A2P 10DLC for churches

What is A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC stands for "Application-to-Person, 10-Digit Long Code," the US carrier framework for sending organizational text messages from a normal 10-digit phone number. To send legitimately, you register two things with The Campaign Registry: a Brand (who you are: your church and its EIN) and a Campaign (what you'll send and how people opt in).

Why your church can't skip it

Since February 2025, the major US carriers block unregistered 10DLC traffic rather than merely slowing it. In practice that means your Sunday reminders and prayer-chain texts can silently fail to deliver, often with no error on your end. Registration is what keeps your messages actually arriving.

How to register, step by step

1. 1. Register your Brand. Your church's legal name and EIN, with Business Type set to "Non-profit." Use your EIN; never register as a sole proprietor.
2. 2. Register your Campaign. Choose the Charity / 501(c)(3) use case, describe how people opt in, provide sample messages, and (since October 2025) link your Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
3. 3. Vetting. The Brand is auto-vetted (including the IRS nonprofit check) in roughly 1-3 business days; the Campaign is reviewed in about 3-7 business days.

A good church texting platform submits and manages all of this for you; you mostly just provide your EIN and opt-in details.

Typical fees (mid-2026)

These are set by the registry and carriers, not your texting provider, and they change periodically, so treat them as ballpark and confirm current numbers:

Staying compliant after you register

Registration gets your texts delivered; consent keeps you on the right side of the TCPA. The essentials:

• Only text people who opted in, and make your first message identify your church.
• Honor "STOP" immediately and keep opt-outs suppressed.
• Publish clear opt-in language plus a Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (now required at campaign registration).
• Keep records of when and how each person consented.

See our text sign-up example for compliant opt-in wording, and the message templates for first-message examples that identify your church.

10DLC for ministries, parishes, congregations, and other faith-based organizations

Carriers don't care what your organization calls itself; the registration is the same two steps. A few details do differ by structure, so find the paragraph that matches yours.

10DLC for ministries

A ministry registers like any church: one Brand for the legal entity, one Campaign describing the messages. If your ministry operates under a parent organization's EIN, register under that EIN instead of creating a separate Brand per program. A parachurch or campus ministry with its own 501(c)(3) qualifies for the Charity use case on its own.

10DLC for parishes

A parish registers with the EIN it files under, which is usually its own even when the parish sits inside a diocesan group exemption. The Charity use case and the T-Mobile fee waiver apply the same way. A diocese rolling texting out across many parishes registers each parish as its own Brand; the details are in the 10DLC guide for parishes and dioceses.

10DLC for congregations

For 10DLC purposes, the congregation is the sending organization, whatever the denomination. There is no minimum size: a congregation of 40 registers the same way as one of 4,000, pays the same small fees, and a platform can submit the paperwork with just your EIN and a sentence about how members opt in.

10DLC for faith-based and charitable organizations

A faith-based nonprofit that isn't a congregation (a mission, a religious school, a food bank, a charity) registers the same two-step way, and 501(c)(3) status qualifies it for the Charity use case with the same reduced fees. The IRS check is automatic at registration. An organization without tax-exempt status still registers; it simply uses a standard use case at normal carrier rates.

Frequently asked questions

Does my church's 501(c)(3) status exempt it from 10DLC registration?

No. Tax-exempt status does not exempt you from registering. Churches register the same two-step way (Brand + Campaign) as businesses. What 501(c)(3) status DOES get you is the reserved Charity use case and reduced carrier fees: T-Mobile has waived its carrier fees for verified 501(c)(3) charity campaigns since February 2022, and other carriers typically discount rather than fully waive. Verification is checked automatically against IRS records at registration.

What happens if we don't register?

Since February 2025, the major US carriers block, not just slow, unregistered 10DLC traffic. Your texts simply fail to deliver, often with no error shown to you. Registration is effectively mandatory to text your congregation reliably.

How long does registration take?

Brand vetting (including the automatic IRS nonprofit check) is usually 1-3 business days; campaign vetting is typically 3-7 business days, longer during busy periods. A good texting provider submits and manages this for you.

Should we register as a sole proprietor to save money?

No. Register as a Standard nonprofit Brand using your church's EIN. Sole-proprietor registrations now effectively require an EIN anyway and carry low sending limits, the wrong fit for a church.

Is 10DLC different for parishes, ministries, or other faith-based organizations?

No. The process is the same for any faith-based organization. Whether you run a parish, a congregation, a ministry, a diocese, a mission, or another faith-based nonprofit, you register the same Brand and Campaign and use the Charity use case if you hold 501(c)(3) status. The audience changes; the registration does not. Catholic parishes and dioceses can see the specifics on our 10DLC for parishes and dioceses guide.

Sources

• The Campaign Registry (TCR)
• Twilio: What is A2P 10DLC
• Twilio: Nonprofit & Government Guide to A2P 10DLC (T-Mobile 501(c)(3) fee waiver)