A2P Sole Proprietor Brands Registration
Modified on: Mon, 14 Oct, 2024 at 11:12 PM
Effective August 31, 2023, all 10DLC phone numbers used to send SMS and MMS messages to U.S. phone numbers must be fully registered to an approved campaign under a brand.
Sole Proprietor registration is perfect for customers in the United States and Canada who are individuals or small businesses and do not have a business Tax ID (such as an EIN) and only have one employee per company.
Follow the instructions below to choose the right path for your A2P brand registration:
1. If the business has a Tax Number (EIN for the US, CCN for Canada, etc.), please select "Yes, the business I’m registering has a US EIN" Check out LC Phone System Trust Center
2. If the business does not have a Tax Number, only has one employee per company but operates from a valid Business Address in the US/Canada, please select "No, the business I’m registering does not have a US EIN" (Sole Prop Brand Registration).
3. If the business does not have a Tax ID and the business address is not in the US/Canada, unfortunately, they cannot proceed with A2P Brand Registration. In this case, the best alternative would be to use Toll-Free numbers after completing the registration process. Check outToll-Free Number Registration for LC - Phone (US/Canada)
What are the requirements for Sole Proprietor registration?
Sole Proprietor brands are available to individuals or small businesses who meet the following requirements:
- No Tax ID: Customers with a tax ID are not eligible for Sole Proprietor Brands; they should use a Low Volume Standard Brand instead.
- OTP Verification: Confirm your identity using a One-Time Password (OTP) verification step.
- Valid Details: Starter Brands must include a valid and accurate business name, first name, last name, email address, phone number, and physical address.
- US Addresses: Only valid U.S. addresses (including P.O. boxes) are allowed. Addresses in other countries are no longer permitted. ✅
What are the fees for Sole Proprietor registration?
The following fees apply for Sole Proprietor brands:
- One-time Sole Proprietor Brand registration fee: $4.41 (previous Starter Brands that were converted by Twilio will be exempt from this fee)
- One-time Campaign vetting fee: $16.54 (existing Campaigns will be exempt from this fee at this time)
- Monthly Sole Proprietor Campaign fees: $2.21 (applicable to existing and new Campaigns)
What are the limitations of Sole Proprietor registration?
- Sole Proprietor brands have the following limits:
- 1 Sole Proprietor Campaign per Brand
- 1 Phone Number per Campaign
- 1 Message Per Second (1 MPS) throughput limit
- One employee per company/business
Consider registering your business so you could apply for standard registration and multiple numbers can be a2p verified.
How do I register?
Step 1 - Enter business details.
Follow the screenshots below:
1. Click on Settings > Phone numbers > Trust Center
2. Click on Start Registering Now
3. Click on No, the business I'm registering does not have a tax ID
The client must answer the following two questions accurately to ensure they are directed to the appropriate brand option.
4. Business details
Enter either the business name or the individual's name. Ensure that the business name does not include LLC or any other terms implying it is more than a sole proprietorship.
Rejected examples: ABC Company LLC
You can check the brand name at https://opencorporates.com/ to make sure the business name does not have an EIN
5. Address
Enter the valid address linked to the business.
6. Contact info
Step 2 - Brand details
1. Business Use case
Notice how brand type only shows “sole prop” as a selection option. This is because of how we answered the questions under profile needs. The brand type and campaign type have been selected for us. We only need to check the box below and click “continue.”
6. Brand Details
1. Please provide your business name or full name as the brand name.
- Enter either the business name or the individual's name. Ensure that the business namedoes not include LLCor any other terms implying it is more than a sole proprietorship.
- Rejected examples: ABC Company LLC
- You can check the brand name at https://opencorporates.com/to make sure the business name do not have an EIN
2. Choose an industry from the dropdown list for "business industry." If you can't find an exact match, select the industry type that best describes your business.
3. Ensure your phone number is a US or Canadian mobile number capable of receiving SMS. Note: Each phone number can be used for a maximum of three A2P Brand registrations with TCR.
DO NOT use the number you bought for the sub-account
Keep an eye out for an SMS from TCR requesting your approval. Simply reply "Yes" to give the green light for your brand to start messaging.
That completes the steps to submitting a sole prop brand. The next step is the campaign submission. Instructions provided under A2P 10DLC Campaign Approval Best Practices
Once the Brand is approved, the campaign will be automatically submitted for review.
1. Important Note: The mobile number is critical in the registration process and is used for sending a One-Time Password (OTP) verification request, which you must respond to with "Yes". This must be a valid US or Canadian mobile number where you can be reached. It cannot be a number that you've acquired from a CPaaS provider such as LeadConnector/Twilio
2. The mobile number can only be used a maximum of three times across all A2P Brand registrations with TCR. If you are registered for A2P 10DLC with another vendor using this mobile number, that counts towards this limit.⚠️
FAQs:
On the OTP mobile number, can I use my cell for all my clients as the agency administrator? Or would it be my contact at the client's needs to get the code?
Please provide a mobile number that you have access to confirm OTP verification. Only US/Canadian numbers will be accepted. You may not use a CPaaS phone number such as one obtained from Twilio. You cannot use the same mobile number to register more than 3 Sole Proprietor brands.
This limit is managed at the TCR level.
Why did my sole prop registration fail?
Here are the most common reasons:
1. Using custom variables (fields / values) instead of actual names & company name
2. Not including opt-out language in message templates
3. Using same email in more than 10 A2p sole prop registrations
4. Using same phone in more than 10 A2p sole prop registrations
5. Using same address in more than 10 A2p sole prop registrations
6. Using same phone number for OTP (code verification) A2p verification in more than 3 cases
7. Invalid email - Please note that private emails domains are typically not eligible for Sole prop Brand registration. You have to be sure you are using a public domain for your email (e.g., Gmail (NOT Gsuite), Hotmail, Yahoo, etc)
- The Third-Party Service TCR use to validate email addresses sometimes marks valid email addresses as undeliverable. Unfortunately, this is beyond our control.
While it's possible to open a ticket with the TCR to address the error, their response time might be too slow so our recommendation is to create a new email address with a reliable provider like Gmail and use this new address for your registration. Please note that the email address is a required field but is not used for communication purposes; it's mainly for registration.
8. Using a phone number that is a Google Voice or other VOIP number as TOP line - Please use a Direct line (Hard number)
Please note: your submission will continue to fail if your Brand does not qualify for Sole Proprietor (e.g. you have a registered Tax ID or are not located in the U.S. / Canada). If your Brand does not qualify please register as a Standard Brand instead.
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