DLT Registration for Bulk SMS: A Step-by-Step Guide
DLT registration for bulk SMS lets your business send commercial SMS legally in India. We help you register your entity, sender ID and templates, check your documents before you submit and fix any rejection, with no service charge from us.
DLT registration for bulk SMS means registering your business, your 6-character header and your message templates on an operator DLT portal under TRAI's TCCCPR 2018. Keep your PAN, GST certificate or business proof, a letter of authorisation and the authorised person's ID ready. Entity registration costs about ₹5,900, and approval usually takes 2 to 7 working days.
Free help from us
We fill and check the forms with you. Only operator fees are payable.
One portal, all operators
Register once on Jio, Airtel, Vi or BSNL and it is shared across networks.
2–7 working days
Typical approval time for entity, header and templates on most portals.
Rejections fixed
We read the rejection note and resubmit with the right details or wording.
What you register on DLT
DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) is the system Indian operators use to check every commercial SMS before delivery. It was introduced under TRAI's TCCCPR 2018 rules to cut spam and fraud. When you send a message, the operator matches your entity, header and template against the ledger. If anything does not match, the SMS is blocked. Your registration has four parts.
- Principal Entity: your business, verified against your PAN and business proof.
- Header: the 6-character sender ID people see, such as KOVAIM.
- Templates: the fixed wording of each message, with {#var#} where values change.
- Whitelisted links and numbers: every URL, APK link or call-back number you plan to use.
- Telemarketer chain: the SMS providers that carry your traffic, declared in order. Since 11 December 2024, SMS on an undeclared chain is rejected.
Documents needed for DLT registration for bulk SMS
The legal name must match exactly across all documents and the form. Most rejections start with a small spelling difference.
- PAN card of the business (or of the proprietor for a sole proprietorship).
- GST certificate, or other business proof such as a Udyam certificate, shop and establishment licence or incorporation certificate.
- Letter of authorisation on company letterhead, signed and stamped, naming the person who will manage DLT.
- Photo ID of the authorised person, such as Aadhaar, PAN or passport.
- A business email and mobile number for portal OTP checks.
Fees and timelines
Entity registration costs about ₹5,900 a year (₹5,000 plus 18% GST), paid to the operator and renewed every year. Headers and templates are usually free. Entity approval usually takes 2 to 7 working days, and headers and templates follow on a similar timeline. We charge nothing for our help.
Plan for about one to two weeks from first submission to first live SMS. A clinic or shop that has its PAN, GST certificate and signed letter ready on day one often finishes faster. If a template is rejected, the clock restarts for that template only.
Header suffixes and URL whitelisting
Since 6 May 2025, operators add a suffix to every header: -P for promotional, -S for service, -T for transactional and -G for government. So KOVAIM sending an order update shows as AD-KOVAIM-S on the phone. Register the right category for each template, because the suffix follows it.
Since 1 October 2024, SMS with URLs, APK links or OTT links that are not whitelisted on DLT are blocked. Whitelist the fixed part of each link on your own domain, and add each new domain before you use it in a template. A shortened link is delivered only if its domain is whitelisted too.
Under a TRAI direction of 18 November 2025, each variable in a template must also be tagged with its type, such as #url# for a link or #cbn# for a call-back number, so operators can check the value in every SMS against your whitelist. Untagged templates that fail this check are rejected.
Common rejection reasons and fixes
- Name mismatch between PAN, GST and the form: copy the legal name exactly as printed on PAN.
- Unsigned or unstamped letter of authorisation: re-sign it on letterhead and upload a clear scan.
- Generic header like OFFERS or ALERTS: choose a header based on your brand name or its short form.
- Promotional words in a service template: move offer wording to a promotional template.
- Too many variables: keep the wording fixed and use {#var#} only for names, amounts, dates and codes.
- Shortened or unregistered link: use your full whitelisted domain.
Step-by-step guides
Detailed guides from the AvanceZone team, checked against the operator portals.
Jio DLT registration
TrueConnect steps, the yearly fee and the GST check that holds up payment.
Read the guide →Airtel DLT registration
Registering your entity, headers and templates on Airtel's portal.
Read the guide →Vi DLT registration
How the Vi portal works, its fee and who to contact for help.
Read the guide →BSNL DLT registration
Registering on the BSNL portal and keeping your entity active.
Read the guide →DLT error codes explained
What scrubbing codes such as 611, 613, 614 and 635 mean, and what to check.
Read the guide →SMS header and suffix rules
Header naming, and the -P, -S, -T and -G suffixes added since May 2025.
Read the guide →DLT template registration
Writing templates that pass review, with variables in the right place.
Read the guide →DLT variable tagging
Pre-tagging each variable and the 30-character limit per variable.
Read the guide →Finding your DLT entity ID
Where your PE ID is, and how to pass it with every SMS.
Read the guide →Sending outside India too?
We also send SMS and WhatsApp messages to customers abroad, with help on each country's sender ID and consent rules.
How it works
Pick a DLT portal
Choose Jio, Airtel, Vi or BSNL. One registration is shared with every operator.
Register your entity
Upload PAN, business proof, authorisation letter and ID, then pay the operator fee.
Add headers and templates
Apply for your 6-character header and submit each template under the right category.
Link your IDs to us
Share your entity ID, header and template IDs. We add them to your panel for sending.
Frequently asked questions
Is DLT registration mandatory for bulk SMS?
Yes. TRAI's TCCCPR 2018 rules require every business sending commercial SMS in India to register its entity, headers and templates on an operator DLT portal. Operators block messages that do not match a registered template and header, so sending without DLT is not possible on legitimate routes.
How much does DLT registration cost?
Entity registration costs about ₹5,900 a year (₹5,000 plus 18% GST), paid to the operator and renewed every year. Headers and template registration are usually free. These fees go to the operator. We help you with the process at no service charge.
How long does DLT approval take?
Entity approval usually takes 2 to 7 working days. Headers and templates are often approved on a similar timeline once the entity is active. Delays mostly come from document mismatches or template wording issues, which is why we check everything before you submit.
Can I use one DLT registration with any SMS provider?
Yes. Your DLT entity, headers and templates belong to your business and are shared across operators. If you move to a new provider, you share your entity ID and template IDs with them and link them on the portal. You do not need to register again.
Why was my DLT template rejected?
Common reasons are promotional words in a service template, too many variables, a shortened or unregistered link, or a header that does not match your brand. Read the rejection note, fix that one issue and resubmit. Share the note with us and we will suggest the correct wording.
What do -P, -S, -T and -G mean after a sender ID?
Since 6 May 2025, operators add a suffix to show the message category: -P for promotional, -S for service, -T for transactional and -G for government. For example, AD-KOVAIM-S is a service message from the header KOVAIM. The suffix comes from the category of the approved template.
What is PE–TM chain binding?
It is TRAI's traceability rule. On your DLT portal you declare the telemarketers, meaning the SMS providers, that carry your messages, in order, and bind that chain to your entity. Since 11 December 2024, SMS sent through a chain that is not declared is rejected. When you switch providers, add the new provider's telemarketer ID first.
Send your first SMS today
From ₹0.15 per delivered SMS, credits valid for a year, and DLT help from a real person.