Who this article is for: This article is for anyone who needs to set up ACMA Assist before an alphanumeric Sender ID is registered in Sinch MessageMedia - whether that’s you directly, or because a colleague has asked you to complete this step on their behalf. It explains what ACMA Assist is, why it needs to be set up first, and exactly what to do.
What is ACMA Assist?
ACMA Assist is the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s online portal. It’s used by Australian businesses to manage authorizations for services regulated by the ACMA - including alphanumeric Sender IDs used in business SMS messaging.
When your organization registers an alphanumeric Sender ID (the business name that appears instead of a phone number on SMS messages), the ACMA uses ACMA Assist to verify that the registration is authorized by someone with the legal authority to act on behalf of your business.
Am I the right person to do this?
You’re the right person if you are one of the following for your organization's ABN:
- The ABR contact - the person listed as an authorized contact for your ABN on the Australian Business Register
- A Public Officer or Director of the entity
- A delegated Business Administrator who has been granted access by the above
Typically, this is a senior person in your organization - a Director, CFO, or similar. It is not an IT administrator or the person who manages your Sinch MessageMedia account (unless they also hold one of the roles above).
If you’re not sure whether you’re the right person, ask internally - your finance team, company secretary, or a Director will usually know. The ABR contact is typically a Director, Public Officer, or similar senior role. It’s worth asking around rather than trying to look it up, as this information isn’t publicly searchable. Note that having general access to your organization's ABN online doesn’t automatically make you the ABR contact for this purpose.
Why do I need to set this up before the application is submitted?
You may have seen ACMA’s own documentation, which describes a process where you receive an email from ACMA after your telco (in this case, Sinch MessageMedia) submits your registration application - and then you complete ACMA Assist setup by clicking a link in that email.
That process is no longer our recommendation - based on our experience with thousands of registrations, it’s the most common reason applications stall. We strongly recommend setting up ACMA Assist before the application is submitted.
Here’s why:
The ACMA notification goes to the contact email in your application and not to the ABR contact or an authorised ACMA Assist user. If that person isn't already authorised, the email can't be actioned, and resolving it after the fact (locating the ABR contact, forwarding the email, or adding an authorised user) typically takes days.
- Security-conscious users may be hesitant to click links in unexpected emails, creating further friction and delay.
- Based on our experience with thousands of Australian businesses registering Sender IDs, applications where ACMA Assist was set up in advance are approved significantly faster and with far fewer complications.
In our experience, the most common reason a Sender ID application stalls is that the ABR contact wasn’t prepared before the application was submitted - either because they were difficult to reach, unfamiliar with ACMA Assist, or never received the ACMA notification email. Completing this setup now, before the application is submitted, eliminates all three of those failure points.
What you’ll need before you start
Before you begin, make sure you have:
- The myID app installed on your smartphone, set up to Standard identity strength or higher. Standard requires verifying two Australian identity documents (such as your passport and Medicare card). A Basic myID will not grant access to ACMA Assist. If you haven’t set up myID yet, allow 15–20 minutes to complete identity verification. (How to set up myID)
- Your ABN - your organization's 11-digit Australian Business Number
- The email address associated with your ABN on the Australian Business Register. This is the email address the ACMA system will check your identity against.
Steps to set up ACMA Assist
- Go to the ACMA Assist portal - Visit acma.gov.au/acma-assist and select Log in with myID.
- Verify your identity with myID - Log in using the myID app on your smartphone. You’ll be prompted to approve the login request in the app.
- Link your identity to your organization's ABN -The ACMA system will check whether the email address associated with your myID appears as an authorized contact for your organization's ABN on the Australian Business Register. There are three scenarios:
- Your myID email matches your ABR listing - You’ll be asked to agree to the terms and conditions, and your access is confirmed immediately.
- You have a different email on the ABR - You’ll be asked to enter that alternative email address and verify it with a code sent to that inbox.
- Your email doesn’t appear on the ABR at all - You’ll need to update your ABR contact details first, or ask the current ABR-listed contact to grant you access. See below.
- Complete the ACMA Assist setup - Once your identity is verified and your access is confirmed, your ACMA Assist account is set up. You don’t need to do anything else right now — the Sender ID registration can now be submitted, and once it is, watch out for a notification from ACMA asking you to approve the application in ACMA Assist. This approval request typically arrives within 1–2 business days of submission.
- Optional but recommended - add a delegated user - Once your ACMA Assist account is set up, you can grant access to a colleague - for example, the person managing your organization's Sinch MessageMedia account - so they can monitor and manage the application status without needing to involve you each time. This is particularly useful if you’re a senior executive who won’t be closely following the registration process day-to-day.
For instructions on adding a delegated user, see Add or delete other business administrators and authorized users to ACMA Assist.
If your email isn’t listed on the ABR
If the ACMA system can’t verify your identity against the ABR, you’ll need to either:
- Update your ABR contact details to include your current email address. Changes to ABR records can take 1–2 business days to take effect. You can update your details at abr.business.gov.au.
- Ask the current ABR-listed contact to log into ACMA Assist first and then grant you access as a delegated Business Administrator.
For full instructions on the ACMA Assist setup process, see: ACMA Assist registration guide.
What happens after you’ve set up ACMA Assist?
Let your colleague know the ACMA Assist setup is done so they can submit the Sender ID registration in the Sinch MessageMedia Hub.
Once the registration is submitted, ACMA will send you a confirmation request through ACMA Assist. Log in, approve the request, and your Sender ID will be registered. This takes a minimum of 24 hours after you approve the request in ACMA Assist - and occasionally longer, as ACMA sometimes runs a manual review.
From submission to approval, the full process usually takes 3–5 business days when ACMA Assist has been set up in advance.
Need help?
If you run into issues with myID or ACMA Assist setup, contact the ACMA directly at senderIDregister@acma.gov.au.
For questions about your Sinch MessageMedia account or the Sender ID registration process, contact Sinch MessageMedia support.