What is 10DLC?
10DLC is the system US carriers use to approve business text messaging. If you send SMS to customers from a normal phone number, you have to register. Here is what it is and how it works.
Get cleared to send SMS →10DLC in one sentence
10DLC stands for 10-digit long code: a standard local phone number used to send application-to-person (A2P) text messages at scale. Since 2021, US carriers require any business sending SMS over these numbers to register through The Campaign Registry (TCR). Registration tells carriers who you are and what you plan to send, so they can tell legitimate business texts apart from spam.
Why it exists
Carriers introduced 10DLC to cut down on spam and give businesses a sanctioned path with better deliverability and higher sending limits. Registered traffic is trusted and flows; unregistered A2P traffic over long codes gets filtered or blocked. So registration is not optional paperwork, it is what lets your messages actually arrive.
Brand and campaign: the two parts
Registration has two layers. Your brand is your business identity: legal name, EIN (or the sole proprietor path), and website. Your campaign is the specific messaging program under that brand: the use case, how customers opt in, and your sample messages. You register the brand once, then one or more campaigns under it.
What you need to register
- Your legal business name and EIN, or the sole proprietor path if you have no EIN
- A live website with a privacy policy that specifically mentions SMS
- A clear description of how customers opt in, ideally with a screenshot
- Two to three sample messages that match your declared use case
The business details are rarely what gets you rejected. Most rejections come from the opt-in description and the sample messages. Cleared to Send walks you through each part and audits the whole package against the known rejection reasons before you submit.
Common questions
Do I have to register for 10DLC?
Yes, if you send application-to-person SMS to customers over a US 10-digit long code. Registration is required by the carriers; without it your messages get filtered or blocked.
Is 10DLC the same as A2P?
A2P (application-to-person) is the category of messaging. 10DLC is the registration framework for sending A2P messages over standard long codes in the US. All 10DLC traffic is A2P, but A2P also covers toll-free and short codes.
What happens if I don't register?
Carriers filter or block unregistered A2P traffic, so deliverability collapses. You may see messages silently fail to arrive. Registering is what restores trusted delivery and normal throughput.
How much does 10DLC cost?
There is a one-time brand registration fee plus a monthly fee per campaign, and optional brand vetting if you need higher throughput. The exact amounts are small but vary by provider and use case, so check your provider's pricing.