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Australian SMS Sender ID Register

If you send SMS to Australian numbers using a branded Sender ID (a business name shown in place of a phone number), you must register that Sender ID with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). This page explains what the Register is, how to register your Sender ID in the Enfonica Console, what to expect afterwards, and the government identity steps you'll need to complete.

What is the Sender ID Register?

The SMS Sender ID Register is run by ACMA. It records which businesses are authorised to use a given branded Sender ID when sending SMS or MMS to Australian recipients. The goal is to make it harder for scammers to impersonate well-known brands in text messages.

From 1 July 2026, unregistered Sender IDs may show as "Unverified"

From 1 July 2026, messages sent to Australian numbers using a Sender ID that isn't on the Register may be replaced with the word "Unverified" on the recipient's phone, or grouped with other unverified messages in their inbox. To keep your branded Sender ID visible, register it before then.

The Register only applies when you're sending to Australian numbers with a branded (alphanumeric) Sender ID. If you send from a phone number instead of a branded Sender ID, you don't need to do anything.

Key things to know before you start

  • It's a two-system process. You submit details in the Enfonica Console, and an authorised representative of your business confirms the registration in ACMA Assist, ACMA's portal.
  • It's per-provider. If you send the same Sender ID through more than one SMS provider, each provider needs to be authorised separately on the Register.
  • You must be entitled to use the name. The Sender ID must clearly relate to your business — a registered business name, company name, trademark, or domain you own.
  • It isn't instant. Allow time for Enfonica's review, lodgement with ACMA, and the confirmation step in ACMA Assist.
  • Sort your government identity out early. Make sure your details on the Australian Business Register (ABR) are current and that the person who'll approve the registration has a myID set up.

Sender ID requirements

ACMA applies both format rules and "valid use case" rules to every Sender ID on the Register.

Format rules

  • Between 2 and 11 characters.
  • Printable ASCII characters only.
  • Not made up entirely of numbers.
  • No leading or trailing spaces or underscores.
  • Cannot contain the word "Unverified".
  • Cannot be offensive, deceptive, or misleading.
  • Sender IDs are not case-sensitive.

Valid use case (businesses with an ABN)

The Sender ID must clearly link to your organisation. ACMA accepts a Sender ID that matches:

  • A registered business name.
  • An active company name on the ABR.
  • A registered trademark.
  • A domain you legitimately use for a website or active email service.

Acceptable variations include exact names, shortened forms, acronyms, and names with extra words describing a function, location, or purpose (for example, ACMECorp, ACMEAlert, ACMESupport).

A single Sender ID can be registered by more than one organisation, provided each can show a valid use case.

Register a Sender ID in the Enfonica Console

  1. Open your project, then go to Cloud SMS → Sender IDs.
  2. Click Register Sender ID.
  3. Sender ID details — enter the Sender ID and confirm the country is Australia.
  4. Organisation details — enter your ABN. Enfonica looks it up against the ABR and displays the matched entity name. Then choose how the Sender ID matches your organisation:
    • Business Name
    • Company Name
    • Registered Trademark (you'll be asked for the trademark number)
    • Domain Name (you'll be asked for the domain)
  5. Contact information — enter the name, email, phone, and role of the person who will be the authorised representative for this registration. Make sure this is someone who can act for the business and has access to the email address listed on your ABR record (see Government identity requirements below).
  6. Authorisation declaration — tick to confirm that you have the authority to register Sender IDs on behalf of the organisation and that the information you've provided is accurate.
  7. Click Submit.

Choose the authorised representative carefully

ACMA will email the person you nominate here to ask them to confirm the registration. If the wrong person is nominated, or they can't access the ABR-listed email, the registration won't be approved and you'll need to start again.

What happens after you submit

Your registration moves through several statuses, which you can see on the Sender IDs page in the Console.

Status What it means
Pending Verification Enfonica is reviewing the details you submitted. We may follow up if anything needs clarifying. Typically takes 1–3 business days.
Submitted to ACMA Enfonica has lodged your registration with ACMA. ACMA will email your nominated authorised representative to ask them to confirm the registration in ACMA Assist.
Active The Sender ID is registered. You can send messages with it to Australian numbers.
Rejected Enfonica or ACMA could not verify the registration. The Console shows the reason. You can submit a new registration once the issue is fixed.

The detail view for each Sender ID shows a timeline of status changes, so you can see when each step happened.

The middle step — the authorised representative confirming the registration in ACMA Assist — is the one most people get stuck on, because it depends on Australian government identity systems (myID and the ABR) being set up correctly. The next section walks through what's involved.

ACMA's confirmation email expires after 24 hours

When ACMA emails your authorised representative, the link in that email only works for 24 hours. If it expires before they confirm, you'll need to submit a new registration in the Console.

Total approval time depends on how quickly your authorised representative can complete the ACMA Assist confirmation and whether ACMA needs more information. There is no fixed turnaround.

