed, as long as it carries no marketing.

HELP. The Campaign Registry says your HELP reply tells customers how to contact you. Start it with your business name so they know who is texting. CTIA also wants your customer care contact in the opt-in confirmation.

Sole proprietor or registered business

The Campaign Registry has a separate sole proprietor route. It is only for individuals and small businesses in the US or Canada that do not have an EIN. You register with your name, address, email and phone number instead of a tax ID.

The route comes with tight limits:

• one campaign, on one phone number
• 15 texts a minute on one major carrier and 1,000 a day on another
• only providers the registry has approved can offer it

Ask your provider whether it is approved for this route.

If your business has an EIN, register as a business, even if you are the only owner. Non-profits, public companies and government bodies also register with their EIN, each under its own entity type.

What happens to unregistered texts

Unregistered business texts are not approved traffic. One major carrier says every sender must be registered before its campaign messages are approved for delivery on its network. It says business texts sent outside approved routes go through its spam filtering and risk being delayed or not delivered.

A brand that stays unverified cannot register a campaign at all. That makes the identity step as important as the campaign itself.

Approval is not the end of it. The same carrier says approved campaigns remain subject to ongoing compliance and monitoring. The Campaign Registry says a carrier can suspend a brand or a campaign. When a campaign is suspended, your provider is shown why.

How long registration takes and what it costs

The brand step is usually quick. The Campaign Registry shows the brand's identity status right after it is submitted. Campaign review takes longer. The registry says it can take one to four weeks, and that complete, accurate details speed up both steps. Start registration when you set up your numbers, not the week you want to send.

Fees come in layers. The Campaign Registry charges providers a one-time fee for each brand submission and a monthly fee for each campaign. It charges again for resubmissions, vetting and appeals. One major carrier says there is often a fee for delivering a business campaign to its customers. Providers pass these costs on in different ways, so ask what your price includes.

How 10DLC works on PBXflex

• A campaign on every plan. Every PBXflex plan includes a low-volume 10DLC campaign, including Text & Fax for teams that keep their current phone system. On Essentials and Business, a standard campaign, for marketing and higher volumes, is $15 a month. Plans are on the pricing page. Ask us what your plan covers for brand registration and vetting.
• Guided setup registers it. Guided setup registers the texting campaign. It costs $299 for up to 10 users, then $15 a user. It also ports your numbers, builds your IVR, queues and ring groups, and includes a 30-minute training session. If you choose self setup, ask us how your campaign gets registered.
• Sending paced to your limits. Messages pace to your registered campaign's limits, to avoid carrier rejections on larger sends.
• STOP and HELP for the whole office. Replies to STOP and HELP are handled for your whole organization, and you can change their wording.
• Spam checks. Incoming numbers are checked for spam.
• A reason when a text fails. Each sent text shows its delivery status. If a send fails, the conversation shows the carrier's reason, so staff can fix the number, change the wording or try again later.

Texts draw on the same telecom credits as your calls. A text uses 2 credits per segment, sent or received, and a picture message uses 5. One credit is one cent. A character counter helps you keep a message inside one segment.

Your texts come from your business number, in a shared channel the whole team works from. The business texting page shows how that works, and security covers how numbers and conversations stay inside your organization.