Brazil SMS Guide: Sender IDs & Compliance

At a glance

A quick operational read on Brazil. Anything marked route-dependent varies by supplier, operator and traffic category, and is confirmed during route assessment.

SMS to mobile: Supported
SenderID presentation: Often rewritten on international A2P routes
Alphanumeric senderID preservation: Route-dependent / registration may be required
Two-way SMS: Route-dependent
Number portability: Available
Marketing: Permission, opt-out and route review required
Last reviewed: 31 July 2026

Route-dependent: “Route-dependent” means the behaviour is set by the supplier and operator path your traffic uses, not by Brazilian statute. It can differ between two providers on the same day, and it can change. Confirm before launch.

Law, route policy and recommendation

Most country guides blur three very different things. We label every statement on this page so your compliance, product and operations teams can act on the right one.

Law / regulation
Law and regulation
Binding obligations from Brazilian legislation or the telecoms regulator. These apply regardless of which supplier you use.
Carrier or route policy
Carrier or route policy
Rules enforced by operators, aggregators or your provider on the specific A2P path your traffic takes. Commonly applied on current routes, but supplier-specific and subject to change.
Flowstates recommendation
Flowstates operational recommendation
What we ask customers to do because it protects deliverability and keeps you comfortably inside both the law and route policy. Stricter than the minimum on purpose.

Numbering and networks

The basics your validation layer and templates need to get right before the first send.

Law / regulationMobile number format
Brazilian mobile subscriber numbers use a two-digit area code plus a nine-digit mobile number beginning with 9.
Law / regulationDialling code
Country dialling code +55. Mobile country code 724.
Law / regulationNumber portability
Number portability is available, so the operator behind a number can change.
Carrier or route policyNetworks
The main network operators are Claro, TIM and Vivo. Algar and Sercomtel are regional networks, and MVNOs ride on host-network coverage.
Flowstates recommendationValidation
Validate to E.164 and run mobile-number validation, HLR or a number lookup before sending. Fixed-line destinations should be validated out, because standard SMS routes target mobile numbers.
Flowstates recommendationPortability handling
Because numbers port, resolve the current network at send time rather than caching an operator against a contact record.

E.164 example

+55 11 9XXXX-XXXX

Two-digit area code (11), then the nine-digit mobile number starting with 9.

Sender options

What the recipient sees in Brazil is decided by the route, not by the value you put in the API call. Plan the message body around that.

Carrier or route policy

Best for, what the recipient sees and replies describe carrier or route behaviour on current A2P paths — not Brazilian statute. They vary by supplier and operator and are confirmed before launch.

Shared / re-written numeric shortcode

Best for: OTP and transactional traffic that needs the fastest common A2P path
What the recipient sees: A numeric shortcode or local numeric senderID/longcode, not your brand name
Replies: Usually one-way

Registered alphanumeric senderID

Best for: Brands that want their name presented where the route supports it
What the recipient sees: Your alphanumeric senderID where preserved; otherwise a numeric sender
Replies: One-way

Dedicated shortcode

Best for: Sustained volume and programmes that may need two-way messaging
What the recipient sees: A consistent dedicated numeric shortcode
Replies: Possible where the route supports it

Local longcode

Best for: Specific P2P or two-way service use cases only
What the recipient sees: A local longcode
Replies: Route-dependent

Sender options
Option	Best for	What the recipient sees	Replies
Shared / re-written numeric shortcode	OTP and transactional traffic that needs the fastest common A2P path	A numeric shortcode or local numeric senderID/longcode, not your brand name	Usually one-way
Registered alphanumeric senderID	Brands that want their name presented where the route supports it	Your alphanumeric senderID where preserved; otherwise a numeric sender	One-way
Dedicated shortcode	Sustained volume and programmes that may need two-way messaging	A consistent dedicated numeric shortcode	Possible where the route supports it
Local longcode	Specific P2P or two-way service use cases only	A local longcode	Route-dependent

We avoid quoting fixed provisioning times. Sender availability and lead time are route- and operator-dependent, and we confirm both against live supplier data before you commit to a launch date.

