ACMA's new SMS Sender ID rules: what changed and how to register

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Australians lost more than $13.8 million to text message scams in just the first nine months of 2025. Many of these scams worked by putting a trusted brand name (like “AusPost,” “myGov”) at the top of the text, so the fake message lands in the same thread as the real ones.

That’s the problem Australia’s new SMS Sender ID rules are designed to fix. If you text Australian customers using your brand name as the sender, these rules now apply to you. Here’s what changed on July 1st, 2026, and how Textmagic helps you register your Sender ID.

What changed for SMS in Australia

A branded Sender ID (also called an alphanumeric Sender ID) is the bit of text at the top of a message that shows your business name instead of a phone number.

From July 1st, those Sender IDs have to be registered with ACMA, Australia’s communications regulator, before they can be used. If your Sender ID isn’t registered, recipients see “Unverified” where your brand name would be. All “Unverified” messages are grouped into a single thread on the recipient’s phone, alongside other unverified traffic including potential scams.

The real cost isn’t a fine. It’s that a legitimate message from your business lands in the same bucket as scams. ACMA has warned that “Unverified” messages are more likely to be ignored or deleted, even when they come from a real brand.

You haven’t missed a deadline

If you’re reading this after July 1st, 2026 and haven’t registered, you’re not locked out. You can register today and start showing your brand name again once approved. Messages are labelled, not blocked. Unregistered branded messages still get delivered, but they display “Unverified” instead of your name.

If you send texts from a dedicated Australian number rather than a sender ID, these rules don’t apply to you.

How to register your Sender ID

Your Sender ID registration belongs to your business, and ACMA grants the final approval. Textmagic helps you register by coordinating the process through our messaging partner.

There are two paths, depending on whether your business has an ABN. Both paths start with confirming a valid use case for your Sender ID (the most common reason applications get rejected) so it’s worth getting right.

💡 Before you start: check that your authorised contact or service-of-notice email is current on the Australian Business Register. ACMA uses that contact during verification, and your authorised representative may need myID to confirm the application.

1. If your business has an ABN

ABN registration for sender ID Australia

This is the path for businesses registered in Australia with an Australian Business Number. You must confirm your Sender ID matches at least one of these:

your registered business name,
your registered company name,
your registered trademark, or
your registered domain

You’ll then provide details like your Sender ID(s), legal entity name, ABN, web address, estimated monthly volume, traffic type, and your representative’s contact details.

Textmagic supports you through the registration. After you submit, you’ll sign a letter of authorisation, and ACMA may conduct organisation and identity checks and contact your authorised representative directly to complete steps in the ACMA portal.

2. If your business is international (no ABN)

No ABN registration for sender ID Australia

Your valid use case here is either a registered trademark in a trademark register, or being listed on an official register or record in the country where your business is based.

You’ll then provide details like your Sender ID(s), legal company name, business registration country and number, web address, business address, estimated monthly volume, traffic type, and your representative’s contact details.

For organisations without an ABN, verification is managed through a certified telco. After submitting, Textmagic follows up with an authorisation form to sign and a separate link to complete a short business identity verification.

Getting your Sender ID approved the first time

The Sender ID has to meet ACMA’s format rules or the request is rejected:

It has to be your actual identity. Your Sender ID must match your business name, a shortened version, an acronym, a trademark, or your domain.
2 to 11 characters, letters/numbers/symbols only, and it can’t be numbers only.
Watch out for restricted words. ACMA blocks Sender IDs that consist only of certain words commonly used in scams, like account, urgent. You can still use them combined with your name: “Alert” is rejected, “YourCompany Alert” is fine.

💡 There’s no fee to register at the moment. The full process currently takes up to around 14 business days, though it can run longer. Several parties are involved and timelines are still settling.

Do you even need a Sender ID?

A branded Sender ID is one-way. This means customers can see your name and message but can’t reply. If two-way conversations matter to you (support, opt-outs by reply, anything interactive), a dedicated Australian virtual number may suit you better.

Many businesses use both: a Sender ID for one-way alerts or bulk SMS campaigns and a virtual number for conversations. If you go Sender-ID-only but still want a reply path, include your virtual number in the message body so customers have somewhere to respond.

Get registered and keep your brand name showing

The whole point of a branded Sender ID is trust. Customers see your name and know the message is real. These rules exist to protect exactly that, and registering is what keeps you on the right side of it.

Keep your brand visible in every message

From ACMA registration to carrier rules worldwide, Textmagic gives you everything you need to stay compliant.

If you send to Australia, register your Sender ID now so your messages keep showing your brand instead of “Unverified.” Textmagic helps you through both paths. For the official detail, ACMA’s SMS Sender ID Register page has the full rules.