Purpose of SMS Geo Permissions
Twilio supports sending SMS messages to many countries globally. While this capability provides you with a wide reach to serve your use cases, it is just as important to use the tools available to you to manage your exposure to risks such as SMS Pumping Fraud.
SMS Geo Permissions are one such tool. Configuring SMS Geo Permissions allows you to control the list of countries to which you can send SMS messages. Given the rise of fraud in the SMS ecosystem, Twilio recommends disabling destination countries your business doesn't use or uses infrequently as a line of defense against fraudulent activity.
By default a newly created account allows messages to be sent to your home country as determined by the phone number you verified during signup.
How to change SMS Geo Permissions
Step 1 - Navigate to Messaging Geo Permissions settings
Ensure you are logged into the Twilio Account for which you want to change the permissions.
Navigate to Console > Messaging > Settings > Geo Permissions.
Step 2 - Adjust your SMS Geo Permission settings
Find the country or region for which you want to adjust the SMS Geo Permissions. You can do so by scrolling through the displayed listing arranged by continent or you can use the Filter by Country input control to narrow the search.
Once you have found the country or region whose permissions you want to adjust, use the checkbox control next to its name to enable or disable it.
Filter by country control
Country checkbox
Then, save your changes.
Twilio phone number availability and their capabilities
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Access the Buy a Number page in Console.
This is found in Console under Develop > Phone Numbers > Manage > Buy a Number.
Enter the criteria for the phone number you need, and then click Search.Country: Select the desired country from the drop-down menu.Capabilities: Select your service needs for this number.Search Criteria: Search by digits, area code, prefix, phrases or characters you want in your phone number.Advanced: Click this link to show options for the desired phone number type (local, mobile, toll-free), address requirements, emergency calling, and to allow beta number results.
Search results will be displayed with the phone number, location, type, capabilities, and price listed. Click Buy to purchase a phone number for your current project or sub-account.To display additional number options click Refresh results at the bottom of the page.
Important to Note:
Many countries require identity documentation for Phone Number compliance. Requests to provision phone numbers with these regulations will be required to select or add the required documentation after clicking Buy in Console. To see which countries and phone number types are affected by these requirements, please see our Phone Number Regulations site.
A2P 10DLC registration is required for US messaging. To send SMS/MMS messages to the US with a US local number, a registration process is required. Reference this A2P help article for further clarification on how to register.