If your texts are getting filtered, delayed, or never showing up at all, the first thing to check is your A2P 10DLC registration. Carriers in the US now require every business sending SMS through an application like GoHighLevel to register their brand and campaign, or risk having messages blocked outright.
This guide covers the full registration process inside GoHighLevel, what each field actually means, and the most common reasons registrations get rejected or stuck in pending status.
What A2P 10DLC actually is
A2P stands for application-to-person, meaning messages sent from a business system to an individual's phone. 10DLC refers to the standard 10-digit long code phone numbers used to send these messages. Mobile carriers introduced this registration system to cut down on spam and give legitimate businesses reliable delivery.
Without registration, your messages either get heavily throttled or blocked entirely by carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. This is not optional if you are sending SMS through GoHighLevel.
Where to find A2P setup in GoHighLevel
From your sub-account, go to Settings → Phone Numbers → A2P Registration. Agencies can also handle this at the agency level for sub-accounts under their umbrella, depending on how billing is configured.
Step 1: Register your brand
Brand registration confirms who is actually sending the messages. You'll need:
- Legal business name, exactly as it appears on official documents
- EIN or business tax ID
- Business address
- Business website
- A contact email and phone number
Double-check that your legal business name matches your EIN registration exactly. A mismatch here is the single most common reason brand registration gets rejected. Even small differences, like "LLC" versus "L.L.C.", can cause a failure.
Step 2: Choose your campaign type
Once your brand is approved, you'll register a campaign describing what kind of messages you're sending. Common options include:
- Standard — general business communications, appointment reminders, customer service
- Marketing — promotional offers and marketing messages
- Mixed — a combination of both
Be honest about your use case here. Carriers actively monitor message content against the registered campaign type, and a mismatch can get your campaign suspended later, not just rejected upfront.
Step 3: Write sample messages
You'll be asked to submit 1 to 5 sample messages representing what you'll actually send. Include a realistic opt-out instruction (something like "Reply STOP to unsubscribe") in at least one sample, since carriers check for this.
Step 4: Wait for carrier approval
Brand registration typically takes a few minutes to a few hours. Campaign approval can take longer, sometimes a few days, since it goes through The Campaign Registry and then individual carrier review. There is no way to expedite this from inside GoHighLevel.
Why your registration might be stuck or rejected
- Business name mismatch between your EIN filing and what you entered
- Using a personal address instead of a registered business address
- Generic or placeholder sample messages that don't reflect real usage
- Campaign type mismatch with the content you actually send
- Missing or invalid EIN for sole proprietors who haven't registered one
What happens after approval
Once approved, your assigned phone numbers carry a trust score that affects throughput, meaning how many messages per second you can send. Higher trust scores, earned through consistent, compliant sending, unlock higher throughput over time.
Want this handled for you?
CliqLabs registers A2P 10DLC for every client account, fully done for you and white-labeled under your agency brand. No back and forth with carriers, no guesswork on rejected campaigns.
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