Apply for a signature-Short Message Service(SMS)-阿里云帮助中心

To send messages, you must first apply for a signature. A signature that complies with our signature specifications is more likely to be approved.

Usage notes

Before applying for a signature, prepare the required documents as described in Qualification Document Instructions and then apply for a qualification.
If you are applying for a signature for third-party use, you must provide a letter of authorization during the application process.
This topic describes how to apply for a signature in the console. You can also do so by calling the CreateSmsSign API.
Before you submit a signature application, confirm the following information:
1. Enterprise name consistency: The enterprise or public institution name on the qualification is identical to the name on the business license.
2. Unified Social Credit Code: The code is identical to the one on the enterprise certificate, with no errors or omissions.
3. Certificate validity: The certificate associated with the qualification is not expired. If the certificate has expired, update the certificate and resubmit the qualification first.
4. Compliant signature name: The signature name is related to the signature source that you select and complies with the naming requirements for an enterprise's full name, abbreviation, or registered trademark name. For more information about the length and character limits, see SMS signature specifications.
5. Approved qualification: The associated qualification must be in the approved state. An unapproved qualification causes the SMS signature review to stall or fail.

Procedure

Log on to the Short Message Service console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose Messages in Chinese Mainland > Signature Management.
On the Signature Management tab, click Add Signature and complete the Basic Information and Other sections.
- Associated Qualification Purpose:
  - For personal use: Select this option if the enterprise or individual information for the signature source matches your Alibaba Cloud account's real-name verification information.
  - For third-party use: Select this option if the enterprise or individual information for the signature source does not match your Alibaba Cloud account's real-name verification information.
    - Letter of authorization: If you select for third-party use for Associated Qualification Purpose, you must associate a letter of authorization. The system automatically filters and displays a list of valid letters of authorization that match the selected Qualification Information. You can select one from the list. If no letter of authorization is available, click Add Letter of Authorization to add one. For more information, see Instructions for filling out the letter of authorization.
      Note
      The system extracts approved but unnamed letters of authorization from previous qualifications for third-party use. You can select these historical letters when applying for a signature. These extracted letters of authorization are named in the format Authorizer Enterprise NameVVersion Number.
      For example, if the authorizer in a previously submitted letter of authorization was Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd., the default name is Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd.V1.
- Associated Qualification Name: From the drop-down list, select the associated qualification. To prevent review failure, we recommend selecting an already-approved qualification. If no qualification is available, apply for a qualification first.
- Signature source: Your signature must have a clear source to prove its ownership. The signature name must be related to the signature source you select. For example, if the signature source is Enterprise or public institution name, the signature name must be the full or abbreviated name of the enterprise or public institution. The available signature sources vary for users with individual and enterprise verifications. Select a signature source based on your business needs.
  Note
  If your desired signature source is not available, note that signatures for personal use applied for by users with an individual verification will fail the carrier's real-name filing. You must apply for and associate a qualification for third-party use, or change your individual verification to an enterprise verification.
  If your business is in the development or testing phase, we recommend using the Quick Learn & Test feature in the Short Message Service console or waiting until your service is officially launched to apply for a signature.
  For government agencies, we recommend selecting Enterprise or public institution name as the signature source. You can evaluate your specific situation and choose the most suitable source.
  If the signature source is Enterprise or public institution name, using an abbreviated name as the signature name must comply with the following rules:
  Geographic requirement: The abbreviation must include a geographic location such as a province, city, or district (for example, "Beijing XX Tech"). Omitting the geographic prefix is not supported and may cause carrier real-name filing to fail or reduce message delivery rates.
  Composition rule: The abbreviation must be a contiguous substring of the full enterprise name, created by extracting characters sequentially from left to right. Skipping characters, reordering, adding characters, or over-simplifying is not allowed.
  Uniqueness recommendation: The abbreviation should uniquely identify the enterprise. We recommend using a name with more than four characters. If multiple entities share the same name, add distinguishing information to the signature name or use the full enterprise name.
