A2P and Persona Messaging Rules for U.S. and Canada

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

Domestic SMS in the U.S. and Canada requires A2P registration. International messages from U.S. or Canada need Persona verification only. U.S. to U.K. is blocked at the carrier level.

Sparkforge has aligned A2P (Application-to-Person) and Persona verification rules across the United States and Canada. Use this guide to know which registration each route requires and which error codes signal which gap.

1. Domestic messaging (within U.S. and Canada)

Any message between U.S. and Canadian numbers — including U.S. → U.S., U.S. → CA, CA → U.S., or messaging to Puerto Rico — requires A2P registration.

If A2P is missing, the message fails with:

Error 30034 — Number not A2P compliant. Please register for A2P.

CA → CA exception

Numbers purchased before March 26, 2025: A2P registration not required. Messaging continues as usual.
Numbers purchased on or after March 26, 2025: A2P registration is optional, but Persona verification is required if A2P is not completed.

2. International messaging (U.S. or Canada to other countries)

For international destinations, A2P registration is not required. Persona verification is the only requirement.

Without either registration, the message fails with:

Error 1002 — Message blocked. A2P or persona verification needed.

Examples

U.S. number → customer in France: allowed with Persona verification.
Canadian number → customer in Australia: allowed with Persona verification.
No verification of any kind: blocked with Error 1002.

3. Exception: messaging to the United Kingdom

Messages from U.S. numbers to U.K. recipients are not allowed. The system returns:

Error 21612 — Message cannot be sent with the current combination of "To" and/or "From" parameters.

U.K. → U.K. messaging is permitted.

Quick reference

Route	Requirement	Failure code
U.S./CA/PR domestic	A2P required	30034
CA → CA (numbers before 3/26/25)	None	—
CA → CA (numbers from 3/26/25)	A2P or Persona	30034
U.S./CA → international	Persona	1002
U.S. → U.K.	Not supported	21612

Frequently Asked Questions

What is A2P registration?

Application-to-Person registration is the carrier-level approval required for business SMS in the U.S. and Canada. Without it, domestic messages fail with Error 30034.

What is Persona verification?

Persona verification authenticates the sender's identity at the platform level. International messages from U.S. or Canadian numbers require it.

Why can't I send SMS from the U.S. to the U.K.?

U.S. → U.K. SMS is blocked at the carrier level and returns Error 21612. There is no workaround inside Sparkforge — use a U.K.-based number for that route.

Do older Canadian numbers still need A2P for CA-to-CA?

No. Canadian numbers purchased before March 26, 2025 are exempt from A2P for CA-to-CA messaging. Numbers purchased on or after that date need A2P or Persona verification.

What does Error 1002 mean?

Error 1002 means the message is blocked because neither A2P registration nor Persona verification is complete. Add one of those for the international route.