Register an alphanumeric sender ID for SMS in Australia

Check whether you need to register

You need to register if you send SMS to Australian numbers from an alphanumeric sender ID. That's a name, such as ACME, that recipients see as the sender of your SMS instead of a phone number. If you send from a phone number, you don't need to register anything, and the rest of this article doesn't apply to you.

Cloud SMS can send from a sender ID to countries that support them, including Australia. Since 1 July 2026, a business that sends SMS to Australian numbers from a sender ID must register it on the SMS Sender ID Register. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) runs the Register. It records which businesses are allowed to use each sender ID, which makes it harder for scammers to impersonate a brand.

Keep these rules in mind:

• Unregistered sender IDs are blocked. Enfonica refuses any message to an Australian number from a sender ID that isn't Active in the project you send from. The message isn't sent or billed. To learn about the error, and why Enfonica blocks these messages instead of letting them arrive as "Unverified," see SMS from your sender ID won't send to Australian numbers.
• Registration is per project. Enfonica checks the registration in the project that each message is sent from, so register the sender ID in the project you'll send from.
• Registration is per provider. Registering with Enfonica authorizes Enfonica only. If you send the same sender ID through another SMS provider, that provider needs to be authorized too.
• A sender ID can be shared. More than one organization can register the same sender ID, if each one can show that it relates to their business.

Choose a sender ID that meets the rules

A sender ID needs the right format and a link to your organization. Check both before you submit. It's the best way to avoid a rejection.

Check the format

For Australia, a sender ID must be 2 to 11 characters long. It can contain letters, numbers, spaces, and the symbols . - ! & ' # +, with these limits:

• It must contain at least one letter, so it can't be only numbers.
• It can't start or end with a space. It can't start with +, which is reserved for phone numbers.
• It can't contain the word "Unverified" or anything offensive, deceptive, or misleading.
• It can't be a generic word on its own, such as Alert, Bank, Info, Support, or Verify. Combine the word with your name instead, for example ACME Alert.

ACMA allows a few more characters, but mobile networks block many of them, so Enfonica accepts only the characters listed here. Sender IDs aren't case-sensitive, so ACME and acme are the same sender ID.

These examples show how the rules apply.

Check the link to your organization

The sender ID must match at least one of the following, which ACMA calls valid use cases:

• A business name registered against your ABN
• Your company name on the ABR
• A registered trademark
• A domain you use for a website or email

It doesn't have to be an exact match. Shortened forms, acronyms, and added words that describe a function, place, or purpose are all fine. For example, ACME, ACMESupport, and ACME Sydney can all relate to ACME Plumbing Pty Ltd. If your sender ID is a short form, choose the registered name that it shortens.

The name must be registered, though. An informal trading name isn't enough on its own. If your sender ID comes from a name you trade under but haven't registered, register it as a business name first. For more examples, including common mistakes, see SMS sender IDs: what you can and can't register.

Get your government identity ready

Set up your authorized representative before you submit anything. Most delays happen at the confirmation step in ACMA Assist, ACMA's portal. When your representative is ready, confirming takes minutes. When they aren't, it takes days.

Your representative needs two things:

• A myID. Your representative signs in to ACMA Assist with myID, the Australian Government's Digital ID app. A Standard myID is usually enough.
• Access to the ABR email. ACMA checks your representative against the authorized contact or service-of-notice email listed for your ABN on the Australian Business Register. Your representative must be able to open that inbox. If the email address is out of date, update your ABN details first.

Being authorized in Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) isn't enough on its own, because ACMA doesn't check RAM for the Register.

If someone else will confirm the registration, send them You've been nominated as the authorized contact for a sender ID registration. It explains exactly what ACMA will ask.

Register your sender ID

Have your ABN, web address, business address, and your representative's details ready.

1. In the Enfonica Console, open the project you'll send SMS from.
2. Go to Cloud SMS > Sender IDs.
3. Select Register Sender ID.
4. Under Sender ID details, enter your sender ID. The region is Australia, which is the only region the Register covers.
5. Under Valid use cases, select each one that the sender ID matches: Registered business name, Registered company name, Registered trademark, or Registered domain name.
6. Under Organisation details, enter your ABN, web address, and business address. If you selected Registered trademark, also enter the trademark number.
7. Under Contact information, enter your authorized representative's name, email address, and phone number. ACMA emails this person, so use an address that they check.
8. Under Declaration, select the checkbox to confirm that you have authority to register sender IDs for the organization and that the details are accurate.
9. Select Submit registration. The sender ID appears on Cloud SMS > Sender IDs with the status Pending Verification.

The form also has a Government agency exception use case. It's only for government agencies that send emergency, public health, safety, or security messages. A .gov.au domain doesn't qualify on its own.

Check that it worked

On Cloud SMS > Sender IDs, your registration moves through these statuses. To see a timeline of each change, and the reason if it was rejected or revoked, select the sender ID.

While the status is Submitted to ACMA, your representative confirms the registration:

1. Look for an email from ACMA with the subject SMS Sender ID Register: request to confirm your application.
2. Open the link in the email, and sign in with myID.
3. Select the sender ID, and then select Confirm registration of Sender ID application.

The request doesn't expire, so a late confirmation still counts.

ACMA usually approves the registration within a day or two after it's confirmed. ACMA then sends an email with the subject SMS Sender ID Register: application to register sender ID approved. The approval time isn't fixed. It depends on how quickly your representative confirms, and on whether ACMA asks for more information.

After the status is Active, send a test SMS from the sender ID to your own mobile phone. It arrives showing your sender ID. If the registration seems stuck at any step, see Sender ID registration is stuck or was rejected.

Questions