  A registered trademark name must be a trademark owned by the enterprise, verifiable on the China Trademark Office website, and meet the following requirements:
  Name consistency: The signature name must be identical to the name on the trademark registration certificate, including both Chinese and English characters. Adding, removing, or using only part of the name is not allowed.
  Uniqueness: The trademark must be unique across the internet. If multiple entities have registered the same trademark name, it may cause carrier real-name filing to fail. We recommend adding distinguishing enterprise information to the signature name or using the enterprise or public institution name as the source instead.
  Status requirement: Only trademarks with a "Trademark Registration Certificate" are supported. A "Trademark Application Acceptance Notice" or a proof of transfer that is not yet complete is not acceptable. You must wait for the trademark transfer to be completed before applying.
  Graphical trademarks: Purely graphical trademarks are not supported. Only trademarks containing text are allowed.
  Registration category: There are no specific requirements for the trademark's registration category, as long as the name matches the signature.
  - Signature source is Registered trademark name:
    - Screenshot of trademark details: If you select "Registered trademark name" as the signature source, you must upload a screenshot of the trademark details. See Steps to take a screenshot of trademark details and Requirements for the screenshot of trademark details.
  - Signature source is Launched app (no longer supported by carriers, click to view policy details):
- Signature name: Enter the signature name. Do not enter brackets such as []. When a message is sent, the system automatically adds brackets [] and places the signature at the beginning of the message content. The signature name must be the sender's full name, abbreviation, or legally registered trademark that can genuinely and clearly identify the sender. Vague, generic, or unidentifiable signatures are not supported. For detailed rules, see Signature specifications.
  The signature name must also meet the following restrictions:
  - Length limit: The signature name must be 2 to 18 characters long. This limit cannot be changed. If your full enterprise name exceeds 18 characters, we recommend using a compliant abbreviation (which must include geographic information and not skip characters) or applying for a corresponding trademark to use as the signature source.
  - Special character limit: The signature name cannot contain parentheses (either full-width or half-width), spaces, [], "test", or other special symbols. If your enterprise name includes parentheses, we recommend removing them or using an abbreviation for the application. This rule applies only to signature names. For a qualification application, the system automatically retrieves the enterprise name from the identity verification information of your Alibaba Cloud account. The enterprise name must exactly match your business license, including any parentheses. You cannot manually remove the parentheses. If you remove the parentheses, the enterprise name no longer matches your business license, and the application fails qualification verification. In summary, qualification and signature applications follow different rules. Keep the parentheses when you apply for a qualification, and remove them or use an abbreviation when you apply for a signature.
  - English language limit: For trademark-based signatures containing both Chinese and English, the name must be identical to the one on the trademark registration certificate and not exceed 18 characters in total length.
  Important
  If the Associated Qualification Type you select is Qualification for third-party use (which involves third-party authorization), the signature name here must be within the scope of signatures authorized in the Power of Attorney that you uploaded.
- Scenario description: Provide a detailed description to give reviewers context about your business scenario, which helps improve review efficiency.
  - You can describe a use case for a live service and provide relevant links, such as an app store download link.
  - You can provide a complete sample message that demonstrates your business scenario.
  - If the signature is for a government agency or public institution, provide a landline phone number for the organization.
  - For login scenarios, provide a screenshot of the website or system after a user logs in.
- Additional materials: Uploading supplementary materials, such as screenshots of login pages or backend systems that include a URL, software copyrights, or supplementary agreements, can help reviewers better understand your business.
  Note
  If your signature or its associated qualification entity is related to the following industries, provide the relevant additional materials:
  Gaming industry: In the Additional materials section, upload one of the following special qualifications: a Network Culture Operation License, a game version number approval from the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA), or a game filing record.
  Logistics industry: In the Additional materials section, upload an Express Delivery Business Operation Permit or ensure that the business scope on your associated business license includes logistics services, freight transportation, or similar activities. Only one is required.
Click Submit. The signature enters the review process. You can view the Review Status on the Change Review Records tab.

Signature review

Alibaba Cloud typically reviews signatures within 2 hours of submission. Reviews are conducted daily from 9:00 to 21:00, but are postponed during public holidays.

