Sender ID FAQs

What is a Sender ID?

A Sender ID is the name at the top of text messages from businesses or organisations. It tells you who the message is from, like 'ATO', 'AusPost' or 'myGov'. 

Do I need to register my Sender ID?

Starting 1 July 2026, new regulations require all businesses sending SMS into Australia from a branded Sender ID (e.g., messages appearing as ‘Tall Bob’ instead of a phone number) to register their Sender ID with the official SMS Sender ID Register. For more information on the register, please visit the ACMA website: https://www.acma.gov.au/about-register 

What happens if my Sender ID isn't registered?

Businesses and organisations must register their sender IDs before 1 July 2026. From then, SMS sent with unregistered sender IDs will have the sender ID replaced with the word 'Unverified'. These messages will be grouped together in a single message thread on a phone. People will likely treat unverified messages as scams.

Do I need to register if I'm sending from a longcode (numeric sender)? 

The rules do not apply to text messages from phone numbers instead of a branded sender ID.

I've already registered my Sender ID. Do I need to register with Tall Bob? 

Yes. Sender IDs must be registered with each SMS provider that sends messages to Australian recipients on your behalf. For example, if your organisation sends SMS messages through multiple platforms or providers, each provider will need to submit and register the sender ID separately within the SMS Sender ID Register. If Tall Bob is the only provider sending your SMS messages, you only need to complete the registration process once through Tall Bob.

Can I register the same Sender ID with more than one provider? 

Yes. You can register the same sender ID with multiple providers (Tall Bob, Klaviyo etc), however each provider must be individually registered and explicitly authorised to send messages on your behalf.

What are the Sender IDs requirements?

Sender IDs must meet specific criteria before they can be registered. A sender ID must:

• only consist of letters, numbers and symbols – these should correspond to decimal codes 32–126 from the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) standard
• be at least 2 and no more than 11 characters long
• not consist only of numbers
• not contain a space or underscore at the beginning or end of the sender ID
• not contain the word ‘Unverified’
• not contain a word or words that are offensive, deceptive or misleading, using the commonly understood definitions of those terms
• not solely consist of a restricted word or words.
• Sender IDs are not case sensitive (for example, ‘ABC’ is considered the same as ‘abc’).

A sender ID can be registered and used by multiple organisations if each organisation can prove it has a valid use case.

Are there any restricted or prohibited words in Sender IDs?

Certain terms are restricted and cannot be used in Sender IDs. For the full list of restricted terms, please refer to: https://www.acma.gov.au/restricted-terms-sender-ids  

What are the valid use cases for a Sender ID?

To be registered, a sender ID must be clearly linked to your organisation. This helps your customers recognise who the message is from and reduces the risk of confusion or impersonation.

As an organisation with an Australian Business Number (ABN), your sender ID must match your organisation’s:

• registered business name in the Business Names Register, and the status of the business name must be “registered”
• company name in the Australian Business Register, and the status of the related ABN relating to the entity must be “active”
• trademark included in the Register of Trade Marks or an equivalent international register of trademarks, and the status of the trademark must be “registered”, or
• domain name for which your organisation is the “registrant” in the whois.auda.org.au database

You can register a sender ID that:

• is the same as your organisation’s name, or a shortened version (e.g., ’Australian Taxation Office‘→ ’ATO’)
• is an acronym, contraction, abbreviation or initialism of your name (e.g., ‘Australian Communications and Media Authority‘→ ’ACMA’)
• includes extra words that relate to your organisation’s function, location, or the purpose of the message (e.g., ‘ACMA Alerts’). 

If it doesn’t meet these criteria, the ACMA will not accept an application to register the sender ID.

There is an exception to the valid use case if:

• you are a government agency
• the sender ID relates to an emergency, or a matter of public health, safety or security, and
• you have provided satisfactory evidence to the telco of the reason why you want to use the non-matching sender ID.

What information do I need before registering my Sender ID?

For a complete list of prerequisites and required information, please refer to our support article below: https://support.tallbob.com/support/solutions/articles/17000150536-pre-re-requisites-for-sender-id-registration   

How do I set up my business in the ACMA Sender ID Register (ACMA Assist)?

Before registering a Sender ID, your business must first be set up in the ACMA system. Please refer to ACMA’s official guide on accessing the register for the first time: https://www.acma.gov.au/41-accessing-register-first-time 

Who is my Authorised Representative?

An Authorised Representative is someone in the business who can sign off on the sender ID in ACMA Assist. They must have the legal authority to act on behalf of the legal entity e.g. listed on the ABR Registry (e.g. CEO) or be registered in ACMA as a business administrator. For applications completed to date, this has typically been someone at the executive level or within the finance team.

How can I update my authorised contacts on the ABR? 

The quickest way is to update your ABR details online:

1. Go to abr.gov.au
2. Choose Update your ABN details
3. Log in with your Digital ID linked to the ABN
4. Add, remove, or update authorised contact details
5. Submit the changes

You can also ask your registered tax or BAS agent to update the details on your behalf, or get in touch with the ABR directly: https://www.abr.gov.au/contact-us/contact-abr 

I'm having issues verifying I am the authorised contact for my organisation on the ABR. Can you help? 

You must confirm that your email address is on the authorised contact list for your organisation directly through the ABR, not via Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). You can update or check your ABR details here: https://www.abr.gov.au/business-super-funds-charities/updating-or-cancelling-your-abn/update-your-abn-details  

Can access be delegated in the ACMA Sender ID Register? 

Yes. There is an option for responsibility to be delegated to an additional business administrator to manage the process. Refer to ACMA's official documentation here: https://www.acma.gov.au/42-add-or-delete-other-business-administrators-and-authorised-users-acma-assist  

Is there an alternative to using myID to login to ACMA Assist?

Representatives of organisations applying to register a sender ID must use a myID at a Standard identity strength to log in to ACMA Assist. The use of myID is an anti‑fraud measure designed to verify the identity of individuals accessing the SMS Sender ID Register. You can set up a myID account here: https://www.myid.gov.au/how-to-set-up-myid  

I've logged into ACMA Assist, but I can't see my SMS application. Can you help?

When Tall Bob submits your sender ID, you should receive an email from ACMA with the subject line “SMS Sender ID Register: request to confirm your application”. This email contains a unique link that you must use to access the Register and confirm the application More information about this process is available here: https://www.acma.gov.au/41-accessing-register-first-time  

My sender ID has a status of "Submitted". Is there anything further I need to do?

Submitted means the entity has not yet confirmed the application and one or more of the following steps are yet to be completed:

1. Log in to ACMA Assist with myID (Digital ID).
2. Confirm that your organisation's name and ABN are accurate.
3. Follow the prompts to verify that you are authorised to register the sender ID on your organisation's behalf.
4. Confirm the sender ID you have registered.
5. You should have received an email from ACMA with the subject "SMS Sender ID Register: request to confirm your application". Please follow the link in that email to finalise the submission.

More information about this process is available here: https://www.acma.gov.au/41-accessing-register-first-time  

My sender ID is "Under Review". Why?

Some sender IDs are flagged for review by the ACMA prior to approval. This is an added precaution that has been built into the system and does not necessarily mean that there is anything wrong with the application.

My sender ID is showing as "Registered by [date]" in ACMA but still "Submitted to ACMA" in Tall Bob. Do I need to take any action?

"Registered by..." indicates ACMA has approved your sender ID. It typically takes around 24 hours for it to be reflected across all telcos and update to "Ready to Use". No further action is required from you at this stage. Your application will automatically be marked as "Approved" in Tall Bob once ACMA reflects the "Ready to Use" status.