What changes by traffic type

Brazil is not one rulebook. The same destination behaves differently depending on the category you send.

OTP / authentication

Suitable for SMS on validated high-quality routes.

Flowstates recommendation
Keep the copy purely transactional — no marketing, no offers, no upsell in a verification message.
Flowstates recommendation
Identify the brand in the message body, because the sender may be rewritten.
Flowstates recommendation
Monitor latency and verification conversion, not just submitted-versus-delivered counts.
Flowstates recommendation
Configure failover so a degraded route does not become a failed login queue.

Transactional / service

Suitable for alerts, confirmations and service updates.

Flowstates recommendation
Identify the brand and state the purpose of the message clearly.
Flowstates recommendation
Use a branded domain for links rather than a public shortener.
Flowstates recommendation
Keep marketing content out of transactional templates — mixed content invites category re-classification.

Marketing / promotional

Requires documented permission as the Flowstates launch standard.

Flowstates recommendation
Documented, timestamped permission before the first send, plus simple opt-out handling and suppression.
Flowstates recommendation
Schedule by the recipient's local time and review content before launch.

LGPD, consent and Anatel

Consent in Brazil is more nuanced than “you need opt-in”. Here is the distinction we hold customers to, with the legal and operational layers kept apart.

Law / regulation
The LGPD (Law 13,709) requires a valid legal basis for processing personal data. Consent is one possible basis, not the only one.
Law / regulation
Where consent is the basis, it must be demonstrable, tied to specific purposes, and revocable through a free and easy process.
Law / regulation
Data subjects must receive clear information about the purpose of processing, the controller's identity and contact details, any data sharing, and their rights.
Law / regulation
Anatel Resolution 765 gives consumers a specific right not to receive advertising or sales messages from telecommunications service providers without prior, free and express consent. This provision is about telecom service providers — it should not be paraphrased as a universal consent statute covering every advertiser.
Flowstates recommendation
For promotional SMS we require timestamped, source-attributed opt-in before launch. It is the safest operational standard and is commonly required by carrier and provider routes.
Carrier or route policy
Individual routes may impose stricter consent evidence, content review or category restrictions than the statutory minimum. Confirm before launch.

Operational compliance checklist

What we expect to see in place before a Brazil route goes live.

Law / regulation
Record the legal basis for processing.
Flowstates recommendation
For promotions, retain the consent timestamp, source, wording or version, and the recipient it applies to.
Flowstates recommendation
Clearly identify the sending brand in the message body.
Flowstates recommendation
Provide a free and straightforward opt-out route, support Portuguese-language stop requests such as SAIR, and suppress promptly. We do not claim a particular keyword is mandated by statute.
Flowstates recommendation
Maintain internal suppression and do-not-disturb records across all sending systems.
Flowstates recommendation
Schedule by the recipient's local time, not a single account timezone.
Flowstates recommendation
Use a branded short domain and avoid public or shared URL shorteners.
Flowstates recommendation
Do not use purchased lists.
Flowstates recommendation
Keep campaign, template, consent and route-approval records.

Encoding and delivery

Portuguese copy makes encoding a real cost and delivery question. Test it rather than assuming, because carrier-specific Unicode claims age badly.

GSM-7, single segment: 160 characters
GSM-7, concatenated: 153 characters per segment
Unicode / UCS-2, single segment: 70 characters
Unicode / UCS-2, concatenated: 67 characters per segment

Flowstates recommendation
Portuguese diacritics and other characters can push a message into Unicode, which shortens the segment and raises cost. Check the encoding your template actually produces.
Flowstates recommendation
Run an end-to-end test across the selected Brazil routes with your real templates before launch, rather than relying on generic carrier Unicode guidance.
Flowstates recommendation
Validate mobile numbers (HLR or lookup) before sending so fixed lines and malformed numbers never reach the route.

A country guide is only useful when the route follows it

Knowing the rules is the easy half. Keeping every send inside them, on routes that change, is the operational half — that is the part we run.

