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Guide for Sending RCS Messages to India
Review these guidelines and requirements for using RCS (Rich Communication Services) for business messaging in India. The information provided doesn't, and isn't intended to, constitute legal advice. Instead, all information is for general informational purposes only. Consult your own independent legal counsel for guidance on its use cases and applicable legal and industry requirements.
| Available in: Lightning Experience |
| Salesforce Enterprise and Unlimited Editions for Service Cloud AND Enterprise and Unlimited Editions for Marketing Cloud Next Growth and Advanced Editions |
| Not supported in Government Cloud Plus |
General Guidelines and Deliverability
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| ISO Code | IN |
| Region | Asia Pacific |
| Major Carriers | Vodafone India, Reliance Jio |
| Conversational Support | Yes |
RCS Agent Requirements
To submit your agent for review, provide this information.
Basic Agent and Hosting Region Requirements
- Set your agent's data storage and operating region to Asia Pacific.
- The agent name must clearly reflect the brand or company name the agent represents so end users can recognize the official source.
- Provide an individual's business email address connected to the company domain, for example firstname.lastname@brand.com. Free mail services like Gmail aren't accepted.
- Provide the privacy policy and terms of service links that belong to the brand or company you are registering.
Compliance Proof and Video Validation
- Provide a screenshot of the opt-in form used to collect consent. To be valid, the opt-in form must include phrases like messages, SMS messages, or promotional or informational messages via mobile phones. If these phrases aren't included in the opt-in form, add them to the Terms of Service, and link the opt-in form to the Terms of Service.
- Provide a recorded video demonstrating the actual use-case flow. The video must show the active website, terms of service, privacy policy links, and functioning START and STOP keyword responses.
Brand Activation and Email Verification
Your brand point of contact must monitor their inbox for a verification email from the provider (VIL or JIO) and reply with the exact approval statement outlined in the message body to move the agent to a live status.
Carrier-Specific Requirements
When provisioning your RCS agent in India, you can select your preferred provider. Specific carriers require other technical or legal verification.
| Carrier | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Vodafone India (VIL) | Template registration is mandatory before sending messages. Senders must submit a minimum of two company registration documents. |
| Reliance JIO (RJIO) | Template registration and document submission aren’t mandatory. |
Traffic Support
Indian providers support local and international traffic routing based on these definitions.
- Local traffic: Domestic-to-Domestic messaging, and International-Origin-to-India-Destination messaging.
- International (INTL) traffic: India-Origin-to-International-Destination messaging.
- Supported categories: Senders can deploy Transactional, Promotional, and One-Time Password (OTP) traffic. India doesn't support multi-use campaigns. For more information on Google's India specific recommendations, see Business Rules for India.
Restricted Content
RCS templates containing these content categories are strictly prohibited.
- Counterfeit goods
- Dangerous products or services
- Products or services that enable dishonest behaviors
- Dangerous or derogatory content
- Shocking content
- Capitalizing on sensitive events
- Animal cruelty
- Adult content
- Tobacco
- Political content
- Hate and violence
- Unauthorized content
- Firearms, weapons, or ammunition
