Overview

This article summarizes regulations across countries where Cordial is supported for SMS and MMS sending, providing compliance guidelines for regional laws and best practices.

This article is for informational purposes only—not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Seek legal counsel for advice and to ensure compliance with any local or carrier regulations.

Enable international SMS sending

Contact your CSM to enable international SMS sending (by country) in your account.

Supported countries

Cordial currently supports messages to the following countries:

General guidelines

For best results with international SMS sending, Cordial recommends following these guidelines.

1. Always require opt-in: Always collect user consent (opt-in) before sending marketing messages.

2. Provide opt-out options: Include clear opt-out instructions in all communications.

3. Be mindful of content restrictions: Avoid disallowed content like gambling, adult material, and political messaging.

4. Adhere to local timing rules: Comply with sending time restrictions to avoid user complaints and penalties. You can use the Quiet Hours scheduler for this purpose.

5. Maintain records: Maintain records of user consent and complaint resolutions to demonstrate compliance during audits.

6. Provide and support HELP commands: Provide and support HELP keywords to provide end-user assistance.

North America

The countries under each continent are listed alphabetically.

Canada

• Follow the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) CSC Code and Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).
• Adherence to Canadian industry guidelines for appropriate content is mandatory.

Mexico

• Political, religious, inappropriate language, gambling, and adult content are prohibited.
• Proof of opt-in is required.
• Opt-out methods must be offered.

United States

• All traffic must be registered, with proof of consent.
• Disallowed content includes tobacco, alcohol, and firearms (must be age-gated).
• Opt-out is required. STOP commands must be free to users.
• Each sender must follow compliant call-to-action rules for registration.

South America

Brazil

• Mandatory proof of opt-in and opt-out must be available.
• Political, religious, gambling, and sexual content are prohibited.
• Some day and time restrictions exist. Consult local regulation for details.
• HELP message is required for user support.

Europe

Messages to European countries must fulfill GDPR compliance, which includes meeting opt-in requirements and providing clear opt-out mechanisms. Unless otherwise specified, gambling, adult, and betting content are widely restricted across Europe. Specific regulations and guidelines are listed below.

Austria

• Tobacco, gambling, adult, and betting content are prohibited.
• Businesses must adhere to GDPR regulations.

Belgium

• Gambling, adult, and betting content are prohibited.
• Adherence to GDPR and local data privacy laws is mandatory.

France

• Messages allowed on weekdays and Saturdays, 8 AM–10 PM.
• Must include STOP instructions for promotional texts.

Germany

• Businesses must adhere to GDPR regulations.

Ireland

• Businesses must adhere to GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive.
• Messages must include an easy-to-use opt-out option.
• Ireland enforces restrictions on advertising gambling and other sensitive content through its national advertising standards.

Italy

• Gambling, adult, and betting content are not allowed. Marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products is also prohibited.
• Compliance with the AGCOM Code of Conduct and GDPR is required, including proof of opt-in consent and opt-out mechanisms.

Luxembourg

• General compliance with GDPR for data privacy and opt-in practices.

Netherlands

• Gambling, adult, and betting content are prohibited.
• Businesses must comply with GDPR and local marketing laws.

Norway

• Gambling, adult, and betting content are prohibited.
• Businesses must comply with GDPR and local marketing laws.

Poland

• Gambling, adult, and betting content are prohibited.
• Businesses must comply with GDPR and local marketing laws.

Portugal

• For customers with existing contracts, no unsubscribe method is required.
• Third-party promotional messages must include an opt-out URL.

Spain

• General compliance with GDPR and Spanish data protection laws.

Sweden

• Gambling content is allowed with restrictions: no marketing to minors or closed accounts.
• Tobacco ads are not permitted.

Switzerland

• Opt-in is recommended for marketing SMS to comply with Swiss data privacy laws.

United Kingdom

• Opt-in is required for all marketing SMS, and proof of consent must be available for audits.
• Opt-out instructions (e.g., Reply STOP) must be included in every message and must be free to users.
• Content restrictions include phishing, smishing, and certain numeric sender IDs.
• Specific timing restrictions apply: marketing messages can only be sent during standard working hours.
• Compliance with GDPR and UK-specific data protection laws, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), is mandatory.

APAC

Australia

• Gambling, threats, and spam are prohibited.
• Sender ID verification is mandatory for all direct customers.

Japan

• Gambling content is prohibited.

New Zealand

• Double opt-in is required for services.
• Opt-out is mandatory for all SMS, including OTP traffic.