The signature's review status depends on whether the associated qualification has been approved. If your signature is approved but the associated qualification is not, the signature will remain in the "reviewing" state.
Applications involving government, procuratorate, or judicial clients require a landline number for verification. If your application has not been reviewed after several business days, please verify that the provided landline number is correct.
You can activate the exclusive DingTalk group for Short Message Service to receive signature review notifications, configure alert pushes, and perform other quick operations.
You can use a signature only after it is approved. Check the signature review details in the Short Message Service console or by calling the GetSmsSign API.

Next steps

Complete the real-name filing with carriers. This process takes 5 to 7 business days on average, but can take 7 to 10 business days or longer for some carriers. Carriers do not guarantee this timeline.
After your signature application is approved, you must also apply for a message template before you can send messages.
If you have already applied for a message template, you can use batch messaging in the console or call the SendSms or SendBatchSms API to send messages.
If you still have questions about the necessity of review and related operations, see Review Specifications.

Appendix

Screenshot steps for trademark details

Log on to the China Trademark Office website, click "Online Trademark Search", and take a screenshot of the trademark details.
Accept the instructions for use and enter "Application/Registration Number" to search.
Go to the China Trademark Office website, and select the Trademark Status Inquiry tab.
Click "Application/Registration Number" to view details.

Trademark detail screenshot requirements

The screenshot must include the complete browser URL.
The trademark image must be clear and identical to the "Signature Name".
The "Applicant Name" must be identical to the name of the enterprise or public institution associated with the signature.
The trademark status must be "Registered".

Letter of authorization parameters

Parameter	Description
Letter of authorization name	We recommend a name that includes details such as the authorizer and signature scope to help you distinguish between multiple letters of authorization.
Letter of authorization	Upload an image of the letter of authorization. For formatting rules, see Letter of Authorization Specifications. Short Message Service provides a Word template for the letter of authorization. You can download letter_of_authorization_template.doc. The uploaded file must be an image in JPG, PNG, or JPEG format, and each image cannot exceed 5 MB in size. After uploading the image, the system parses it and populates the fields below. Verify that the populated information matches the image and manually correct any errors. Note If the upload fails after you have confirmed that the file format and size are correct, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser to upload the file again.
Authorizer	The owner of the signature and the party that needs to send messages (the owner of the message content). Verify that the populated information for the Authorizer field matches the letter of authorization file. If there are errors, correct them manually.
Authorizer's unified social credit code	The unified social credit code of the authorizer. The authorizer's unified social credit code in the letter of authorization must match the code in the selected Qualification Information. You cannot submit the application if they do not match.
Authorized party	The party applying for the signature, which is the enterprise or individual user registered with Alibaba Cloud. Verify that the populated information for the Authorized party field matches the letter of authorization file. If there are errors, correct them manually. For enterprise users: Enter the enterprise name. For individual users: Enter the full legal name used for individual real-name verification.
Scope of signatures in the letter of authorization (Multiple signatures supported)	Verify that the populated signature scope matches the uploaded letter of authorization. If there are errors, correct them manually. Signatures in the letter of authorization must comply with the Signature specifications and must not include special characters such as `【`, `】`, `[`, `]`, `test`, `test`, parentheses, or spaces. We recommend authorizing all potentially needed signatures in the letter of authorization at once. This avoids having to resubmit a new letter of authorization if a future signature application is rejected for not being within the authorized scope. To avoid affecting the review outcome, do not add signatures here that are outside the scope authorized in the letter of authorization. When applying for a signature in the future, if the desired signature is within the signature scope of an approved letter of authorization, that letter of authorization can be selected and reused.
Authorization validity period	The validity period of the letter of authorization. We recommend a period of 1 to 3 years, and the current date must be within this period. Verify that the populated validity period matches the one in the letter of authorization. If there are errors, correct them manually. Note Set a reasonable time frame to avoid it being too long or too short. You must submit a new letter of authorization upon expiration.

FAQ

The following are frequently asked questions about signature applications:

For more questions about signature applications, see SMS signature FAQ.