SMS Sender ID Register: how to register, and which providers can

What the SMS Sender ID Register does

The SMS Sender ID Register is a register of branded text message names, run by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) since 1 July 2026. A sender ID is the branded name at the top of a text message from a business or organisation, such as "ATO", "AusPost" or "myGov". It was set up under the Telecommunications (SMS Sender ID Register) Industry Standard 2025.

Since 1 July 2026, a text sent with a sender ID that is not registered has the sender ID replaced with the word "Unverified". The message is still delivered. All texts from "Unverified" senders are grouped together in the same message thread on the recipient's phone, alongside other Unverified messages including scam messages. The legal duty to replace an unregistered sender ID sits on the telco, not on the business.

ACMA told businesses to register by 30 June 2026 to avoid the Unverified label, but registration did not close on that date. ACMA's registration pages, updated as recently as 4 September 2026, describe how to register now. Registration is still open, and unregistered sender IDs are currently being labelled as "Unverified".

Which sender IDs ACMA will register

Before you approach your provider, test your proposed sender ID against ACMA's format rules with the checker at the top of this page. Type in the name you plan to use and it will report whether the format is valid. The checker tests the format rules only: it cannot tell whether a sender ID matches your registered name or would be judged misleading, because those checks depend on your organisation.

• 2 to 11 characters.
• Only letters, numbers and symbols from the printable ASCII set.
• Not numbers only.
• No space or underscore at the start or end.
• Must not contain the word "Unverified".
• Nothing offensive, deceptive or misleading.
• Not made up only of restricted words. ACMA's restricted words include account, alert, bank, delivery, help, info, notify, password, secure, support, tax, urgent and verify, 28 in total. A restricted word is allowed when combined with characters that identify the organisation: ACMA cannot register "Alert" but can register "ACMA Alert".
• Sender IDs are not case sensitive: "ABC" and "abc" are the same sender ID.

With an ABN, the sender ID must match your registered business name, company name, trademark or domain name. It can be your name, a shortened version, an acronym, or your name plus words about your role, location or the purpose of the message. ACMA's own examples show how this works: Australia Post can register "AusPost", the Australian Communications and Media Authority can register "ACMA", and it can register "ACMA Alerts" for message purposes. A sender ID can be registered by more than one organisation, provided each can prove a valid use case.

Registering without an ABN

An organisation without an ABN, for example a community group or school, can still register sender IDs, but only through a certified telco or a partner of a certified telco. Your existing telco or message provider cannot register your sender IDs if it is not a certified telco or a partner of one, so you would need to use one that is. You show your organisation is officially recognised or certified by a governing body, regulator or accreditation authority in your country, and your authorised representative verifies their identity. Organisations without an ABN cannot access the register directly: the certified telco manages the registration. An organisation with an ABN may also choose to register this way.