> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.dialbird.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Why you must register before texting US numbers, what it costs, and how to do it.

If you want to text customers on **US phone numbers**, American phone companies require your business to be registered first. This is called **A2P 10DLC registration**. It's a one-time bit of setup, and until it's done, your texts to US numbers won't send.

You do it all in Dialbird, under **Settings**, then **Trust Center**.

<Note>
  This only matters for texting **US numbers**. If you're a UK business texting UK customers, you can skip all of this. See [UK numbers](/getting-started/carrier-registration/uk-requirements).
</Note>

## What A2P 10DLC means

"A2P" is application-to-person messaging, which is any text sent from software rather than typed on a handset. "10DLC" is a standard 10-digit local number. US carriers ask every business that sends A2P texts over local numbers to register who they are and what they'll be texting about. It's their way of cutting down on spam, and it's a rule you meet once, not every time you text.

## What it costs

The phone companies charge for this, and Dialbird passes those charges straight through without adding anything on top:

* **A one-time setup fee of \$19.50**
* **A monthly fee:** **$1.50 a month** if your business is registered (you have a tax ID), or **$2 a month** if it isn't

## Which type of registration you need

When you start, Dialbird asks you a couple of quick questions to work out which route applies. First, **how are you using Dialbird?**

* **For business:** connecting with customers or prospects. This is the route that can register.
* **For personal use:** connecting with friends and family. Personal messaging to US numbers isn't supported, so this route can't register.

If you chose business, you're then asked **whether you have a business tax ID number** (in the US an EIN, in Canada a BN-9). That answer decides your route:

* **Registered business:** you have a tax ID. This is the standard route, and it has the lower monthly fee. See [Registering as a business](/getting-started/carrier-registration/business).
* **Sole proprietor:** you don't have a tax ID, but you do have a **US or Canadian address and a mobile number**. This is a lighter version made for one-person businesses. See [Registering as a sole proprietor](/getting-started/carrier-registration/sole-proprietor).

If you have neither a tax ID nor a US or Canadian address and mobile number, you can't register yet. US carriers require every VoIP user to have one or the other before texting US numbers.

<Note>
  Not sure which fits? Just answer the questions honestly. If your answers make you ineligible, you can change them and Dialbird shows you the route that matches.
</Note>

## How to register

1. **Open the Trust Center.** Go to **Settings**, then **Trust Center**.
2. **Start registration.** Under **Local numbers (A2P) registration**, click **Register now**.
3. **Answer the few questions** to find out which type you need, then click **Register now** on the option you're shown.
4. **Fill in the form** (see the pages in this section for what each part asks for).
5. **Confirm the fees and submit.**

You can **Save as draft** at any step and come back to it whenever suits you. When you return, your answers are still there.

## After you submit

Your registration goes off to the phone companies to review. You'll see its status in the Trust Center, split into three parts:

* **Profile:** your business details.
* **Brand:** your business as the carriers recognise it.
* **Campaign:** the texts you plan to send.

Each part shows where it's up to, such as in review, approved, or rejected. If it gets rejected, Dialbird shows you the reason and lets you fix it and **Resubmit** without starting from scratch.

<Note>
  **Needs checking:** how long does review usually take? The app doesn't say, and the old version of this page gave a timeframe that nobody had verified.
</Note>

## The registration routes

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Registering as a business" icon="building" href="/getting-started/carrier-registration/business">
    You have a business tax ID (EIN or BN-9).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Registering as a sole proprietor" icon="user" href="/getting-started/carrier-registration/sole-proprietor">
    No tax ID, but a US or Canadian address and mobile.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Toll-free numbers" icon="phone" href="/getting-started/carrier-registration/toll-free-registration">
    How registration differs for toll-free numbers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="UK numbers" icon="flag" href="/getting-started/carrier-registration/uk-requirements">
    Whether UK businesses need to register.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>