Authorization letter guidelines
This guide explains how to prepare, submit, and use an authorization letter in Alibaba Cloud Short Message Service when applying for an SMS signature on behalf of a third party. We cover workflows for both the console and API to help ensure your submission is compliant and approved on the first attempt.
Overall process
The authorization letter lifecycle has three phases: document preparation, submission and review, and binding and usage. This process translates an offline legal authorization into a system-verifiable online record.
Procedure
Step 1: Prepare the authorization letter file
You must use the official authorization letter template provided by Alibaba Cloud. Custom or self-modified legal templates are not supported. Download the official template by using one of the following methods, complete it as required, stamp it with your enterprise's official seal, and then upload it.
1. Download the template
In this step, you will create a complete and compliant authorization letter.
Download from the console
The Alibaba Cloud authorization letter template supports auto-filling the Authorized Party and Authorizer fields. Downloading the template from the console simplifies this process.
Log on to the Short Message Service console.
In the left-side navigation pane, choose , and then click Create Signature.
For Usage, select Third party enterprise, website, or service. Then, from the Authorization Letter drop-down list, click Add Authorization Letter.
Download via a link
Click Authorization Letter Template.doc to download the template directly.
2. Complete the authorization information
Refer to the table below to accurately fill in each field in the template. Consistent and accurate information is crucial for your application to be approved.
Item | Description | Example |
Authorized Party | The signature applicant, which is the enterprise user or individual user registered with Alibaba Cloud. The Authorized Party must be the identity-verified entity of the current Alibaba Cloud account; the Authorizer's account cannot be used to submit the application on behalf of the Authorized Party.
Note In this scenario, an individual user is a person who is authorized by an enterprise, but is not the company's legal representative. |
|
Authorizer | The signature owner. This is the entity that will send the SMS messages. Note The authorizer cannot be an individual. | Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd. |
Unified Social Credit Code | The Unified Social Credit Code of the signature owner. | - |
Scope of authorized signatures | The SMS signatures authorized for use. The signatures must comply with the SMS signature specifications. An SMS signature must be an enterprise/institution name or a registered trademark name:
Important List all required signatures in one authorization letter. You can reuse a single letter for multiple signature applications. | Cainiao Network, Cainiao Guoguo |
Party liable for risks | The signature owner. This is the entity that will send the SMS messages. | Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd. |
Authorization validity period | We recommend setting the validity period to one to three years. Important An expired authorization letter does not affect SMS sending through already registered channels. However, to maintain compliance, update the authorization letter in a timely manner. | - |
Official seal | The official seal of the signature owner's company or organization. Note If a sole proprietorship does not have an official seal, the signature of the business owner is sufficient. | Official seal of Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd. |
Signature of legal representative or person in charge | The legal representative or person in charge must sign by hand. The handwriting must be neat and legible. Signature seals are also accepted. | - |
Signing date | Enter the date the authorization letter was signed. | April 10, 2025 |
Examples
Enterprise user
Alipay (China) Network Technology Co., Ltd. needs to apply for an SMS signature named 'Cainiao Network', so it must obtain authorization from Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Alibaba Cloud account type: Enterprise user
Verified company name: Alipay (China) Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Individual user
Zhang San needs to apply for an SMS signature named 'Cainiao Network', so they must obtain authorization from Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd.
Alibaba Cloud account type: Individual user
Verified full name: Zhang San
Step 2: Submit the authorization letter
All files must be scanned copies of the original document. The official seal in the scanned image must be red.
Upload in the console
On the Add Signature page of the Short Message Service console, select for third-party use for Usage, and then click Add Authorization Letter. Only JPG, PNG, or JPEG images are supported. Each image must be no larger than 5 MB.
If the upload fails even though the file format and size are correct, try clearing your browser cache or using a different browser before uploading the file again.
Upload via API
Prepare the authorization letter file with the required official seal, and then upload the file to OSS to get the file path.
The filename cannot contain Chinese characters or special characters.
Only images in JPG, PNG, GIF, and JPEG formats are supported. The image size cannot exceed 5 MB.
Call the CreateSmsAuthorizationLetter interface, passing the file path to create the authorization letter.
After the letter is created, you can call the QuerySmsAuthorizationLetter - Query an authorization letter interface to check its status.
Step 3: Apply for a signature
Use an approved authorization letter: The system displays a filtered list of valid authorization letters that match the selected Qualification information. Select the appropriate letter. Ensure the signature you are applying for is listed within the scope of the selected letter.
Previously approved but unnamed authorization letters are automatically found and named using the format
Authorizer Company NameVVersion Number.For example, if the authorizer was Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd., the letter's default name becomes
Cainiao Network Technology Co., Ltd.V1.Add an authorization letter: If the required letter is not in the Authorization Letter list, click Add Authorization Letter to upload it.