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SMS Marketing Rules by Country: Consent, Hours, Sender ID

SMS marketing rules by country for 15 markets: consent, opt-out, quiet hours and sender ID registration, with regulator sources and sender ID guide links.

Updated 10 min read

By OmniChannels.ai Editorial Team · Reviewed by BroadNet Messaging Solutions Team

Compliance

Short answer

SMS marketing rules differ by country, but they share three pillars: verifiable consent before promotional messages, a working opt-out, and sender identity controls that range from mandatory registries (India, Saudi Arabia, Australia) to none (South Africa). Several markets also fix quiet hours, for example 21:00 to 07:00 in the UAE or 22:00 to 09:00 in Saudi Arabia. The tables below cover 15 markets and name the regulator for each.

On this page
  1. What rules apply to SMS marketing in most countries?
  2. How do sender ID and registration rules compare?
  3. How do consent, opt-out and sending hours compare?
  4. What is a safe approach for multi-country campaigns?
  5. A worked example: a regional airline loyalty programme
  6. What are the limits of a table like this?
  7. How OmniChannels.ai helps

Key takeaways

  • Consent is the common denominator: every market in this guide expects verifiable opt-in for promotional SMS, though the legal route differs (PECR and GDPR in the UK, TCPA in the US, PDPL in Saudi Arabia, TCCCPR in India).
  • Sender ID rules fall into three groups: mandatory registration (for example UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, India, Australia, Spain), operator-managed requirements (for example Kenya, Mexico) and no pre-registration (South Africa, UK).
  • Published promotional quiet hours exist in some markets only: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and the US; elsewhere agree hours with the operator and send in local daytime.
  • Transactional traffic such as OTPs and alerts is generally exempt from promotional quiet hours, but only if it contains no marketing content.
  • Rules change; the tables are a map, so confirm the current text with the regulator and your provider before each launch.

This guide is for marketing, compliance and operations teams that send promotional SMS across borders and need one place to compare the rules. It covers 15 markets in two tables: sender identity and registration, then consent, opt-out and sending hours. The entries come from our regulation data, which cites the regulator or law named in the sources. It is a map, not legal advice: rules change, and the regulator's text is always the final word.

What rules apply to SMS marketing in most countries?

Almost everywhere, four ideas recur:

  1. Consent. Promotional SMS needs an opt-in you can prove. Transactional messages rely on the customer relationship.
  2. Opt-out. Every promotion offers a simple way to stop (STOP, ايقاف, a link or a preference register), and the opt-out sticks until the person consents again.
  3. Sender identity. The sender must be identifiable, and many countries make you register the sender ID, the template or both.
  4. Timing. Some regulators fix quiet hours for promotions; others leave it to operators and consumer-protection law.

Content rules (no misleading claims, restricted categories such as gambling or political messages) and data-protection laws sit on top. Our opt-in and consent guide shows how to store the evidence.

How do sender ID and registration rules compare?

The table groups the 15 markets by what the operator or regulator expects before your first message. "Lead time" is the typical range in our data, a guide and not a promise. Each country name links to our sender ID guide.

Market Regulator Sender ID rule Typical lead time
UAE TDRA Required; one ID per legal entity per use case; AD- prefix mandatory on promotional senders; Latin or Arabic, up to 11 characters 5-7 business days
Saudi Arabia CST Required; one ID per legal entity per use case; CST and operator approval 5-10 business days
Qatar CRA Required; one ID per use case per entity 5-7 business days
Egypt NTRA Required; NTRA and operator approval; one ID per use case per entity 7-14 business days
India TRAI DLT: header and every message template registered before sending; 6-character headers issued today (letters for transactional and service, digits for promotional); -P, -S, -T or -G suffix 3-7 business days (header)
Pakistan PTA Required; PTA and operator approval through a licensed aggregator 7-14 business days
Nigeria NCC Required; NCC and licensed aggregator approval; one ID per use case 5-10 business days
Kenya CA Set by the operators; confirmed at onboarding 5-7 business days
South Africa ICASA Not required under the WASPA Code of Conduct; the sender ID must identify the business No formal registration
United Kingdom ICO and Ofcom No registry today; Ofcom has set rules for provider verification of business senders, so check Ofcom for dates No formal registration
Spain CNMC and AEPD CNMC alias registry; registered providers must block messages with unregistered aliases Up to 1 month
United States FCC and CTIA 10DLC brand and campaign registration, toll-free or short code; no alphanumeric sender IDs 7-14 business days (10DLC)
Australia ACMA SMS Sender ID Register; from 1 July 2026 unregistered IDs are replaced with "Unverified" 5-10 business days
Singapore IMDA SGNIC SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR); the organisation registers and selects its aggregators About 19 calendar days
Mexico CRT Set by the operators; alphanumeric where supported or numeric long or short code 5-10 business days

