Using an alphanumeric sender ID

MessageBird offers you the option to send SMS with an alphanumeric originator. However, due to local restrictions in certain countries, SMS with an alphanumeric originator may not arrive or may need to be pre-registered before use.

In the table below, countries in which pre-registration of the sender ID is needed are marked with 'Registration required'. Note that in some countries registration is only needed for some operators. You can also see where alphanumeric sender IDs are not supported, and what will happen to the SMS if you do send with such a sender.

If a country is not listed below, as far as we are aware there are no local restrictions related to the sender ID, and you should be able to send using an alphanumeric ID without any issues. 

If you need to register your sender ID, please reach out to our Support Team via this page with the following information: 

• Originator

• Sample text 

• Company website

• A short summary of your use case

Sending a URL

In certain countries, URLs will be blocked by local operators if these are not registered. Below these countries will be indicated in the 'URLs supported' column. If you require registration for your URL, please reach out to our Support Team via this page with the following information:

• Originator

• Sample text

• URL to be whitelisted. Note that we cannot register shortened URLs (such as bit.ly). Please provide the full URL. 

• A short summary of your use case

Blocked message and error code 

Whenever possible MessageBird provides a dedicated error code and status reason to indicate the SMS failed to deliver due to lack of registration and/or forbidden content. You can find more information on Failed SMS Troubleshooting in this article, or you can directly check our detailed Status List on our Developer Page.

CountryAlpha ID supportedURLs supportedInfoAfghanistanRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (41240).AlbaniaRegistration required  ArgentinaNo The sender ID will be overwritten.ArmeniaRegistration required Registration is only needed for operator VivaCell (28305).Australia  For further restrictions when sending to Australia, please click here.BelarusRegistration required  BelgiumNo The sender ID will be overwritten unless you are using a local Number.BeninRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (61603).BrazilNo The sender ID will be overwritten.Bulgaria*Registration required  CameroonRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (62401).CanadaNo, requires local Number to sendNoThe message will be blocked by the network if sent with an alpha sender or with URL in the body. For further restrictions on sending to Canada, please click here. ChadRegistration required Registration is only needed for operator Tawali (62202).ChileNo The sender ID will be overwritten.ChinaRegistration requiredNoFor further restrictions when sending to China, please click here.ColombiaNo The sender ID will be overwritten.Congo Democratic RepublicRegistration required Registration is needed for operators Vodacom (63001) and MTN (62910).CubaRegistration required  Czech RepublicRegistration required Registration is required for alpha sender IDs.DenmarkYesRegistration required EcuadorNo The sender ID will be overwritten.EgyptRegistration required Registration is only needed for operator Etisalat only (60203).FinlandYesRegistration required FranceYes For further restrictions when sending to France, please click here. GermanyYes For further restrictions when sending to Germany, please click here.GhanaRegistration required Registration is needed for operator MTN (62001) and for local traffic. Registration is not required for international traffic.GuineaRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (61104).Guinea-BissauRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (63202).HungaryNo The sender ID will be overwritten.India*Registration required 

Registration is needed for local traffic. Customers can register their sender ID with local operators for an additional cost. For further restrictions when sending to India, please click here. 

Registration is not possible for international traffic. The Sender ID will be overwritten.

IndonesiaRegistration required  IranRegistration required Registration is only available for operator MCI (43211). SMS sent to the operator RighTel will deliver without issues (43220). All other networks will overwrite your sender ID.Ivory CoastRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (61205).JapanYesNoFor further restrictions when sending to Japan, please click here.JordanRegistration required Registration is needed for local traffic for all operators. 

Registration is needed for international traffic for operators Zain (41601) and Orange (41677).

Kazakhstan*Registration required  Kenya*Registration required Registration is needed for operator Safaricom (63901, 63902).KuwaitRegistration required  LiberiaRegistration required Registration is needed for operator MTN (61801).MacaoNo The sender ID will be overwritten.MacedoniaRegistration required  MalawiRegistration required Registration is only needed for operator TMN (65001).MalaysiaNo 

The sender ID will be overwritten. For further restrictions when sending to Malaysia, please click here.

MaliRegistration required  MexicoNo The sender ID will be overwritten.MoldovaNo The sender ID will be overwritten.MontenegroRegistration required Registration is only needed for operator Telenor (29701).MoroccoRegistration required  Mozambique*Registration required  NepalRegistration required  New ZealandYes, best effort delivery 

Dedicated short codes are available to improve deliverability. For more information on this option, please click here.

NicaraguaNo The sender ID will be overwritten.NigeriaRegistration required 

Registration is only needed for operators Airtel (62120) and MTN (62130).

For further restrictions when sending to Nigeria, please click here. 

NorwayYesRegistration requiredFor further restrictions when sending to Norway, please click here. OmanRegistration required Registration is only needed for operator Ooredoo (42203).PakistanRegistration required Registration is only needed for operators Mobilink (41001) and Warid (41007) only. Operators Telenor (41006) and Ufone (41003) will overwrite the sender ID.PalestineRegistration required 

Alpha sender registration required on Al Jawwal (42505). Required information: sender name, message template, client website. Supported Language Content on Jawwal: English or Arabic only.

ParaguayNo The sender ID will be overwritten.PhilippinesRegistration requiredRegistration requiredRegistration is only needed for operators Smart (51503) and Sun (51505) only. If you are sending a URL in your SMS, we can whitelist this to avoid running into any issues with delivery.QatarRegistration required  Romania*Registration requiredRegistration requiredRegistration is only needed for operators DigiMobil (22605), Orange (22610), and Vodafone. For further restrictions when sending to Romania, please click here.  Russia*Registration required 

Registration is only needed for operators MTS (25001) and Megafon (25002) only.

For further restrictions when sending to Russia, please click here. 

RwandaRegistration required 

Registration is required for operator MTN (63510).

Saudi ArabiaRegistration required Registration is only possible for international traffic.SenegalRegistration required  Serbia*Registration required  SingaporeYes For further restrictions when sending to Singapore, please click here. South AfricaRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (65510). For information on restrictions when sending to South Africa, please click here. South KoreaNo The sender ID will be overwritten.Sri LankaRegistration required 

Registration is only needed for operators Dialog (41302) and Etisalat (41303) only.

SudanRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (63402).SwedenYesRegistration required TaiwanNo The sender ID will be overwritten.TanzaniaRegistration required  ThailandRegistration required  TogoRegistration required  TurkeyRegistration required For further restrictions when sending to Turkey please click here. UgandaRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (64110).UkraineRegistration required Registration is only needed for operator Life (25506).United Arab EmiratesRegistration required For further restrictions when sending to UAE, please click here. United Kingdom
Registration requiredRegistration required For further restrictions when sending to the UK, please click here.
United StatesNo, requires local 10DLC (Number) to sendRegistration requiredNote: The message will be blocked by the network if not registered. For further restrictions when sending to the US, please click here. US Virgin IslandsNo The sender ID will be overwritten.UzbekistanRegistration required Registration is only needed for operators Beeline (43404), Ucell (43405) and MTS (43407).VietnamRegistration required  ZambiaRegistration required Registration is required for operator MTN (64502).

* There are additional costs for registering here. Please check with our Support Team what the costs are.