Businesses are turning more and more to texting. SMS is a valuable channel for both reach and ROI, but the complexities of sending SMS as a business can often put brands off sending at all. In this guide, we explain what you need to know to start sending in Singapore.
Gather compliant opt-ins
To allow customers to opt-in to SMS marketing, you can:
ask for phone numbers at the point of customer sign up.
use our pages and forms functionality to create on-brand data capture.
provide incentives for customers to sign up through text-to-join campaigns, by advertising a number online or in-person that they can text to opt in.
Whatever you choose, it's essential to ensure you have full consent to send to your customers that complies with Singapore law under the Personal Data Protection Act, and also so that you provide a positive brand experience.
⚠️While we provide tools to help you manage your data, you must speak to your own legal counsel or consult with the IMDA to ensure compliance.
Most importantly, check that the numbers you’ve collected for SMS marketing were collected with explicit opt-in.
This means making sure you’ve made it clear that you will be using SMS to send marketing communications to your customer, and that you haven’t relied on assumed consent from a lack of opt-out or a pre-ticked box.
Options for opt outs
When sending marketing messages through SMS in Australia, you must also give your recipients the ability to opt out.
This means you must either:
add an unsubscribe link to your marketing SMS messages*
or
allow replies by purchasing an inbound number and providing opt-out instructions in your SMS message body.
Transactional messages, like order updates, don’t require a way for recipients to opt out.
*SMS click-to-unsubscribe is permitted when sending to recipients in Singapore and some other locations, but is not permitted for sending to some countries.
SMS sent to | SMS click-to-unsubscribe supported? |
Australia UK Singapore Finland Japan Republic of Ireland | ✔️ Yes
Create an alphanumeric From name (alpha)† and add an unsubscribe link to your marketing SMS.
Learn more |
USA Canada France New Zealand Malaysia Philippines Czech Republic Taiwan Denmark | ❌ No
Click-to-unsubscribe is not supported in these countries, so to enable contacts to unsubscribe you must purchase an inbound number.
You can send your SMS messages from an inbound number, and it allows you to receive replies as well as unsubscribe requests. |
†Alpha From names don’t support replies. If you need to be able to receive inbound SMS messages, you must purchase an inbound number.
Learn more about what numbers you can send from in Understand from names and numbers.
Sender IDs for Singapore
Businesses must register all sender types before sending SMS. You can send marketing and transactional SMS from either of the below sender ID types in Singapore.
Sender ID type | Description |
Alphanumeric From name (Alpha) | Often displays as the name of the company. Can include letters and numbers. Does not support replies.*
You must send from the From name exactly as registered. Any variation, including differences in capitalisation or spacing, means messages are not sent. |
Virtual mobile number (VMN) Sometimes called a long number. | Appears as a regular 11-digit mobile number and is used exclusively by your brand. Setup should be completed in three weeks or less.
Recommended if speed and ease of text reply are your most important considerations. |
*If you need to support inbound messages — messages your contacts send to you — for opt-out or any other reason, this requires a VMN, which must be registered even if not used as a sender ID.
In such cases, it’s less expensive to send from the VMN rather than send from an Alpha and then register a separate VMN for opt-outs or inbound messages.
Register your sender ID
⚠️ The registration process is extremely specific and must be followed fully for your messages to be delivered.
First, it’s important to know that businesses with no local Singapore presence cannot send SMS to Singapore.
If your business already has a local Singapore presence and, therefore, a Unique Entity Number (UEN), you’re able to register your company with the SGNIC for a one-off fee of SGD 500.
Once registered, you can register your unique Sender ID or IDs with the SMS Sender ID Registry (SSIR) for a fee of SGD 200 per year, per ID.
After registering with SGNIC, you must:
Send us a screenshot of the Sender ID from the SGNIC website.
Provide a completed Letter of Authorisation.
We provide a template and guidance.Confirm any URLs that may be included in your messages, including the confirmed use case, for example, transactional, 2-way, marketing, or notifications, and provide example messages.
We can arrange inbound numbers such as a local VMN that can be included in SMS messages. Even if used purely for inbound opt-outs or replies, these must still be registered.
While it’s not required to prove opt-in in order to register to send, if you’re caught sending a non-opted-in SMS, a fine of up to SGD 10,000 can be levied. There are some further details we can help with as part of setting up.
Additional information for SMS in Singapore
Opt in and the Do Not Call register
Mobiles often register with Do Not Call or DNC.
Marketing messages can not be sent to people on the DNC register unless they have specifically opted in.
You can check the DNC online.
Valid opt-in information is required when requested; otherwise, a fine of up to $10k can be incurred.
Long SMS
Long SMS are multi-segment messages comprised of more than 160 characters. These are supported for sending in Singapore.
Learn more in SMS message length and Unicode.
Restrictions
You are restricted from sending any SMS message that has not been opted in to. Restrictions also apply to for finance, adult, and online gambling-related messages.
Key regulatory bodies and legal links
You must get professional legal guidance to ensure you adhere to applicable laws.
Personal Data Protection Act 2012
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PDPA2012
This is the key regulation you must comply with. It’s administered by the Personal Data Protection Commission or PDPC, which is part of the IMDA.
There is also a Spam Control Act 2007.
View a list of all acts on Acts and Regulations.
Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)
The legal authority governing SMS which is responsible for the current regulations. Current registration requirements are based on this key proposal and then decision to strengthen safeguards for SMS to users in Singapore.
Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC)
A fully-owned subsidiary of the IMDA responsible for the registration of sender IDs.
Dotdigital expects to be accepted as a Participating Aggregator shortly.
The SGNIC manages the Singapore Sender ID Registry (SSIR). This is where all sender IDs must be registered.