Privy SMS can only be sent to numbers in the United States and Canada (+1). Your business must also follow Privy’s Acceptable Use Policy.
If you use subaccounts, each subaccount completes Toll-Free Verification on its own. The parent account’s approval does not carry over.
Before you apply
Do this before you open the registration form:- Publish your website. It must stay live and public for the whole review — not password protected, and not a staging store.
- Publish a complete product catalog.
- Confirm your industry is allowed. Carriers restrict SHAFT content (sex, alcohol, firearms, tobacco, including CBD). Sex, alcohol, and tobacco are allowed on short code with age gating. Firearm accessories are allowed on a toll-free number or short code with age gating. Firearms themselves and CBD stay restricted.
- Update your Privacy Policy and Terms of Service with an SMS section on each live page.
Update your Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
Carriers open the live URLs you submit. Add an SMS section to each page on your public website before you apply. Do not fold SMS into a general “by using this site you agree to our terms” statement. If you use Shopify, Privy prefills/policies/privacy-policy and /policies/terms-of-service. You can edit those URLs. Prefill is not enough if the pages never mention text messaging.
After you are verified, add the same URLs to every display that collects SMS consent. See Understanding SMS Consent.
This is not legal advice. Ask your counsel to review the final pages before you publish them.
Sample Privacy Policy language
On your Privacy Policy page, add a heading named SMS, then paste this sample under it. Replace every[ALL CAPS] placeholder. Remove the abandoned-cart paragraph if you do not send cart reminder texts.
Sample Terms of Service language
On your Terms of Service page, add a heading named SMS terms, then paste this sample under it. Replace every[ALL CAPS] placeholder.
Submit your application
The Toll-Free Verification form appears the first time you try to create an abandoned cart text, after-signup text, or campaign. Complete every field, then submit. Required information:- Legal Business Name
- Website URL
- Doing Business As (DBA) name, if different from your legal name
- The business owner’s first and last name
- Business email address (must match your business website domain)
- Business phone number
- Business Type
- Business Registration Type
- Business Registration Number (EIN)
- Business Registration Issuing Country
- Business billing address (street, city, state, zip code, country)
- Privacy Policy URL
- Terms and Conditions URL
What is an EIN?
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) identifies your organization to the IRS — learn more. US-based businesses must submit an EIN on new applications.Canadian businesses without an EIN can register by selecting Sole Proprietor as their Business Type.
After you submit
Review usually takes 2–5 business days. It can take longer if carriers need more information. Your number stays Unverified (pending or rejected) until carriers approve it. While you are pending or rejected, you cannot send or schedule SMS campaigns, activate SMS Flows, or collect textable numbers.Check your status
- Open Settings in the lower left of your dashboard.
- Select Sender Number under Text Settings.
Pending
You can still prepare the account:- Design displays (do not publish ones that collect phone numbers)
- Draft your After Signup text
- Draft your Abandoned Cart text
- Draft your first SMS campaign
Approved
Start sending soon after approval. Carriers expect an active program. A pause of several weeks can send the number back to unverified and filter your messages.Rejected
A Privy teammate will contact you if we can resubmit to our carrier partner. You can also email Support. Common reasons:Restricted industries
Carriers review your site for SHAFT content (sex, alcohol, firearms, tobacco, including CBD). Sex, alcohol, and tobacco are allowed on short code with age gating. Firearm accessories are allowed on a toll-free number or short code with age gating. Firearms themselves and CBD stay restricted. See the Acceptable Use Policy.
Incomplete or unpublished catalog
An unfinished store or unpublished product catalog often fails review.
Website is password protected or unpublished
Auditors must be able to open your live site. Keep it public until you are approved.
Missing or incomplete Privacy Policy or Terms of Service
Broken, private, or generic pages fail review. The most common gap is no statement that you will not share mobile opt-in data or SMS consent for third-party marketing. Update the live pages, then resubmit. See Update your Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.