Business Registration for SMS
Business Registration for SMS
Purpose: Complete your business registration to send text messages from Sure Send. This is required by mobile carriers to prevent spam.
Before You Begin
Business registration has two phases. Both must be approved before you can send text messages.
Phase 1: Brand Registration verifies your business identity with the IRS.
Phase 2: Campaign Registration verifies that your website meets carrier compliance requirements for text messaging.
What you'll need:
| Item | Why It's Needed | Where to Find It |
|---|---|---|
| EIN (Employer Identification Number) | Verifies your business with the IRS | Your IRS EIN Confirmation Letter |
| Legal Business Name | Must match IRS records exactly | Your EIN letter (not your DBA) |
| Business Address | Must match IRS records | Your EIN letter |
| Business Type | Corporation, LLC, Partnership, or Sole Proprietor | Your EIN letter or formation documents |
| Business Website | Must be the same website where your contact form, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service live | Your public website URL |
| Contact Form with SMS Opt-In | Required for campaign approval | Your website's contact page |
| Privacy Policy | Must include SMS-specific language | Your website |
| Terms of Service | Must include SMS-specific language | Your website |
Critical: Your business name, address, and EIN must match your IRS records exactly. Mismatches are the #1 reason brand registrations fail. Use the exact legal name from your EIN letter, not your DBA or trade name.
Important: The business website you enter during registration must be the same website where your compliant contact form, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service all live. Everything must be on the same domain. If you have a branded or vanity website that's separate from where your contact form actually exists, use the website with the contact form. Carriers will visit the URL you provide and look for your opt-in process, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service on that site. If they can't find them there, your campaign will be rejected.
Sole Proprietors Without an EIN: If you're a sole proprietor without an EIN, please contact [email protected] for manual registration assistance.
Part 1: Submit Your Business Information
- Click Settings in the left navigation.
- Click Phone Provider.
- Click Business Registration.
- Complete all required fields:
| Field | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Business Legal Name | Exact match to IRS EIN letter (include Inc., LLC, etc.) |
| Business Type | Select from: Corporation, LLC, Partnership, Sole Proprietor |
| EIN | Format: XX-XXXXXXX |
| Business Website | Must start with https:// |
| Opt-In Page URL | Direct link to your contact form (e.g., yoursite.com/contact) |
| Business Address | Must match IRS records |
- Check both compliance boxes (only if your website meets the requirements below).
- Click Continue.
Part 2: Website Compliance Requirements
Your website must meet specific requirements before your campaign can be approved. Address these before submitting your registration.
For a complete walkthrough of every requirement with copy-paste templates, see the companion article: Preparing Your Website for Text Messaging.
Contact Form Requirements
Your contact form must include two separate checkboxes for consent: one for SMS/text messages and one for calls and email. This is a carrier requirement, not a recommendation.
Both checkboxes must be unchecked by default (the visitor must actively check them), and your phone number field must not be marked as required (no asterisk).
Each checkbox needs full disclosure language including your business name, message types, frequency, data rates, opt-out instructions, and links to your Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Tip: If your website platform doesn't support adding checkboxes to your contact form, Sure Send has a built-in form builder that creates a fully compliant capture form. Ask your Sure Send admin about this option.
For the exact checkbox language and all required elements, see [Preparing Your Website for Text Messaging].
Privacy Policy Requirements
Your Privacy Policy must include a dedicated section that specifically addresses SMS and mobile data. The most important element is the mobile non-sharing statement:
"No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes."
Without this statement, your campaign will be rejected.
Your Privacy Policy SMS section must also include:
- Your business name
- The types of messages you send
- "Message frequency varies"
- "Message and data rates may apply"
- STOP opt-out instructions
- HELP keyword with a contact email or phone number
- Carrier liability disclaimer ("Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages")
For a ready-to-use Privacy Policy SMS section you can add to your existing page, see [Preparing Your Website for Text Messaging].