A few patterns stand out. The Gulf markets require approved alphanumeric IDs and separate promotional and transactional use. India's DLT regime registers the message text itself, not only the sender. The US, uniquely, has no alphanumeric sender IDs at all. Australia and Spain show the global trend: registries that mark or block unregistered senders. For registrations, our team prepares and files the paperwork with you; approval decisions stay with regulators and operators. See registrations and the sender ID checker.

The second table covers what you must do when you send. Times are the recipient's local time.

Market Consent for promotions Opt-out Published promotional hours
UAE Verifiable opt-in; source, timestamp, IP and channel logged; TDRA can request the audit trail STOP or ايقاف on every promotional SMS; honoured network-wide Marketing texts barred 21:00 to 07:00 GST
Saudi Arabia Verifiable opt-in with PDPL-aligned consent capture STOP or ايقاف; one-step Promotions barred 22:00 to 09:00, and 01:00 to 12:00 in Ramadan
Qatar Verifiable opt-in; CRA expects explicit opt-in language and retained evidence STOP or ايقاف wording mandatory on every promotion Direct marketing barred 21:00 to 09:00
Egypt Verifiable opt-in under Law 151/2020 STOP or إيقاف; one-step None found; agree with operator
India Verifiable consent under TCCCPR; DPDP Act 2023 adds explicit consent capture Recipients block categories in the preference register; operators append revocation details Outside 10:00 to 21:00 IST off by default; recipients may block more bands
Pakistan Verifiable opt-in; records per PTA guidance STOP; PTA-run DND-style suppression Business hours; the rule fixes no clock times
Nigeria Verifiable opt-in under NDPR; records at least 12 months STOP; NCC DND registry suppression Promotions restricted 20:00 to 08:00 WAT
Kenya Verifiable opt-in; records at least 12 months STOP or opt-out wording on every promotion Promotions only 07:00 to 19:00
South Africa Verifiable opt-in; records at least 12 months STOP wording on every promotion WASPA bars marketing Sundays and public holidays, Saturdays before 09:00 or after 13:00, and other days 20:00 to 08:00
United Kingdom PECR: specific consent, or soft opt-in for existing customers One-step STOP; clear opt-out chance in every message None found
Spain GDPR-compliant opt-in; double opt-in is the operator-preferred standard STOP; one-step None found
United States TCPA express written consent for marketing STOP honoured immediately and confirmed once 08:00 to 21:00 local under the TCPA
Australia Express or inferred consent with source logged STOP and clear unsubscribe in every marketing send; honoured within 5 business days at most None found
Singapore Verifiable opt-in; traffic categorised by use case STOP and DND-registry suppression None found
Mexico Verifiable opt-in; consent records per local data-protection law STOP or SAIR; one-step None found

Some details deserve a note.

  • UK: the ICO states that the PECR rules cover SMS. You may text an individual with their specific consent, or use the soft opt-in for an existing customer who bought a similar product, provided you gave a clear chance to opt out at collection and in every message.
  • South Africa: the WASPA Code is an industry code, which is why the restrictions come from WASPA rather than a statute. Check the current version before large campaigns.
  • US: WhatsApp is separate from SMS here. Marketing templates on WhatsApp are not currently delivered to US numbers, according to Meta, so SMS does the promotional work there.
  • India and Pakistan: "None fixed" does not mean "any time". Scrubbing and operator rules apply.
  • Mexico: consumers can also register with Profeco's REPEP to refuse advertising. Our Mexico guide has details.

What is a safe approach for multi-country campaigns?

Use the strictest relevant rule as your baseline and add local rules on top.

  1. Segment by country and record the consent basis for each number.
  2. Convert send times to the recipient's time zone and check them against the table. The send time planner helps; see also the quiet hours glossary entry.
  3. Register sender IDs per country before the first campaign and keep transactional and promotional traffic separate.
  4. Template for local rules: add STOP wording in the local language, and local registration (India templates, UAE AD- prefix).
  5. Share opt-outs across SMS, WhatsApp and email.
  6. Test delivery on every operator and read delivery reports per network. Our delivery status guide explains the codes.
  7. Review quarterly. Registries and hours change.

