A2P 10DLC Brand Registration Best Practices
Understanding A2P Brand Registration
When you register your A2P Brand using your Business Profile, the CRM submits your business details to The Campaign Registry for evaluation. This process determines your eligibility and message throughput for your text messaging campaigns. This article explains how Brand approval functions and provides best practices to help ensure your Brand is approved successfully.
What Is an A2P Brand?
An A2P Brand represents the legal business entity sending application-to-person (A2P) text messages. In the A2P 10DLC system, carriers require all senders to register a Brand to verify identity, establish trust, and protect users from spam. The Brand is assessed separately from message content and influences your trust profile, which directly affects message throughput, filtering, and long-term deliverability.
An A2P Brand defines:
- The legal business name (as recognized by official tax authorities)
- The business entity type (e.g., LLC, Corporation, Sole Proprietor)
- The official identity linked to all registered campaigns
- The accountability layer for messaging behavior
How Brand Approval Works
The approval process begins with primary vetting by The Campaign Registry. The CRM may also automatically submit your Brand for Secondary Vetting, an additional review that can result in higher throughput and messaging limits. After vetting, you receive a Trust Score that determines your messaging throughput to US networks and daily message limits on carriers like T-Mobile.
Maximizing Your Trust Score
To ensure your Brand is approved and you receive an accurate Trust Score, submit your business data correctly. Follow these best practices:
Use a Valid EIN for US-Based Companies
For US companies, provide an Employer Identification Number (EIN)—not a DUNS number. The EIN and Legal Company Name must match official business registration records.
- Use an EIN for Standard A2P 10DLC registration. A DUNS number is not acceptable for messaging purposes.
- Non-Profit and Political Organizations must use an EIN that matches the Legal Company Name in the Tax-Exempt Organizations or Registered Political Organizations list.
Enter Your Legal Company Name Exactly as Registered
For US entities, enter the exact Legal Company Name as registered with the IRS, which can be found on the CP 575 EIN Confirmation Letter. Ensure it matches the EIN on that document. Do not use names from W-2 or W9 forms, as they may differ. If you don’t have the CP 575, contact your accountant or request a 147c letter from the IRS.
Finding Your EIN (US Companies)
Review your CP 575 or 147c forms for your EIN. You can also contact your company’s accountant or finance office for assistance.
Use a Valid Tax ID for Companies Outside the US
All businesses creating a Business Profile must provide a valid Tax ID from their country for Standard A2P 10DLC registration. International companies may require additional vetting and cannot register as low-volume standards in some cases.
Guidance for Canadian Companies
For Canadian Brand Registration, use the Business Number (BN). Provide only the first 9 numeric digits (BN-9). Ensure your legal company name and address match your business registration exactly.
Guidance for Other Countries
- European companies: Use the VIES VAT number validation lookup to verify brand information before submission.
- Australian companies: Use the Australian Business Number (ABN) and the official ABN Lookup tool.
- New Zealand companies: Use the New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) and the official NZBN lookup tool.
Additional Recommendations
Verify your business address for accuracy and ensure it matches official records. If your company is on a supported stock exchange, this may positively impact your Trust Score. Other factors, like consistent business information across all platforms, also contribute to a successful registration.