Effective October 15, 2024, CTIA and the US Short Code Registry introduced a new requirement for all brands to undergo vetting. This new vetting process will provide additional transparency for brands associated with each short code campaign, benefitting all stakeholders while further protecting consumers and maintaining the short code’s reputation as a trusted messaging channel. 

Initial vetting and resubmissions should expect a processing time of 72 business hours. Brands only need to be vetted once, and short code leasing will be available only after a successful vetting result. It will not impact short code throughput. 

The following Brand Client information is now required:   

• Short Codes 

• Legal Company Name 

• Legal Entity Type 

• Doing Business As 

• Country of Registration 

• Stock Market Symbol 

• Company Website URL 

• Federal Tax ID (EIN) 

• DUNS, GIIN, LEI (if applicable) 

• Brand Client Address 

  • Country 

  • Street Address 

  • City 

  • State/Province 

  • Zip/Postal Code 

• Brand Client Point of Contact 

  • First Name 

  • Last Name 

  • Phone Number 

  • Email 

How about existing short codes?

Brand client details for existing short codes are required to undergo the new vetting process.

Due to the tight deadlines, we’re requesting this information by the first week of November 2024. Short codes that are not updated within that timeframe will be subject to a non-compliance audit and may be suspended or terminated. 

Clickatell will be reaching out to self-service and account-managed customers requesting this information. 

What will contribute to a successful vetting result?

Ensure that the Tax ID matches the exact Legal Company Name registered with the IRS, which can be found in the EIN Confirmation Letter. The address entered should also be the same as that registered with the IRS. If you do not enter the information exactly as it appears in the EIN Confirmation Letter, your brand will be in an “Incomplete” state and you cannot lease the short code until the issue is resolved. 

For entities with international presence, please specify the Tax ID and the country of registration. For entities in Canada, please provide the first 9 numeric digits of the Business Number (BN-9) when providing brand client details. 

Resources

US Tax ID, company name and address can be validated using the following resources: 

• Public business entities: Public business lookup (EDGAR)  

• Nonprofit entities: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search 

• Private business entities: If you are a private business in the US, here is a list of private business lookups by state:  

Canadian Tax ID, company name, and address can be validated using the following resources: 

• Canada business registries search 

• Canada federal corporation search 

Europe, Eastern Europe, North Atlantic, Middle East, South America, and APAC Tax ID, company name, and address can be validated using the following resources: 

• Europe: VIES VAT number validation - European Commission 

• Australia: Australian Business Register (ABN) lookup

  • Note: provide your ABN (Australian Business Number), not your ACN (Australian Company Number) as your Tax ID for brand registration purposes. 

For more information, please check out CTIA and The Short Code Registry's FAQs page or their summary here.