How to Register for 10DLC via CLI

This guide shows you how to complete 10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) registration using the Telnyx CLI, from brand creation through campaign approval.

Why 10DLC?

US carriers require 10DLC registration for Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging from local phone numbers. Without it, your messages may be blocked or throttled. Registration establishes your business identity with carriers and unlocks higher throughput based on your trust score.

For a deeper explanation of 10DLC, trust scores, and carrier requirements, see Understanding 10DLC.

Prerequisites

Telnyx account with verified status
Telnyx CLI installed
TELNYX_API_KEY environment variable set
Business information ready (EIN, address, website)
At least one US phone number

Registration Steps

Step 1: Create a Brand

A brand represents your business identity for 10DLC registration.

Standard Business

telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand create \
  --entity-type PRIVATE_PROFIT \
  --display-name "Acme Corp" \
  --company-name "Acme Corporation Inc" \
  --ein 12-3456789 \
  --phone +15551234567 \
  --street "123 Main Street" \
  --city "San Francisco" \
  --state CA \
  --postal-code 94102 \
  --country US \
  --vertical TECHNOLOGY \
  --website https://acme.com

Sole Proprietor

For sole proprietors, additional SMS OTP verification is required:

# Create sole proprietor brand
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand create \
  --entity-type SOLE_PROPRIETOR \
  --display-name "John's Plumbing" \
  --phone +15551234567 \
  --email john@example.com

# Trigger SMS OTP
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand trigger-sms-otp --brand-id <brand-id>

# Verify with OTP code received via SMS
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand verify-sms-otp --brand-id <brand-id> --otp 123456

Entity Types:

PRIVATE_PROFIT - Private company
PUBLIC_PROFIT - Publicly traded company
NON_PROFIT - Non-profit organization
GOVERNMENT - Government entity
SOLE_PROPRIETOR - Individual / sole proprietor

Step 2: Check Brand Status

# List all brands
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand list

# Get specific brand details
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand retrieve --brand-id <brand-id>

# Get feedback if brand was rejected
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand get-feedback --brand-id <brand-id>

Step 3: Create a Campaign

Once your brand is approved, create a campaign to define your messaging use case:

# First, list available use cases
telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign:usecase list

# Create the campaign (via Portal or API - see note below)

Campaign creation is done via the Telnyx Portal or the API. The CLI supports retrieving and managing existing campaigns.

Step 4: Manage Campaigns

# List campaigns for a brand
telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign list --brand-id <brand-id>

# Get campaign details
telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign retrieve --campaign-id <campaign-id>

# Check MNO (Mobile Network Operator) status
telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign get-mno-metadata --campaign-id <campaign-id>

# Check operation status at carrier level
telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign get-operation-status --campaign-id <campaign-id>

Step 5: Phone Number Assignment

Check phone number campaign assignments:

# List phone number campaign assignments
telnyx messaging-10dlc:phone-number-campaigns list

# Get assignment for specific number
telnyx messaging-10dlc:phone-number-campaigns retrieve --phone-number +15551234567

Step 6: Verify Setup

# Check brand status
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand list --format json | jq '.data[] | {id, display_name, status}'

# Check campaign status
telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign list --brand-id <brand-id> --format json | jq '.data[] | {id, usecase, status}'

# Verify number is assigned
telnyx messaging-10dlc:phone-number-campaigns retrieve --phone-number +15551234567

Campaign Approval

After submission, campaigns go through carrier approval:

Status	Meaning
`PENDING`	Awaiting review
`APPROVED`	Ready to send messages
`REJECTED`	Review feedback and resubmit

Campaign approval can take 1-7 business days. Do not send A2P messages until approved.

Appeal Rejected Campaigns

If your campaign was rejected, you can submit an appeal:

telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign submit-appeal --campaign-id <campaign-id>

Deactivate a Campaign

telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign deactivate --campaign-id <campaign-id>

Once deactivated, a campaign cannot be restored.

