Global Regulatory Guide for SMS Messaging
Sender ID registration requirements, local restrictions and criticality levels matrix.
| Country / Region | Allowed Sender Type | Prior Registration | Key Restrictions and Local Notes | Criticality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States and Canada | Numeric only (10DLC / Toll-Free / Short Code) | Mandatory | Alphanumeric sender IDs are prohibited. Brand registration in the 10DLC ecosystem or Toll-Free number verification is required. Strict filtering of public shortened URLs. | Critical |
| Spain | Alphanumeric and numeric | Mandatory | CNMC regulation. Mandatory registration of alphanumeric aliases, proving a legitimate link with the brand. Strict prohibition of generic terms. | High |
| France | Alphanumeric and numeric | Mandatory | Generic senders are prohibited. Strict curfew for marketing SMS: prohibited from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., on Sundays and public holidays. | High |
| Finland | Alphanumeric and numeric | Mandatory | Strict registration with the Traficom authority to mitigate impersonation scams involving banks or government bodies. | High |
| United Kingdom | Alphanumeric and numeric | Recommended | Strong automatic operator filters against generic senders and suspicious links. A clear branded sender is required. | Medium |
| Germany | Alphanumeric and numeric | No | Open market, but with very strict anti-spam control at text-content level by network operators. | Low |
| Brazil | Numeric and alphanumeric | Mandatory | Requires a local legal entity or representation to register the Sender ID. Unregulated gambling or cryptocurrency content is prohibited. | High |
| Mexico | Numeric. Some operators replace senders with short codes | No | Local operators often replace international or alphanumeric senders with random local numeric codes to prevent spam. | Medium |
| Colombia | Alphanumeric and numeric | Optional | Time restriction for commercial SMS: only allowed from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Fraud keyword filtering applies. | Medium |
| India | Alphanumeric, exactly 6 characters | Mandatory | Extremely strict DLT system. Requires registration of the company, headers and each exact text template. Users registered on the national DND — Do Not Disturb — list are blocked. | Critical |
| Saudi Arabia and UAE | Approved alphanumeric | Mandatory | Zero tolerance for spam. Requires signed Letters of Authorisation (LOA), local business documents and manual approval from each network operator. | Critical |
| China | Approved local numeric sender | Mandatory | Direct international traffic is prohibited unless routed through an approved government and local operator gateway. A fixed text “signature” must be added at the end of the message. | Critical |
| Singapore | Alphanumeric (SSIR Registry) | Mandatory | Registration in the IMDA Full Registry is mandatory. Any message from an unregistered sender is automatically marked as “Likely-SCAM”. | Critical |
| Australia | Alphanumeric and numeric | Mandatory | ACMA regulation. Mandatory registration of alphanumeric Sender IDs to prove legitimate brand ownership and prevent impersonation. | High |
| South Africa | Alphanumeric and numeric | No | Regulated by the WASPA code of conduct. Strict prohibition on sending commercial messages at night or during weekends without prior explicit consent. | Medium |