Compliance Guide
How to Complete A2P 10DLC Brand and Campaign Registration in GoHighLevel
By Marnix Geerkens. Published 2026-05-28. Updated 2026-05-28.
In short
A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person, 10-digit long code) is the US carrier standard that requires every business sending commercial SMS to register a brand and a campaign before texts can be delivered. In GoHighLevel, you complete this inside LC Phone under Settings. Unregistered numbers are filtered heavily and can be suspended. This guide walks you through each step so your messages go through.
- All US commercial SMS must use A2P 10DLC registered numbers or face carrier filtering.
- Register brand first, then one campaign per use case (marketing, transactional, etc.).
- Approval can take 1 to 5 business days; build registration time into any client launch plan.
Before you start
- A GoHighLevel account with LC Phone enabled (Settings > Phone Numbers > LC Phone).
- A real business EIN (US businesses) or legal name and address (sole proprietors).
- A live website URL where your privacy policy and terms of service are accessible.
- Your business phone number and a business email address.
- Sample message content for each campaign use case you plan to register.
Step by step
Step 1. Open LC Phone and navigate to A2P Registration
In your GoHighLevel agency or sub-account, go to Settings in the left sidebar. Under the Phone Numbers section, select LC Phone. You will see an A2P Compliance tab or an A2P Registration card. Click it to start the registration wizard.
If you do not see LC Phone, your account may still be on Twilio direct. Ask your GoHighLevel support to confirm whether LC Phone is available on your plan.
Step 2. Submit your Brand registration
The brand represents your legal business entity. Fill in your legal business name exactly as it appears on your EIN or state registration. Enter your EIN (Employer Identification Number) if you are a registered US business. Sole proprietors without an EIN should select that option and provide their legal name.
Enter your business type (private company, public company, nonprofit, government, or sole proprietor), your industry vertical, and a brief company description. The description should match what is on your website.
Add your registered business address, phone number, and website URL. The website must be live and must include a privacy policy. Carriers check this during review.
Submit the brand. You will usually see a brand vetting score return within a few minutes. Higher scores (above 75) unlock higher messaging throughput. A low score does not block registration but may require secondary vetting.
Step 3. Register your Campaign
A campaign defines how you will use SMS. Common use cases are: marketing (promotions, offers), transactional (appointment reminders, order confirmations), 2FA, customer care, and mixed. Pick the one that best matches your primary use.
Write a clear campaign description that matches your actual messages. Carriers read this. Do not write "general marketing" if you send appointment reminders. Be specific.
Add two to five sample messages that represent what you will actually send. Each sample should include your business name, the content of the message, and an opt-out instruction (example: "Reply STOP to unsubscribe"). Samples without opt-out language are a common rejection cause.
Confirm your opt-in and opt-out flow. You must describe how subscribers consented to receive messages from you (web form, verbal, point of sale, etc.). You must have a documented opt-out process where replying STOP removes the contact from future messages.
Submit the campaign and note the Campaign ID returned. GoHighLevel will display a status of "Pending" while the carriers review.
Step 4. Assign registered numbers to your campaign
Once the campaign is approved, go back to your phone numbers list and assign each number to the approved campaign. A number that is not linked to an approved campaign will still be filtered.
You can assign multiple numbers to one campaign if they send the same type of message. If you have a marketing number and a transactional number, register two campaigns and assign each number to the right one.
Step 5. Set up opt-in collection and opt-out handling in your workflows
Carrier rules require that you collected express written consent before sending marketing messages. In GoHighLevel, use a form or survey with an explicit SMS consent checkbox. The consent language must state your business name and that the person agrees to receive SMS from you.
Transactional messages (appointment reminders, confirmations) generally require only implied consent, but having a clear consent statement is always safer.
In your GoHighLevel workflows, add an SMS opt-out action that fires when a contact replies STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT. Test this with your own number before going live. GoHighLevel handles STOP replies automatically at the platform level, but verify it is working in your account.
How to confirm registration is working
After campaign approval and number assignment, send a test SMS from the registered number to your own mobile phone. If the message arrives without any "spam" label and the opt-out reply works, you are set.
Send a STOP reply from your test number. Confirm in the contact record that the SMS subscription status updated to unsubscribed. Then reply START and confirm resubscription works.
Check the GoHighLevel conversation view. A delivered status (not failed or filtered) on the test message confirms the number is on an approved campaign and routing through A2P.
The Campaign Registry (TCR) website at campaignregistry.com allows you to look up your brand and campaign status directly. This is the authoritative source, independent of the GoHighLevel UI.
Common problems and how to fix them
Brand rejected: The most common cause is a mismatch between the business name entered and the EIN records at the IRS. Use the exact legal name from your EIN letter. If you are a sole proprietor, enter your legal full name, not a DBA.
Campaign rejected due to sample messages: Add opt-out language to every sample message (example: "Reply STOP to opt out"). Remove any mention of cannabis, firearms, payday loans, gambling, or other restricted content. These categories require special vetting or are banned outright.
Low brand vetting score: You can request secondary brand vetting through The Campaign Registry for a fee. This can raise your score and increase your daily message throughput.
Numbers still getting filtered after approval: Confirm the number is assigned to an approved campaign in LC Phone. A newly purchased number needs to be explicitly linked. Also check that you are not sending to numbers on the TCPA Do Not Call list.
Approval taking longer than 5 business days: Contact GoHighLevel support and provide your Campaign ID and Brand ID. The support team can escalate with the carriers.
Frequently asked questions
What is A2P 10DLC and why is it required?
A2P stands for Application-to-Person. 10DLC means 10-digit long code, which is a standard US phone number. US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) created the A2P 10DLC standard to reduce spam and improve deliverability for legitimate businesses. If you send commercial SMS from a 10-digit number without registering it, carriers can filter or block your messages. Registration is not optional for US commercial texting.
How long does A2P 10DLC registration take?
Brand registration usually takes a few minutes to a few hours. Campaign registration then goes to The Campaign Registry (TCR) and then to each carrier for review. This process typically takes 1 to 5 business days. Some campaigns in restricted categories can take longer. Plan accordingly and do not promise a client same-day SMS delivery before registration is complete.
Can I use toll-free numbers instead of 10DLC?
Yes. Toll-free numbers (800, 888, 877, etc.) have a separate verification process called Toll-Free Verification. They go through a different approval path and are sometimes faster. However, toll-free numbers have different throughput limits and per-message costs. Talk to GoHighLevel support about which option fits your use case best.
What is the difference between a brand and a campaign?
The brand is your legal business entity. You register it once. A campaign is a specific use case for SMS (marketing, appointment reminders, two-factor auth, etc.). You can register multiple campaigns under one brand. Each campaign maps to one or more phone numbers.
Do I need a separate campaign for each client?
If you manage multiple client sub-accounts, each client should have their own brand and campaign registered under their legal business information. You cannot register one agency campaign and use it to send on behalf of many different businesses. The brand must match the actual sender.
What opt-in language is required?
For marketing messages, you need express written consent. The consent form should include: the business name, a statement that they agree to receive SMS messages, the expected frequency, a note that message and data rates may apply, and links to your privacy policy and terms. For transactional messages, implied consent from the business relationship is generally sufficient, but explicit consent is safer.
Is this guide legal advice?
No. This guide is general technical guidance on how to complete the A2P 10DLC registration process in GoHighLevel. It is not legal advice. For specific TCPA compliance, consult a licensed attorney. For carrier rules, refer to the CTIA guidelines at ctia.org and The Campaign Registry documentation at campaignregistry.com.