Government identity requirements

This is the part most customers find confusing, so it's worth reading even if you think your business is set up.

The big picture

Two Australian government identity systems are involved:

  • myID — the Australian Government's Digital ID app. Your authorised representative uses their myID to log in to ACMA Assist.
  • The Australian Business Register (ABR) — the official register of Australian businesses. ACMA reads ABR to work out who is allowed to act on behalf of your business on the Sender ID Register.

ACMA checks ABR, not RAM

A common mistake is to assume that a person who is authorised in Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) can act on the Sender ID Register. They can't — at least not automatically. ACMA does not check RAM authorisations for Sender ID Register access. Instead, it checks the authorised contact or service-of-notice email listed for your ABN on the ABR.

Set up myID

The person who will confirm the registration needs a myID. There are two strengths:

  • Standard myID — usually enough to log in to ACMA Assist.
  • Strong myID — required if the same person will also link the business in RAM (see below).

If your authorised representative doesn't have a myID yet, follow the instructions at myid.gov.au. A Standard myID generally requires two Australian identity documents.

Check and update your ABR contact details

Because ACMA emails the address on your ABR record, that address needs to be both correct and accessible to your authorised representative.

  • To check: search your ABN at the ABR and review the authorised contact and service-of-notice email.
  • To update: see Update your ABN details. The fastest way to update ABR details online uses myID and RAM. Other update routes (tax agents, paper forms) are available but slower.

ABN details should be kept current and updated within 28 days of any change.

When RAM matters (and when it doesn't)

  • Doesn't matter for the Sender ID Register itself — ACMA doesn't read RAM authorisations.
  • Does matter for updating your ABR contact details online, and for authorising staff to act for your business in other unrelated government services.

If you need to set up or use RAM, start at the Relationship Authorisation Manager site.

The three ACMA Assist access scenarios

When your authorised representative clicks the link in ACMA's email, one of three things will happen:

  1. Their myID email matches the ABR-listed email. They log in with myID, ACMA matches the email automatically, they agree to the terms, and they confirm the registration.
  2. A different email they control is the ABR-listed email. They log in with myID, enter the ABR-listed email when prompted, receive a verification code at that address, verify it, agree to the terms, and continue.
  3. No accessible email is listed on the ABR record. They'll need an existing authorised contact (for example, a Public Officer or Director) to either grant them access or update the ABR record. Because ACMA's invitation link only lasts 24 hours, plan this ahead of time rather than after submitting.

Quick pre-flight checklist

Before you submit a registration in the Console, confirm:

  1. Your ABN is active and your ABR details (entity name, contacts) are current.
  2. The person who will approve the registration has a myID set up.
  3. That person can access the authorised contact or service-of-notice email listed for your ABN on the ABR.
  4. Your Sender ID meets ACMA's format rules.
  5. Your Sender ID clearly relates to your business (registered business name, company name, trademark number, or domain).

Special cases

Using the same Sender ID with multiple SMS providers

Each SMS provider you use to send a given Sender ID needs to be authorised separately on the Register. Registering with Enfonica only authorises Enfonica. If you also send the same Sender ID through other providers, you'll need to authorise each of them.

Organisations without an ABN

ACMA has limited registration routes for organisations without an ABN (for example, some community groups or overseas organisations). The Sender ID must usually match a registered trademark or an official register in the organisation's country. If this applies to you, contact Enfonica Support to discuss whether registration is feasible.

Government emergency and public health messages

ACMA has a special pathway for government agencies sending emergency or public health messages. The Enfonica Console registration form includes a government exception option, which requires additional documentation describing the use case.

Changing or revoking a Sender ID

A business can revoke a provider's authorisation to use its Sender ID at any time through ACMA Assist. If a business revokes Enfonica's authorisation, Enfonica can no longer use that Sender ID for the business. If all providers' authorisations are revoked, the Sender ID is removed from the Register and future messages using it may be replaced with "Unverified".

Troubleshooting

"My ABN entity name doesn't match what ABR shows." Your ABR record may be out of date. Update it via ABR online services, then resubmit the registration in the Console.

"The link in ACMA's email has expired." The link only works for 24 hours. Submit a new registration in the Console so ACMA can issue a fresh link.

"I nominated the wrong person as authorised representative." You can't change the nominated representative on an existing registration. Submit a new registration with the correct person's details.

"My Sender ID was rejected because it uses a restricted term." ACMA blocks Sender IDs made up solely of restricted words (for example, generic terms like Alert or Bank). Combine the term with your organisation name — for example, ACMEAlert rather than Alert.

"Approval is taking longer than I expected." Common causes: the ABR contact email is wrong or inaccessible, ACMA has asked for more information, or your authorised representative hasn't completed the confirmation step in ACMA Assist. Check the status in the Console and follow up with your authorised representative if needed.

Official resources

All authoritative information about the Register comes from ACMA. The links below are official Australian government sources.