10DLC Registration: 2025 SMS Outreach Rules You Must Know

Published on
May 21, 2025

10DLC 2025 registration is non-negotiable for any organization using SMS for communication in the US. This includes marketing, customer service, transactional notifications, healthcare, education, government, and nonprofit communications.

10DLC regulations in 2025 have become significantly stricter, with all major US mobile carriers now enforcing mandatory compliance measures.

As of February 1, 2025, US carriers block all text message traffic from unregistered 10DLC numbers, meaning unregistered businesses will experience complete service disruption.

But still, 10DLC campaigns remain a powerful outreach avenue that you cannot afford to ignore, whether you are a campaign looking to raise funds or a company sharing the latest discount code with all your customers. 

Why do campaigns need 10DLC?

10dlc_2025_registration

For political campaigns, retail, healthcare, finance, and other sectors that rely on large-scale messaging (think fundraising to discount coupons), 10DLC is now the industry standard in North America.

There are several administrative reasons on the backend, like how existing numbers can be associated with 10DLC use cases, so campaigns don’t have to change numbers. Or because 10DLC outreach is significantly cheaper than short code or long code messaging

But primarily, 10DLC is what you need for these key reasons: 

  1. Regulatory compliance: Mobile carriers require campaigns to register for 10DLC to ensure that only legitimate businesses send messages, reducing the risk of spam, fraud, and abuse. Each campaign (not the number, but the campaign) receives a trust score from the carriers.
  1. Deliverability: 10DLC numbers are pre-approved by carriers, meaning messages sent through registered campaigns are less likely to be marked as spam and more likely to reach their intended recipients.
  1. Higher throughput: 10DLC numbers offer higher message throughput compared to traditional long codes, allowing campaigns to send messages at a scale suitable for marketing, alerts, or informational updates without the high costs of short codes.
Typical throughput for registered 10DLC numbers ranges from 1 to 75 messages per second (MPS), depending on the business type, campaign vetting, and carrier approval. Traditional long code messages are limited to 1 message per second (MPS), or about 60 messages per minute.

Read more: Your Complete Guide To A2P 10 DLC Compliance For Texting

10DLC 2025 registration 

As of 2025, US mobile carriers and The Campaign Registry (TCR) have implemented more detailed requirements for 10DLC number registration. Below is a list of essential requirements organizations must meet to maintain compliance:

Mandatory registration: All organizations must register their 10DLC numbers with TCR. Unregistered numbers are now blocked by US carriers, effective February 1, 2025.

The Campaign Registry (TCR) was established to verify businesses and their messaging campaigns, fostering transparency and accountability in SMS communications.

Brand AND campaign registration: With TCR, you must register your brand (organization entity) AND  each messaging campaign (the purpose and type of messages you will send in every campaign). Essentially, you are registering for every campaign, so you cannot coast off the reputation of an earlier campaign. 

Accurate business information: You must provide your legal business name and Employer Identification Number (EIN), which is exactly as registered with the IRS. Any mismatch can lead to rejection or delays.

Authentication+ (New for 2025): ‘Authentication+’ is an extra verification using tax IDs, company registration, domain-based email, and documentation. This includes a two-factor authentication verified via email for registering campaigns. 

For political campaigns, select the correct use case (527 for political, 501(c) for advocacy, etc.) and, if applicable, obtain a token from Campaign Verify. This is a non-partisan verification service that TCR and mobile carriers require. This allows higher messaging throughput and marks your messages as verified political communications.

Online presence: A website is strongly recommended. If you do not have a website, an established and routinely updated social media profile may be accepted, but new or inactive accounts are often rejected.

Privacy policy: Your website (or social profile) must include a clear privacy policy explaining how customer data is used and protected.

Customer consent: You must clearly show how recipients opt in to receive your messages. This includes providing sample opt-in language and documentation of the process.

Opt-out: You must inform recipients how to unsubscribe (“Reply STOP to opt out”), which must be included in your registration and sent out with every message.

Sample messages: Provide examples of your intended messages during the campaign registration process to demonstrate compliance and transparency.

Reseller ID (New for 2025): If registering a campaign on behalf of another legal entity, you must include a reseller ID during the campaign registration. This requirement is strictly enforced and cannot be changed after registration.

To obtain a Reseller ID for 10DLC, register with a designated Campaign Service Provider (CSP) like Plivo or Vonage. These providers will handle the 10DLC registration process, including brand registration, campaign registration, and submitting your application to the TCR.

Please note: Specific industries (like cannabis/hemp, firearms, payday loans, and third-party collections) are not eligible for 10DLC registration and will be rejected.

How long does A2P 10DLC 2025 registration take?

