DLT registration for SMS: a step-by-step walkthrough
Since TRAI's TCCCPR regulations came into force, no business can send a commercial SMS in India without registering on a DLT platform. Here is the whole process, in order, with the traps.
Step 1 — Register your entity
Pick any operator's DLT portal (Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL — registration on one is recognised across all). Submit your business PAN, GST certificate, address proof and an authorisation letter. You receive an Entity ID, usually within 1–2 working days.
Step 2 — Register your Header (Sender ID)
This is the six-character alphanumeric code recipients see as the sender — APNALD, for instance. Transactional and promotional headers are registered separately. Choose something recognisable; you cannot change it casually later.
Step 3 — Register your templates
Every message you intend to send must exist as an approved template, with variables marked as {#var#}. A template that does not match the message you send will be blocked at the operator, and you will not always get a useful error.
Register more templates than you think you need. Adding one later takes hours; being blocked mid-campaign costs you the campaign.
Step 4 — Handle consent
Promotional messages may only go to recipients who have not registered for DND, or who have given you explicit consent recorded on the DLT platform. Transactional and OTP messages reach DND numbers as well, because they relate to an existing transaction.
Why templates get rejected
Almost always one of four things: promotional wording inside a transactional template, a variable that could contain anything (operators read that as a loophole), a missing opt-out line on a promotional template, or a header that does not match the registered entity name.
The short version
Budget three to five working days end to end. ApnaLeads completes the entire registration with you at no charge, and our platform validates your message against its registered template before sending — so a mismatch is caught in the dashboard rather than by an operator.