# What is on an SMS compliance checklist?

> An SMS compliance programme rests on five pillars: obtain and record explicit opt-in, honour opt-out (STOP) immediately, register and correctly classify sender IDs, respect quiet hours and local marketing law, and protect personal data under the applicable privacy regime. Requirements differ by country, but these fundamentals apply almost everywhere and are what operators and regulators actually enforce.

- Canonical URL: https://www.broadnet.me/answers/sms-compliance-checklist
- Language: en
- Last reviewed: 2026-07-22
- Publisher: BroadNet (https://www.broadnet.me)

## Consent and record-keeping

Collect explicit opt-in for marketing, keep proof of when and how consent was given, and separate transactional messages (which may not need marketing consent) from promotional ones. See /answers/gdpr-for-messaging.

## Opt-out and do-not-contact

Process STOP and unsubscribe requests instantly and maintain a suppression list, so a user who opts out never receives another marketing message. See /answers/what-is-dnc.

## Sender ID registration and classification

Register alphanumeric sender IDs where required and classify traffic correctly — sending promotional content under a transactional ID can get the ID suspended by the operator firewall. See /answers/how-to-register-sender-id.

## Timing, content, and data protection

Respect quiet hours and the recipient's timezone, follow local content rules, and comply with the relevant data-protection law (for example GDPR or a regional PDPL) for any personal data you process. See /answers/pdpl-ksa-explained and the /regulations guides.

## Related

- [All answers](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [Glossary](https://www.broadnet.me/answers)
- [How do I register an alphanumeric sender ID?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/how-to-register-sender-id)
- [What is a DNC (Do Not Call) list?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/what-is-dnc)
- [GDPR for messaging — what enterprise senders need to know](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/gdpr-for-messaging)
- [PDPL (KSA) — what the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law means for messaging](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/pdpl-ksa-explained)
- [What are SMS marketing best practices?](https://www.broadnet.me/answers/sms-marketing-best-practices)
- [Sender-ID registry](https://www.broadnet.me/operators/sender-id-registry)
- [Regulations](https://www.broadnet.me/regulations)