Terms of Service Requirements
Your website must have a Terms of Service page (or a standalone SMS Terms page) that covers your text messaging program. It must include:
- Your business name and program description (what types of messages you send)
- "Message and data rates may apply"
- "Message frequency varies"
- STOP opt-out instructions
- HELP keyword with a contact email or phone number
- Carrier liability disclaimer ("Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages")
- A link to your Privacy Policy
For a ready-to-use SMS Terms of Service template, see [Preparing Your Website for Text Messaging].
Tip: Privacy Policy and Terms of Service can be combined on one page, or kept separate. Either works as long as all required elements are present.
Part 3: After You Submit
What Happens Next
Phase 1: Brand Registration
- Your business information is submitted to Twilio and verified against IRS records.
- Timeline: 2 to 3 weeks (may be faster for some business types).
Phase 2: Campaign Registration
- After brand approval, our team reviews your website for compliance.
- Once verified, we submit your campaign to carriers for approval.
- Timeline: Up to 10 business days after brand approval.
Check Your Status
- Click Settings → Phone Settings → Business Registration.
- View your current status:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Submitted, awaiting review |
| In Review | Being reviewed by Twilio/carriers |
| Approved | Ready for the next step |
| Rejected | Action required (see rejection reason) |
Troubleshooting
Brand Registration Rejections
| Rejection Reason | Solution |
|---|---|
| Business name mismatch | Use exact legal name from IRS EIN letter (include Inc., LLC suffix) |
| EIN not found | Verify EIN matches IRS records; check for typos |
| Address mismatch | Use address from IRS EIN letter, not current office address |
| Business type mismatch | Confirm if you're Corporation vs LLC vs Sole Proprietor per IRS |
Can't edit your information? After a rejection, contact [email protected] with the corrected information and we'll update and resubmit for you.
Campaign Registration Rejections
The two most common rejection codes are 30896 (opt-in error) and 30891 (invalid website URL). Here's how to resolve the most frequent issues:
| Rejection Reason | Error Code | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Opt-in workflow doesn't meet requirements | 30896 | Add two separate checkboxes to your contact form (one for SMS, one for calls/email). Ensure each has full disclosure language. See [Preparing Your Website for Text Messaging]. |
| Website URL invalid or inaccessible | 30891 | Make sure you provided the direct link to your contact form page (e.g., yoursite.com/contact), not your homepage. Ensure the page loads and is publicly accessible. |
| Privacy Policy missing mobile language | 30896 | Add the mobile non-sharing statement and a dedicated SMS section to your Privacy Policy. |
| Missing Terms of Service | 30896 | Create a Terms of Service or SMS Terms page with all required elements. |
| Phone number field marked as required | 30896 | Remove the asterisk from the phone number field on your contact form. Carriers consider a required phone field "forced consent." |
| SMS consent bundled with calls/email | 30896 | Separate SMS consent into its own dedicated checkbox. It cannot be combined with calls, email, or other marketing in a single checkbox. |
| Missing STOP/HELP instructions | 30896 | Add "Reply STOP to opt out" and "Reply HELP for help" to your consent language, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service. |
| Broken Privacy Policy or ToS links | 30891 | Fix the links on your contact form. Ensure both pages load without a login. |
Tips for First-Time Approval
- Verify against IRS records first. Pull up your EIN Confirmation Letter and match everything exactly.
- Add two separate checkboxes to your contact form. One for SMS consent, one for calls and email. This is the strongest configuration and what carriers expect.
- Include the mobile non-sharing statement in your Privacy Policy. "No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes." This is the single most important sentence for campaign approval.
- Add a dedicated SMS section to both your Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Include all required elements: STOP, HELP with contact info, carrier disclaimer, frequency, and data rates.
- Don't mark your phone number field as required. Remove the asterisk. Carriers consider a required phone field "forced consent," which is an automatic rejection.
- Test your links. Make sure Privacy Policy and Terms of Service links work from your contact form.
- Use your legal name everywhere. On the registration form, in your Privacy Policy, and in your contact form consent language.
- Be patient. The full process takes 4 to 6 weeks. This is an industry-wide carrier requirement.
What's Next
After both Brand and Campaign registration are approved, you can:
- Port or transfer existing phone numbers to Sure Send
- Claim a new phone number
- Start sending text messages to your contacts