Best Practices

Sample Messages

Your sample messages should:

Represent actual messages you’ll send
Include opt-out language (“Reply STOP to unsubscribe”)
Match your stated use case
Not contain placeholder text

Throughput

10DLC throughput depends on your trust score:

Trust Score	Messages/Second
Low	0.2
Medium	1
High	10+

Higher trust scores come from:

Verified business information
Good messaging practices
Low spam/complaint rates

Troubleshooting

”Brand verification failed”

Double-check EIN matches IRS records exactly
Verify business address is current
Ensure phone number is associated with business

Check feedback:

telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand get-feedback --brand-id <brand-id>

“Campaign rejected”

Common reasons:

Sample messages don’t match use case
Missing opt-out language
Vague or generic description

Solution: Review feedback, update campaign via Portal, and resubmit.

Revet a Brand

If your brand information has changed or was rejected, you can revet (resubmit):

telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand revet --brand-id <brand-id>

Revetting is allowed once after successful registration, then limited to once every 3 months.

Complete Script Example

#!/bin/bash
# 10dlc-check.sh - Check 10DLC registration status

set -e

echo "=== Brands ==="
telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand list --format json | \
  jq -r '.data[] | "\(.display_name): \(.status)"'

echo ""
echo "=== Campaigns ==="
# Get first brand ID
BRAND_ID=$(telnyx messaging-10dlc:brand list --format json | jq -r '.data[0].id')

if [ "$BRAND_ID" != "null" ]; then
  telnyx messaging-10dlc:campaign list --brand-id "$BRAND_ID" --format json | \
    jq -r '.data[] | "\(.usecase): \(.status)"'
else
  echo "No brands found"
fi

echo ""
echo "=== Phone Number Assignments ==="
telnyx messaging-10dlc:phone-number-campaigns list --format json | \
  jq -r '.data[] | "\(.phone_number): \(.campaign_id)"' | head -10

Next Steps

Send Messages

Start sending SMS after approval

Understanding 10DLC

Deep dive on trust scores and carrier requirements

10DLC Rate Limits

Throughput tiers and trust scores

Troubleshooting

Common errors and solutions

Account setup

APIs fundamentals

Server-side SDKs

Telnyx CLI

Development Tools

Migration Guides

Glossary

For AI Agents

How to Register for 10DLC via CLI

Why 10DLC?

Prerequisites

Registration Steps

Step 1: Create a Brand

Standard Business

Sole Proprietor

Step 2: Check Brand Status

Step 3: Create a Campaign

Step 4: Manage Campaigns

Step 5: Phone Number Assignment

Step 6: Verify Setup

Campaign Approval

Appeal Rejected Campaigns

Deactivate a Campaign

Best Practices

Sample Messages

Throughput

Troubleshooting

”Brand verification failed”

“Campaign rejected”

Revet a Brand

Complete Script Example

Next Steps

Send Messages

Understanding 10DLC

10DLC Rate Limits

Troubleshooting

​Why 10DLC?

​Prerequisites

​Registration Steps

​Step 1: Create a Brand

​Standard Business

​Sole Proprietor

​Step 2: Check Brand Status

​Step 3: Create a Campaign

​Step 4: Manage Campaigns

​Step 5: Phone Number Assignment

​Step 6: Verify Setup

​Campaign Approval

​Appeal Rejected Campaigns

​Deactivate a Campaign

​Best Practices

​Sample Messages

​Throughput

​Troubleshooting

​”Brand verification failed”

​“Campaign rejected”

​Revet a Brand

​Complete Script Example

​Next Steps

Send Messages

Understanding 10DLC

10DLC Rate Limits

Troubleshooting

Why 10DLC?

Prerequisites

Registration Steps

Step 1: Create a Brand

Standard Business

Sole Proprietor

Step 2: Check Brand Status

Step 3: Create a Campaign

Step 4: Manage Campaigns

Step 5: Phone Number Assignment

Step 6: Verify Setup

Campaign Approval

Appeal Rejected Campaigns

Deactivate a Campaign

Best Practices

Sample Messages

Throughput

Troubleshooting

”Brand verification failed”

“Campaign rejected”

Revet a Brand

Complete Script Example

Next Steps