10_dlc_2025_registration_timeline

Most organizations can expect the process to take 1–3 weeks, depending on the accuracy and completeness of submissions and current review backlogs.

Here’s a summary of some ideal timelines (which may vary):

  • Brand registration: Usually takes a few minutes to a couple of days if all information is accurate and matches IRS records. 
  • Campaign registration: Standard campaigns typically take 3 to 7 business days if all information is complete.
Required information includes – Brand name, Employer Identification Number (EIN) or tax ID, business type, website, industry in which your business operates, and email address.

However, this is the most idealistic timeline. Things can be delayed by weeks if it’s a complex campaign, or there is a surge in applications at the same time, or if additional vetting is needed (in the case of political campaigns, for example).

Emergency registration for A2P 10DLC

Please note: There is no real way to get a campaign approved as a 10DLC campaign in a day, or during an ‘emergency’ for your campaign. The process, which can take more than 15 days, does not have an ‘opt-out’ option. So, plan your campaigns. 

If you need to reach out to your audience suddenly, you can always consider toll-free numbers for rent to send your messages. 

But keep in mind, from 2025, the strict crackdown by carriers means having a registered 10DLC campaign and a number associated with that is the only way to ensure deliverability. 

All other forms of SMS marketing can (and will) be blocked as ‘spam’. 

10DLC 2025 registration: How CallHub registers your campaign

CallHub has an automated process to register your brand for 10DLC. The complete process is available via your CallHub dashboard

You can find the section to register a 10DLC number under your dashboard’s ‘Numbers’ section. 

10dlc_2025_registration_callhub

But before you do that, you have to complete two sections: Brand registration and campaign registration. Callhub has automated the process for both. 

Brand registration

10dlc_2025_registration_callhub_1
  • From your dashboard, head to the drop-down under your profile in the top right 
  • Enter ‘Settings’
  • Click the ‘Compliance’ tab. 

You will find the option to register your brand for 10DLC there. 

You must enter your brand name, type, address, and EIN. If you intend to run political campaigns as a nonprofit, select ‘Yes’ for the last question.

In the next step, you must provide contact information like the brand’s name, email, address, and postal code.

10dlc_2025_registeration_callhub

In the last step, CallHub requires you to acknowledge and complete the registration payment by entering your card details.

You will be charged $44. After successful brand registration, these charges will be added back as credits to your account. 

Once the payment is completed, details are sent to TCR for verification. The brand will be registered after vetting, and a Trust Score will be assigned.

A Trust Score (typically from 0 to 100) reflects the reputation of the brand based on submitted information. This score directly impacts the messaging throughput and daily message limits a brand can access when sending SMS or MMS via US carriers. 
10dlc_2025_registration_trust_score

Campaign registration 

After you have been registered, you will find that you can add ‘use cases’ – a.k.a campaigns to your 10DLC registered brand in the same ‘Compliance’ section.

Click on ‘+Register new use case’ to start the registration process. The registration process can be pretty lengthy, involving all the steps mentioned above under ‘10DLC registration’ 

10dlc_2025_registration_callhub_2

You will be charged $15 as a one-time payment for vetting. Once verified, you will be charged $30 every quarter as ‘campaign registration’ charges for 10DLC. 

If your brand is verified and your campaign is approved, you will be able to see the details as shown in the sample image below. 

10dlc_2025_registration_callhub_1

Rent a number

Your last step is to get a number you can associate with your 10DLC approved use case. So, head back to your ‘Numbers’ section from the dashboard, where you can get the option to rent a number. You will be charged $2 every month for every number you rent. 

10dlc_2025_registration_callhub_2

In short: 

  • CallHub helps you register your brand for 10DLC campaigns. 
  • CallHub helps register your campaigns as TCR-approved 10DLC campaigns. 
  • You can rent numbers from CallHub to associate with your 10DLC approved campaigns. 

These rented numbers can be tailored to your preferred local code, and can be given a ‘spam-label shield’ and rotated to prevent any of your messages from being marked as spam. 

10DLC 2025 registration: Text messaging in 2025…and beyond  

With the rising distaste for phone calls and the slow death of fixed landlines, sending your donors/supporters/customers a message (either through SMS, or MMS) will soon become the most powerful way to directly reach out to an audience of millions in a day.

And 10DLC campaigns are the only way to use the power of text messages for your business or campaign in 2025 and the near future.

Don’t be left behind. Register yourself for 10DC now!  

Vinayak Hegde Linkedin
Vinayak Hegde is a content marketer who has been covering non-profits, changemakers, and advocacies for over six years. His experience includes all forms of digital content creation, including text, audio, and video.