Per-country and per-category routing
OTP, transactional and marketing traffic take different Brazil routes with different rules applied to each.
SenderID management
We manage sender presentation and registration where a route supports it, and design templates for the case where it does not.
Carrier-grade failover
When a Brazil route degrades, traffic moves before your verification funnel does.
Per-route visibility
Delivery, latency and OTP conversion measured per route, so route policy changes show up as data rather than complaints.
24/7 vendor escalation
We chase the supplier and the carrier. You get the update, not the ticket queue.
BYOV / BYOG
Keep your Brazil supplier and contracts and let us operate the routing, or use ours.
Branded short links
Links on your own domain instead of a shared shortener, which route filters treat very differently.

Developer docs Branded short links

What we need to validate your Brazil route

Send us these and we will come back with the route options, the sender behaviour you should expect and the policy that applies to your category.

Company or legal entity and website
Traffic category and use case
Portuguese and English sample templates
Expected monthly volume and peak TPS
Opt-in journey and evidence for promotional traffic
SenderID preference
Link domains you intend to use
Whether you need replies or two-way messaging
Target launch date

Validate my Brazil route Book a messaging review

Frequently asked questions about SMS in Brazil

Can I send SMS to mobile numbers in Brazil?

A quick operational read on Brazil. Anything marked route-dependent varies by supplier, operator and traffic category, and is confirmed during route assessment. SMS to mobile: Supported. SenderID presentation: Often rewritten on international A2P routes. Alphanumeric senderID preservation: Route-dependent / registration may be required. Two-way SMS: Route-dependent.

Which sender ID options work for SMS in Brazil?

What the recipient sees in Brazil is decided by the route, not by the value you put in the API call. Shared / re-written numeric shortcode — Best for: OTP and transactional traffic that needs the fastest common A2P path. Registered alphanumeric senderID — Best for: Brands that want their name presented where the route supports it. Dedicated shortcode — Best for: Sustained volume and programmes that may need two-way messaging. Local longcode — Best for: Specific P2P or two-way service use cases only.

What are the consent and opt-out requirements for SMS in Brazil?

Consent in Brazil is more nuanced than “you need opt-in”. The LGPD (Law 13,709) requires a valid legal basis for processing personal data. Consent is one possible basis, not the only one. Where consent is the basis, it must be demonstrable, tied to specific purposes, and revocable through a free and easy process. Data subjects must receive clear information about the purpose of processing, the controller's identity and contact details, any data sharing, and their rights.

How many characters fit in an SMS to Brazil?

Portuguese copy makes encoding a real cost and delivery question. GSM-7, single segment: 160 characters. GSM-7, concatenated: 153 characters per segment. Unicode / UCS-2, single segment: 70 characters. Unicode / UCS-2, concatenated: 67 characters per segment.

Sources and change control

Regulator and provider references behind this guide. Provider documentation reflects one supplier's current route policy, not national law.

Regulator
Anatel — ninth digit and Brazilian mobile number format
Official reference for the nine-digit mobile numbering format.
Regulator
Anatel — number portability
Consumer-facing reference confirming number portability in Brazil.
Regulator
Anatel — mobile network coverage and operators
Coverage and operator data used to describe the network landscape.
Regulation
Anatel Resolution 765/2023
Consumer rights instrument including the right not to receive advertising from telecom service providers without prior, free and express consent.
Statute
LGPD — Law 13,709
Brazilian data protection law: legal bases, consent conditions, transparency and data-subject rights.
Provider documentation
Bandwidth — Brazil senderID guidelines
Current provider guidance on senderID presentation and route behaviour for Brazil.
Provider documentation
Vonage — Brazil SMS features and restrictions
Second provider view of Brazil senderID, reply and content restrictions.

Change log

31 July 2026 — Initial publication; separated statutory requirements from route policy and operational recommendations.

Last reviewed 31 July 2026

Disclaimer

This is operational guidance, not legal advice. Requirements vary by operator, route, sender type, traffic category and customer setup. Flowstates confirms the applicable path during onboarding.

Brazil SMS guide