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SMS API in France 2026: The Mandatory STOP and CNIL Rules

France makes one thing non-negotiable: every commercial SMS must carry a STOP opt-out, and missing it can cost €75,000. Add CNIL consent rules and legal sending hours, and France is strict but clear.

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smsroute editorial team · Last reviewed · 4 min read
$0.075/msg to France from 86ms median 99.0% delivered
SMS API in France 2026: The Mandatory STOP and CNIL Rules — smsroute
$0.075
per SMS to France
3 direct
Orange · SFR · Bouygues Telecom
86 ms
median submission
99.0%
delivered success
An SMS API in France has one absolutely non-negotiable rule: the STOP mention. Any SMS with a commercial or promotional purpose must include a STOP opt-out, letting the recipient unsubscribe simply and for free. This isn't a best practice in France. It's the law, per the CPCE (CPCE Article L34-5). Missing the STOP mention is a violation subject to fines up to €75,000 for a legal entity. So in France, a marketing SMS without STOP is a fineable offense before you even reach the consent question. Add CNIL and GDPR consent rules and legally-defined sending hours, and France is strict but refreshingly clear about what it demands.
On this page
  1. In France, STOP is the law
  2. The French rules
  3. Sending compliantly in France
  4. Sending to France in practice

In France, STOP is the law

An SMS API in France has one absolutely non-negotiable rule: the STOP mention. Any SMS with a commercial or promotional purpose must include a STOP opt-out, letting the recipient unsubscribe simply and for free. This isn't a best practice in France. It's the law, per the CPCE (CPCE Article L34-5). Missing the STOP mention is a violation subject to fines up to €75,000 for a legal entity. Add CNIL and GDPR consent rules and legally-defined sending hours, and France is strict but refreshingly clear about what it demands.

Here's the STOP rule, the CNIL consent framework, the legal hours, and how to send commercial SMS in France properly.

SMSRoute's published route page for France lists direct-carrier delivery via Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom from $0.075/message, with 86ms median submission and 99.0% delivered success (smsroute.cc route pages, 2026).

The French rules

The French rules — comparison diagram
Rule Detail
STOP mention Mandatory in every commercial SMS; free opt-out
Missing STOP Fine up to €75,000 (legal entity), per CPCE
STOP response Recipient immediately excluded from all campaigns
Consent Opt-in under CNIL / GDPR for marketing
Legal hours 8h-20h Mon-Sat; Sundays/holidays discouraged

The STOP mention dominates French SMS. Every commercial message must carry it, and when a recipient replies STOP, they must be immediately excluded from all future marketing — no delay. On consent, France follows the CNIL and GDPR opt-in model for marketing, the same GDPR consent discipline as the rest of the EU. On timing, CNIL and LCEN guidance set the legal commercial window at 8h to 20h Monday through Saturday (CNIL guidance on commercial prospecting), with Sundays and public holidays discouraged to limit commercial pressure.

Sending compliantly in France

  1. Put STOP in every commercial SMSA free, simple STOP opt-out in every marketing message. This is non-negotiable, and missing it risks a €75,000 fine. This is the first thing to get right in France.
  2. Exclude STOP responders immediatelyWhen someone replies STOP, suppress them from all campaigns at once, per the opt-out handling. Immediate, total exclusion.
  3. Get CNIL/GDPR opt-in consentMarketing needs documented opt-in under the French CNIL and GDPR framework. Keep records; enforcement is real.
  4. Respect legal sending hours8h-20h Monday-Saturday, avoid Sundays and holidays. Enforce it by French local time via scheduling.

The STOP rule is where French non-compliance is most visible and most expensive. Unlike markets where opt-out is expected but loosely enforced, France mandates the STOP mention in law with a specific €75,000 penalty for omitting it. Never send a commercial SMS to France without STOP. It's the single most important French rule.

Sending to France in practice

SMSRoute is a no-KYC SMS API with crypto billing (BTC, ETH, USDT, XMR, LTC, and SOL) serving the international route to France, with live pricing on the send SMS to France page. France supports alphanumeric sender IDs without a heavy registration barrier, so the friction is compliance, not routing. For transactional and OTP traffic resting on the relationship, the route delivers to French users cleanly. Note that transactional messages generally don't need the STOP mention, since it's a commercial-message requirement. When sending OTPs, ensure your application generates time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) or other 2FA codes that are concise enough to fit within the GSM-7 160-character segment limit to avoid concatenation charges.

The honest framing: the STOP mention, CNIL/GDPR consent, and legal hours are yours to implement whatever provider you use; we deliver the messages. France is technically easy to reach but legally precise: STOP in every commercial SMS, immediate exclusion on opt-out, documented opt-in, and sending within 8h-20h Mon-Sat. Get the STOP mention right above all. It's the rule with a specific fine attached, and France delivers reliably.

GDPR ConsentBlog article
Global SMS Compliance MapBlog article

FAQ

Is the STOP mention mandatory for SMS in France?
Yes, absolutely. Any SMS with a commercial or promotional purpose must include a STOP opt-out that lets the recipient unsubscribe simply and for free — it's required by the CPCE, not just best practice. Missing the STOP mention is a violation subject to fines up to €75,000 for a legal entity, making it the single most important French SMS rule.
What are the legal SMS sending hours in France?
CNIL and LCEN guidance set legal commercial sending hours at 8h to 20h Monday through Saturday. Sundays and public holidays are discouraged to limit excessive commercial pressure. Enforce these by French local time, and note that transactional messages like OTPs aren't bound by the same commercial-hours restriction.
What happens when someone replies STOP in France?
They must be immediately excluded from all future marketing campaigns — no delay. French rules require that a STOP response results in total, prompt suppression across all your campaigns, not just the one that prompted it. Combined with the mandatory STOP mention in every commercial message, this makes opt-out handling central to French compliance.
Do transactional SMS need a STOP mention in France?
Generally no — the STOP mention is a requirement for commercial and promotional messages. Transactional messages like OTPs, alerts, and confirmations serve an existing relationship and aren't marketing, so the mandatory STOP rule targets commercial traffic. However, you should still follow CNIL and GDPR data rules for the personal data involved.

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