Overview
If you are an Entity Associate or EMSP Partner and you need to register an alphanumeric sender ID on behalf of a customer that does not have an Australian Business Number (ABN), this guide walks you through the process.
Under the SMS Sender ID Register Industry Standard 2025, all alphanumeric sender IDs must be registered before 1 July 2026. As a Certified Telecommunications Provider, Sinch MessageMedia can register sender IDs on behalf of your non-ABN customers. Your customer's authorized representative will need to complete an identity verification step after you submit the registration.
A one-time registration fee of $19.00 AUD applies per sender ID for non-ABN customer registrations. This will be added to your next invoice.
Registering your own sender ID? If you are registering a sender ID for your own business (not on behalf of a customer), see Alphanumeric Sender ID Registration for Businesses Without an ABN instead.
Before you begin
You'll need information for both your business and your customer's business.
Your business (the partner):
Your ABN and business details should already be linked to your Hub account. These will be pre-populated during the registration flow.
Note: If your business does not have an ABN, you'll need to complete two steps before you can register sender IDs for your customers. First, you'll need to sign an International Telco Partner Agreement with Sinch MessageMedia. Please contact your Account Manager to get started. Second, as part of ACMA requirements, we'll need to conduct an identity verification on your business before you can submit registrations. Once both steps are complete, the registration flow described below will be available to you in the Hub.
Your customer's business (the non-ABN entity):
| What you need | Details |
|---|---|
| Business registration number | Your customer's official number from their country's business register (e.g. Companies House number for UK, NZBN for NZ, EIN for US) |
| Registered entity name | Their full legal business name as it appears on their official register |
| Business address | Their registered head office address |
| Business website | Their official company website URL |
| Business phone number | A general business contact number for their company |
| Authorized representative | Name, corporate email, and direct phone number of a person authorized to act on behalf of your customer's business |
| Government-issued photo ID | Your customer's authorized representative will need a valid passport, national ID, or driver's license for identity verification |
Important: Your customer's sender ID must closely match their registered business name or a trademark they own. It can be the full name, an abbreviation, an acronym, or a contraction.
How to register a sender ID for your non-ABN customer
Step 1: Start a new registration
- Log in to the Sinch MessageMedia Hub
- Go to Settings > Numbers
- In the Alphanumeric sender IDs section, click Start registration next to the relevant sender ID, or click Add new alphanumeric
Step 2: Select who you are registering for
You'll see a screen asking: "Who are you registering this alphanumeric for?"
Select "Another authorized business" to register on behalf of your customer.
Important: This choice is final and cannot be changed.
Click Next.
Step 3: Enter your business details (the partner)
On the Business details screen, you'll see your business information in the "Your business (EMSP Partner)" section. This is pre-populated from your ABN. Review and confirm the details are correct.
Complete any missing fields:
- Business address
- Business website
- Telephone number
Step 5: Enter your customer's business details
Scroll down to the "Your customer's business" section.
You'll see a toggle asking: "Customer has an ABN" or "Customer doesn't have an ABN". Select "Customer doesn't have an ABN".
You'll see an amber notice explaining that your customer's authorized representative will need to complete identity verification.
Enter your customer's details:
- Business registration number - their official registration number from their country's business register
- Country of Registration - select from the country
- Registered entity name - their full legal name as it appears on their official register
- Business address - their head office address
- Business website - their official website
- Telephone number - a general business contact number for their company
Click Next.
Step 6: Enter the sender ID
On the Alphanumeric validation screen, enter or confirm the sender ID you want to register for your customer.
Under ACMA rules, the sender ID must match your customer's registered entity name or trademark. It can be the same as, an abbreviation of, an acronym of, or a contraction of their registered name.
Your customer's business details will be displayed in a panel below the sender ID field for reference.
The sender ID will be marked as "Pending manual review". Our team will verify the match after submission.
Click Next.
Step 7: Enter the authorized representatives
This screen has two sections because you are registering on behalf of another business.
Section 1: Your business (the partner)
Enter the details of the person at your company who can approve this registration. This person will need to complete verification via ACMA Assist (the standard process for ABN entities).