A worked example: a regional airline loyalty programme

"Falcon Miles" (synthetic) wants to send flash offers in the UAE, India, the UK and Australia.

  • UAE: promotional ID with the AD- prefix; offers scheduled between 07:00 and 21:00 GST.
  • India: DLT entity, promotional header, consent template and offer template registered; scheduled inside 10:00 to 21:00 IST.
  • UK: consent or soft opt-in documented; STOP in every message.
  • Australia: sender ID registered on the ACMA register so messages are not shown as "Unverified".

Operations calendars each country's window, and compliance reviews opt-out reports weekly.

What are the limits of a table like this?

  • Regulations differ from enforcement. A missing "published window" does not mean there are no operator rules.
  • Industry codes and operators add rules (content categories, URL policies, templates).
  • Law changes. Mexico moved from the IFT to the CRT in 2025, and Australia's register took effect in 2026.
  • Data-protection laws (GDPR, PDPL, DPDP, NDPR and others) apply in parallel and may need legal advice.

How OmniChannels.ai helps

OmniChannels.ai is powered by BroadNet, with direct connections to more than 1,000 operators and aggregators and in business since 2003. We prepare and file sender ID registrations with you, from India DLT to Gulf sender IDs, and give you Campaigns with scheduling, duplicate filtering and delivery reports. Browse our coverage and SMS pricing by country, or book a demo to plan your multi-country launch.

Frequently asked questions

Do I always need consent to send promotional SMS?

In every market covered here, treat verifiable opt-in as mandatory for promotions. The legal source varies: PECR in the UK allows an existing-customer soft opt-in, the US TCPA requires express written consent for marketing, and India's TCCCPR works through a preference register and consent templates. Record source, timestamp and wording for each number whatever the country.

What are the quiet hours for promotional SMS?

Where regulators publish a window it is usually daytime only. The UAE bars marketing texts from 21:00 to 07:00 GST, Saudi Arabia from 22:00 to 09:00 and from 01:00 to 12:00 during Ramadan, Qatar from 21:00 to 09:00, Kenya allows 07:00 to 19:00, and India's default band is 10:00 to 21:00 IST. Always use the recipient's local time.

Which countries require sender ID registration?

Among the markets in this guide, registration or approval is required in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, India (DLT headers), Pakistan, Nigeria, Australia (ACMA register), Singapore (SGNIC SSIR) and Spain (CNMC alias registry). The US uses 10DLC, toll-free or short codes rather than alphanumeric IDs. South Africa and the UK have no pre-registration. Check each country page for details.

Can I use one global sender ID for every country?

Rarely. Registries bind a sender to an entity and sometimes a use case, formats differ (the UAE requires an AD- prefix on promotional IDs, India uses DLT headers with category suffixes), and the US has no alphanumeric senders. Plan sender IDs country by country and keep transactional and promotional IDs separate where rules require it.

Are transactional SMS exempt from the rules?

Largely exempt from quiet hours and promotional consent rules, but not from registration, content or data-protection rules. A transactional message must be informational about the customer's own transaction or account. If it contains an offer, regulators and operators treat it as promotional, with the consent, hours and opt-out rules that follow.

How often do SMS regulations change?

Often enough that dated guides mislead. Recent examples: Mexico's regulator changed from the IFT to the CRT in 2025, Australia's sender ID register took effect on 1 July 2026, and Spain's CNMC maintains an alias registry under which unregistered aliases must be blocked. Re-check the regulator's page before each new campaign type or country launch.

Sources

  1. TDRA spam policy, UAE
  2. CST Regulations for Curbing SPAM Messages and Calls, Saudi Arabia
  3. CRA Spam Regulation, Qatar
  4. National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA), Egypt
  5. TRAI: TCCCPR 2018, consolidated text with amendments (May 2026)
  6. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
  7. Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
  8. Communications Authority of Kenya: Consumer Protection Guidelines and Customer Care Standards
  9. WASPA Code of Conduct, South Africa
  10. ICO: Electronic mail marketing (PECR), UK
  11. Ofcom: new rules on text-message scams, UK
  12. CNMC Registro de Alias, Spain
  13. 47 CFR 64.1200 (TCPA rules), United States
  14. ACMA SMS Sender ID Register, Australia
  15. SGNIC SMS Sender ID Registry, Singapore
  16. Comisión Reguladora de Telecomunicaciones (CRT), Mexico

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