Alphanumeric SMS Sender ID valid use case

As part of SMS Sender ID registration, all SMS sender IDs must meet the valid use case requirements set by ACMA to ensure the ID is clearly linked to your organisation. This helps consumers recognise who the message is from and reduces the risk of confusion or impersonation. 

As an organisation with an Australian Business Number (ABN), your sender ID must match your organisation’s:

• registered business name in the Business Names Register, and the status of the business name must be “registered”
• company name in the Australian Business Register, and the status of the related ABN relating to the entity must be “active”
• trademark included in the Register of Trade Marks or an equivalent international register of trademarks, and the status of the trademark must be “registered”, or
• domain name for which your organisation is the “registrant” in the whois.auda.org.au database, and either:
  • the registered domain name is used for a legitimate website that can be accessed via the internet, or
  • the registered domain name is used for an active email account. 

Organisations can register a sender ID that:

• is the same as your business name, or a shortened version (e.g., ’My Business IT‘→ ’My Business’)
• is an acronym, contraction, abbreviation or initialism of your name (e.g., ‘Australian Communications and Media Authority‘→ ’ACMA’)
• includes extra words that relate to your organisation’s function, location, or the purpose of the message (e.g., ‘MB Alerts’). 

If it doesn’t meet these criteria, the ACMA will not accept an application to register the sender ID. See ACMA exceptions. 

💡A sender ID can be registered and used by multiple organisations if each organisation can prove it has a valid use case.

All alphanumeric SMS Sender IDs must also meet ACMA's requirements for formatting criteria and cannot contain 'restricted words' set by ACMA. Explore our guide on Sender ID formatting.