Select your role:
- "I can approve this request in ACMA Assist" if you are an ABR-listed contact or delegated ACMA Assist user
- "I am completing this on behalf of someone who can approve in ACMA Assist" if someone else at your company will handle the ACMA Assist step
Already completed ACMA Assist for a previous registration? If your business has already been verified through ACMA Assist, you do not need to complete it again. Select "I can approve this request in ACMA Assist" and enter the same authorized representative details used previously.
Enter the representative's first name, last name, email, and phone number.
Tick the confirmation checkbox.
Section 2: Your customer's business (the non-ABN entity)
Enter the details of the person at your customer's company who is authorized to act on their behalf. This person will receive a secure identity verification link by email after you submit the registration.
Enter the representative's first name, last name, email, and phone number.
Note: Use a corporate email. Your customer's representative should use a corporate email address (e.g. name@theircompany.com). Using a personal email (Gmail, Outlook) may trigger additional verification steps.
Tick the confirmation checkbox.
Click Next.
Step 8: Review and submit
On the Review & submit screen, check all details across both businesses:
- Your business details - your ABN, entity name, business names, address, website, phone
- Your customer's business details - their registration number, company type, entity name, address, website, phone
- Alphanumeric validation - the sender ID, showing "Pending manual review"
- Your authorized representative - the person handling ACMA Assist for your business
- Your customer's authorized representative - the person who will receive the identity verification link
At the bottom, you'll see the registration fee of $19.00 AUD. Tick the checkbox to confirm you agree to this fee being added to your next invoice.
Click Submit for review.
What happens after you submit
For your business (the partner):
If your business has not previously been verified through ACMA Assist, your authorized representative will receive an email from ACMA with instructions to approve the registration. If you've already completed this for a previous registration, no further action is needed from your side.
For your customer (the non-ABN entity):
Your customer's authorized representative will receive an email from Sinch MessageMedia containing a secure verification link. They'll need to:
- Verify their business details against their country's official register
- Confirm their identity using a government-issued photo ID and a selfie
This takes approximately 5-10 minutes. The link is valid for 14 days.
For a step-by-step guide your customer can follow, share this article with them: Completing Identity Verification for Sender ID Registration
After both verifications are complete:
- Our team reviews the sender ID match against your customer's registered business details (1-2 business days)
- If approved, we submit the registration to ACMA on your behalf
- You'll be notified once the sender ID is approved and ready to use
Entity Associate vs EMSP Partner: What's different?
The registration flow is the same for both Entity Associates and EMSP Partners registering on behalf of non-ABN customers. The only differences are:
| Aspect | Entity Associate | EMSP Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship | You have permission from a specific business to register sender IDs on their behalf | You are a messaging platform reselling Sinch services to your customers |
| Hub selection | "Another authorized business" | "Another authorized business" |
| Your business details | Your ABN, confirmed via ABR | Your ABN, confirmed via ABR |
| Customer verification | Same non-ABN identity verification flow | Same non-ABN identity verification flow |
| ACMA Assist | Required for your business (partner) | Required for your business (partner) |
The steps in this guide apply equally to both.
Frequently asked questions
Can I register multiple sender IDs for different non-ABN customers? Yes. Each sender ID registration is separate. You'll go through the flow once per sender ID per customer. A $19.00 AUD fee applies per registration.
My customer's verification link expired. What do I do? Contact our support team and we'll issue a new verification link for your customer.
Do I need to complete ACMA Assist every time I register a new sender ID? No. If your business has already been verified through ACMA Assist for a previous registration, you don't need to do it again. Select "I can approve this request in ACMA Assist" and use the same representative details.
What if my customer doesn't complete the identity verification? The registration will remain in a pending state until your customer completes verification. The link is valid for 14 days. If it expires without being completed, contact us for a new link. We recommend following up with your customer to ensure they complete the process promptly.
Can my customer see the status of their registration? Your customer does not have direct access to the registration status in the Hub. You can check the status on the Numbers page and relay updates to your customer.
What sender IDs are valid for my non-ABN customer? The sender ID must match your customer's registered entity name or trademark. It can be the full name, an abbreviation, an acronym, or a contraction. Domain names are not accepted as a valid match source for non-ABN entities.
I'm not sure if my customer has an ABN. How do I check? You can look up any ABN on the Australian Business Register. If your customer doesn't appear, they likely don't have an ABN and should be registered through the non-ABN pathway described in this guide.