Carrier registration errors and how to fix them

This page explains the messages you may see before, during, and after carrier registration, what each one means, and the fastest way to resolve it. Errors fall into four groups: form errors (before you submit), brand verification failures, campaign rejections, and send-time errors (after approval).

1. Form errors (before you can submit)

MessageDesk checks each field before it lets you submit. Fix these in the registration wizard, then resubmit.

What you’ll see	What it means	How to fix it
A tax ID is required to register	You selected a path that requires an EIN/BN but didn’t provide one.	Enter your 9-digit EIN (US) or BN (Canada). Sole proprietorships can’t register. See the overview.
Tax ID (EIN or Business Number) must be 9 digits	The EIN/BN you entered isn’t exactly 9 digits.	Remove spaces or dashes and enter the 9 digits exactly as they appear on your IRS/CRA records.
Required: enter your legal name	Legal company name is blank.	Enter your legal entity name exactly as filed (include the LLC/Inc suffix).
Please select an entity type / business vertical / country / state	A required dropdown is empty.	Choose the value that matches your tax filings. LLCs taxed as S-Corps should still select LLC.
Required: a valid support email / support phone	Public support contact is missing or malformed.	Enter a working public-facing email and phone. Both appear on carrier records.
Campaign description must be at least 40 characters	Your description is too short for carriers to review.	Use Generate with AI, or describe who you text and what you send in a full sentence or two.
Select at least one group / message type	No recipients or message types are checked.	Check every group you’ll text and every message type you’ll send.
Please select your estimated volume	Monthly volume isn’t set.	Pick the tier that matches your expected monthly send.
At least one sample message is required / Required: N valid sample messages	You have too few valid samples.	Provide 3 to 5 sample messages. Each must be 20–320 characters.
Every message must include opt-out language	A sample is missing STOP language.	Add “Reply STOP to opt out” (or equivalent) to every sample message.
Your samples must match what you described in your campaign	Samples don’t align with your campaign description.	Rewrite samples so they clearly reflect the use cases you selected. Mismatches are the #1 rejection reason.
At least one sample must include a URL / a phone number	You declared that messages contain links/numbers, but no sample shows one.	Add a real link and/or phone number to at least one sample, or turn off that toggle if it doesn’t apply.
A sample link is required when messages include URLs / Sample link must be a valid URL	The declared sample link is missing or invalid.	Provide a complete, working URL (including `https://`).
SMS Terms & Conditions page is missing or incomplete	Carriers couldn’t find compliant SMS terms on your site.	Publish SMS terms and conditions and link them from your footer. See privacy policy requirements.
Privacy policy is missing the required no-sharing statement	Your policy lacks a “we don’t sell or share” clause.	Add a statement that SMS opt-in data isn’t sold or shared with third parties for marketing.
You must confirm this to continue / to submit	A required acknowledgement (e.g. forbidden topics) is unchecked.	Check the confirmation box to proceed.

Field errors appear inline in the wizard and in the Review step’s missing-field summary. You can save progress and return; nothing submits until every required field passes.

2. Brand verification failures (after you submit)

After you submit, carriers verify your brand (your business identity) against IRS or CRA records. If it can’t be verified, your brand shows as Identity failed in the Compliance Center.

Most identity failures are a data mismatch. Your EIN is matched byte-for-byte against IRS/CRA records. If your legal name, EIN, or address doesn’t match exactly, verification fails.

Common causes and fixes:

Legal name mismatch. Match your registered legal name exactly, including the suffix (LLC, Inc, Corp).
EIN mismatch. Confirm the 9-digit EIN against your IRS Letter 147C or SS-4 confirmation.
Address mismatch. Use the address on your tax filings, including suite/unit.
Brand-new EIN. If your EIN is less than ~30 days old, carrier records may not have propagated. Wait about 30 days and resubmit.

When a brand fails, MessageDesk reopens it for editing so you can correct and resubmit. When carriers return specific feedback (for example, a tax-ID correction), MessageDesk surfaces it on the registration so you know exactly what to fix.

A brand in Pending, Unverified, or Self-declared status is still in review. It isn’t yet approved and hasn’t failed. You don’t need to take action unless it moves to Identity failed.

3. Campaign rejections and suspensions

Once your brand is verified, your campaign (what you send) goes to the carriers. It can come back Declined or Suspended. Declined means carriers rejected the campaign. Common reasons:

Vague or mismatched samples. Samples don’t match the campaign description. Rewrite them to line up.
Forbidden content. Campaigns tied to prohibited topics are rejected immediately and may lead to permanent blacklisting. Review the forbidden topics list.
Missing consent or opt-out. Document your opt-in method and include STOP language.
Website issues. Your site must be live and show the same legal name/address, with an accessible privacy policy and SMS terms.

Suspended means carriers paused an active campaign, usually for a compliance or content concern. Contact support@messagedesk.com to review and restore it.

Corrections and resubmissions reset the review clock and add at least another 48 hours per resubmission. Fix everything before you resubmit.

MessageDesk reopens declined and suspended campaigns so you can correct and resubmit. If your brand is denied, any pending campaigns move back to Draft.

4. Errors when sending after approval

Even after approval, you may see these when sending. They relate to registration status, not the message itself.

Message	What it means	How to fix it
Phone number is not registered, please register number to send messages	The number isn’t tied to an approved campaign.	Finish registration, or contact support to associate the number with your campaign.
Number is pending association with campaign, this can take up to 24 hours	Your number is approved but still linking to the campaign.	Wait up to 24 hours. No action needed.
Registration has been suspended by the carrier network	Carriers suspended your campaign.	Contact support@messagedesk.com to review and restore.
Number has exceeded messaging limits	You hit your campaign’s daily or per-second send limit.	Slow your send rate, or contact support about a higher throughput tier (may require enhanced vetting).

Sending more than 2,000 messages/day requires enhanced carrier vetting and may incur additional fees.

Registration status glossary

You’ll see these statuses in Account → Settings → Compliance Center.

Status	Meaning	Action
Draft	Not yet submitted.	Complete and submit.
Submitted / Pending	In review by MessageDesk or carriers.	Wait. Typically resolves within 24–48 hours per stage.
Identity verified	Your brand passed identity checks.	None. Campaign review comes next.
Identity failed	Brand couldn’t be verified.	Correct your business details and resubmit (see section 2).
Active	Campaign approved. You can send.	None. Stay compliant with your registered use case.
Declined	Campaign rejected by carriers.	Fix the issue and resubmit (see section 3).
Suspended	Active campaign paused by carriers.	Contact support.

Still stuck?

Our support team works with you one-on-one to bring your registration into compliance. Email support@messagedesk.com or contact us.

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Carrier Registration Errors and Fixes

Carrier registration errors and how to fix them

1. Form errors (before you can submit)

2. Brand verification failures (after you submit)

3. Campaign rejections and suspensions

4. Errors when sending after approval

Registration status glossary

Still stuck?

​Carrier registration errors and how to fix them

​1. Form errors (before you can submit)

​2. Brand verification failures (after you submit)

​3. Campaign rejections and suspensions

​4. Errors when sending after approval

​Registration status glossary

​Still stuck?

Carrier registration errors and how to fix them

1. Form errors (before you can submit)

2. Brand verification failures (after you submit)

3. Campaign rejections and suspensions

4. Errors when sending after approval

Registration status glossary

Still stuck?