Telephony and SMS new toll free phone number stuck in 'verifying' for months

Hi @Chris

Thank you for eaching us regarding the issue.

Toll-free phone numbers require mandatory SMS verification through the toll-free messaging aggregator. This is required for sending SMS to US and Canadian numbers. Unverified (or stuck in verification) toll-free numbers have SMS traffic blocked.

Expected Timelines:

• Application Submitted to Pending: 1–5 business days.
• Pending to Verdict (Verified, Rejected, or More info needed): 4–5 weeks.
• Overall process: About 5–6 weeks.
• During high volume at the aggregator: Can take up to ~8 weeks.

Months of "Verification in progress" (or similar "Pending"/"Submitted" status) is longer than documented normal timelines and suggests a possible issue with the application, high backlog, or processing delay.

How to Check Detailed Status

1. Go to your Azure Communication Services resource in the Azure portal.
2. Navigate to Phone numbers (or the relevant Telephony section) to confirm the number is Active.
3. Go to the Regulatory Documents section (also accessible via the resource menu) to view your toll-free verification application details, status, any comments/notes from the aggregator, and the campaign brief ID

Recommended Action:

• Review and ensure high-quality application: Incomplete, unclear, or low-quality submissions (e.g., missing opt-in proof, unclear use case, ineligible content) commonly cause delays or rejection. Review the full toll-free verification guidelines for details on program description, opt-in process (most critical), templates, volume, etc.
• Resubmit/Update the application: You can often submit a new or corrected verification application via the Regulatory Documents blade (click Add to launch the wizard) without deleting the number. This is recommended when stuck beyond normal timelines.

Should You Delete and Buy a New Number?
It is not recommend this as the first step. A new toll-free number will require the same verification process (5–8+ weeks), so it won't resolve the urgency quickly. Only consider deletion if support confirms the current application cannot proceed.

Recommendation: Immediately check Regulatory Documents, review/ensure your application meets quality guidelines, consider resubmitting if needed.

Reference:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/concepts/sms/sms-faq#toll-free-verification
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/quickstarts/sms/apply-for-toll-free-verification
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/concepts/sms/toll-free-verification-guidelines

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

Please "upvote" if the information helped you. This will help us and others in the community as well.

Thank you for the quick response.

I confirmed that the number is Active.

I took a look at the Regulatory Documents and the last update was from April (about a month after the initial application). I guess 4 additional mandatory fields were added to the process between my application and it's review, so I had to update it, which I did immediately (again, back in April). That is the last entry in those docs.

I tried to hit the +Add to re-submit an application, but on the first screen it doesn't let me choose my toll free number - I assume because it is already use in the existing application. So, I can't seem to find a way to re-apply for anything with the existing phone number.

Anything else you think that I can try?

Thanks

Hi @Chris

Thanks for the additional details, I appreciate you checking the Regulatory Documents section and providing that context. It's clear you've already taken the right steps, including updating the application back in April when the new fields were introduced.

Unfortunately, once a toll-free number is associated with an existing verification application, the portal prevents starting a fresh submission via the +Add option. This is expected behavior, as documented in the verification process.

The timelines for toll-free SMS verification are typically 5–6 weeks overall (sometimes up to around 8 weeks during high volume at the aggregator). Since your last update was in April with no further movement, this is well beyond normal processing time.

Recommended next step:

1. In the Regulatory Documents section for your Communication Services resource, note down the toll-free verification campaign brief ID (also called program brief ID). This is key for any escalation.
2. Open a support ticket directly from your Azure Communication Services resource:
   • Go to Support + troubleshooting > New support request.
   • Include the toll-free number, the campaign brief ID, your timeline (initial submission + April update), and screenshots of the current status.

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

Please "upvote" if the information helped you. This will help us and others in the community as well.