If you are an entity associate, you must contact an approved originating telco before 1 July 2026 to:
- apply to participate in the register, and
- apply to register and use the sender ID which belongs to the other entity (the sender ID owner).
Before submitting an application
Before applying to participate in the register and register a sender ID, you must:
- Have an arrangement with the organisation that owns the sender ID to send messages using its sender ID
- Advise the sender ID owner that you will apply to register the sender ID and confirm the sender ID owner’s permission for you to send messages using the registered sender ID.
- If the sender ID owner has an Australian Business Number, obtain the following information from the sender ID owner for the application:
- The name and ABN of the sender ID owner
- The website or online presence on a social media platform of the sender ID owner
- The address of the sender ID owner. If it is company, the full address of its registered office. If it is not a company, its principal place of business, operation or administration.
- the full name, email address and contact telephone number of the sender ID owner’s representative.
- Evidence that the sender ID owner has a ‘valid use case’ for the sender ID (this is not required if the sender ID owner has already registered the sender ID).
- If the sender ID owner does not have an Australian Business Number, (for example, it is an international company), obtain the following information from the sender ID owner for the application:
- The name and a unique identifier associated with the sender ID owner’s official recognition or certification by a governing body, regulatory authority or accreditation organisation in the country in which the organisation is based. For example, the sender ID owner’s business registration number in the country where the organisation is based.
- The website or online presence on a social media platform of the sender ID owner
- The address of the sender ID owner. If it is company, the full address of its registered office. If it is not a company, its principal place of business, operation or administration.
- the full name, email address and contact telephone number of the sender ID owner’s representative.
- Evidence that the sender ID owner has a ‘valid use case’ for the sender ID.
Submitting an application
Contact an approved originating telco to apply to participate in the register and initiate registration of the sender ID.
STEP 1- Application to participate in the register
The telco will submit an application for you to participate in the register. You must provide your organisation’s:
- name and ABN
- website or online presence on a social media platform
- Address. If you are a company, the full address of your registered office. If you are not a company, your principal place of business, operation or administration.
- the full name, email address and contact telephone number of your representative.
After the telco has submitted the application, you will receive an email with a link to the register. Go to 4.4.2
STEP 2 – Application to register the sender ID
The telco will submit an application to register the sender ID for the sender ID owner (which also allows the sender ID owner to participate in the register). You must provide the telco the information you obtained from the sender ID owner.
If the sender ID owner has an ABN
After the telco has submitted the application to register the sender ID, the representative of the sender ID owner will receive an email with a link to the register. The email will list the sender ID, and note that the application was made by your organisation.
The sender ID owner’s representative must follow the link in the email to confirm the registration application. By confirming the application, they are agreeing to register the sender ID, AND confirming you have permission to use that sender ID.
Your telco will contact you to advise if the ACMA has approved the application to register the sender ID.
If the sender ID owner does not have an ABN
Before the certified telco submits an application to register the sender ID, the telco must confirm that the sender ID owner:
- Agrees to register the sender ID
- Consents to you sending messages using the sender ID
The certified telco could do this by contacting the sender ID owner directly, or by obtaining evidence from you that the sender ID owner has provided this consent.
After the telco has submitted the application to register the sender ID, the representative of the sender ID owner will receive an email advising if the ACMA has approved the application. The email will list the sender ID and note that the application was made by your organisation.
Your telco will contact you to advise if the ACMA has approved the application to register the sender ID.
From 1 July 2026, you cannot send messages using another organisation’s sender ID unless:
- You have been approved to participate in the register
- The sender ID you wish to use is registered
- The sender ID owner has confirmed that you have permission to use that sender ID.
Key terms
ABN (Australian Business Number)
Has the meaning given by section 41 of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999.
ABN entity
An entity with an Australian Business Number (ABN) as listed on the Australian Business Register (ABR).
ABR (Australian Business Register)
The register established under section 24 of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999.
ACMA Assist
ACMA Assist is the online portal for the ACMA.
Customer
An entity that has a contractual arrangement with their telco relating to the sending of sender ID messages.
Entity
One of the following who uses or proposes to use sender ID messages:
- an individual
- a body corporate
- a corporation sole
- a body politic
- a government entity (within the meaning of the A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999)
- a partnership
- any other unincorporated association or body of persons
- a trust
- a superannuation fund (within the meaning of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993).
Entity associate
An entity that is authorised to send messages using a sender ID that belongs to another entity (the sender ID owner). For example, you are an entity associate if you are:
- a research company that has been engaged by a bank to send messages for the bank, using its sender ID
- a sports club that is authorised to send messages, using a sender ID that is owned by a sports league
- an advertising or marketing agency engaged by a business to run advertising and promotional campaigns, using a sender ID owned by that business.
If you are an entity associate for another entity, the application process consists of 2 parts.
The telco that you contact to apply must:
- submit an application for you to participate in the register
- submit an application to register the sender ID which belongs to the sender ID owner. This includes confirmation that the sender ID owner agrees to register the sender ID and gives you permission to use that sender ID.
See Appendix A for more information.
Telecommunications provider (telco)
Any of the following:
- a carrier
- a carriage service provider
- an electronic messaging service provider.
This means any telco or message provider that sends SMS or MMS messages for you.