SMS quiet hours by country
Some countries only allow SMS, or marketing SMS, at certain hours or on certain days. These are the rules we check for our own routes.
37 countries
| Country | When you can send | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Armenia | Mon-Fri 10:00-21:00 only, no sending on Saturday or Sunday. The time zone is taken from the recipient number. | Check with us |
| Azerbaijan | Monday to Friday 08:00 to 16:00 in the recipient's time zone. No sending on Saturday or Sunday, or on 1 January. | Confirmed |
| Botswana | Mon to Sat 08:00 to 19:00, no sending on Sunday (UTC+2, Gaborone). | Check with us |
| Brazil | Marketing only 09:00-22:00 local time and not on Sundays. Brazil spans three time zones. | Check with us |
| Chile | Mon to Fri 08:30 to 19:30, Sat 09:00 to 14:00, no Sunday sends. Time zone UTC-3 Santiago. Chilean public holidays are also excluded. | Confirmed |
| Colombia | Mon to Fri 07:00 to 19:00, Sat 08:00 to 15:00, no sending on Sunday. Bogota time (UTC-5). Also excluded: 1 Jan, 12 Jan, 12 Oct, 2 Nov, 16 Nov, 8 Dec, 25 Dec. | Check with us |
| Congo | 07:00 to 16:30 UTC, every day. | Check with us |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 08:00 to 19:00, Monday to Sunday, in the recipient's time zone | Check with us |
| Ecuador | Monday to Friday 09:00 to 18:00 Ecuador time (UTC-5). No sending on Saturday or Sunday. | Confirmed |
| Egypt | Marketing messages are not allowed between 21:00 and 09:00 Egypt time (UTC+2), nor on Fridays, Saturdays or official holidays. | Check with us |
| France | 08:00 to 21:30 Paris time, Monday to Sunday. Transactional messages are exempt. | Check with us |
| Ghana | 08:00 to 20:00 every day, in the recipient's time zone. | Check with us |
| Hong Kong | 09:00 to 23:00 every day, recipient time zone. | Check with us |
| India | 10:00 to 21:00 every day, in the recipient's time zone. | Confirmed |
| Italy | No marketing or promotional messages from 22:00 to 08:00, or all day Sunday. No time zone is given. | Check with us |
| Jordan | Mon to Thu and Sun 07:00 to 21:00 Amman time (UTC+3). No sending on Friday or Saturday, and also excluded 27 Sep and 25 Dec. Promotional messages are not allowed after 21:00. | Confirmed |
| Kazakhstan | Send window 09:00 to 21:00 every day, UTC+5. | Check with us |
| Kenya | 08:00 to 18:00 every day, in the recipient's time zone. | Confirmed |
| Kuwait | 07:00 to 23:00 Kuwait time (UTC+3), every day | Check with us |
| Malawi | Promotional SMS must not be sent between 5pm and 8am local time (UTC+2). | Check with us |
| Malaysia | No marketing or promotional messages between 8PM and 8AM. | Check with us |
| Mexico | 08:00 to 20:00 every day, UTC-6 Mexico City. | Check with us |
| Montenegro | Sending allowed 08:00 to 20:00 every day, in the recipient's time zone (from the number). | Check with us |
| Morocco | 08:00 to 20:00 Morocco time (UTC+1), every day. | Check with us |
| Nigeria | Sending allowed 07:00 to 19:00 UTC, every day. | Check with us |
| Pakistan | 08:00 to 20:00 every day, in the recipient's local time. | Check with us |
| Paraguay | Mon to Fri 08:00 to 18:00, Sat 09:00 to 15:00, no Sunday sends. Recipient's local time. | Confirmed |
| Reunion | Monday to Saturday 00:00 to 22:00 Reunion time (UTC+4). No sending on Sunday or on 1 Jan, 18 Apr, 1 May, 8 May, 26 May, 5 Jun, 6 Jun, 14 Jul, 15 Aug, 1 Nov, 11 Nov and 25 Dec. | Confirmed |
| Saudi Arabia | Sending allowed 06:00 to 19:00 UTC every day. Promotional messages are also limited to 09:00 to 20:00 local time. | Check with us |
| South Africa | Sending allowed 08:00 to 20:00 every day (UTC+2). WASPA code: no marketing on Sundays and public holidays, Saturdays before 9am or after 1pm, or other days between 8pm and 8am. | Check with us |
| South Korea | 08:00 to 20:00 every day, in the recipient's time zone. | Confirmed |
| Taiwan | 03:00 to 23:59 every day, recipient time zone. Promotional messages are not allowed from 12:30 to 13:30 or from 21:00 to 09:00. | Check with us |
| Tanzania | 08:00 to 20:00 every day, Tanzania time (UTC+3, Dodoma). | Confirmed |
| Thailand | Marketing and promotional messages may not be sent from 21:00 to 09:00. | Check with us |
| Uganda | 06:01 to 18:59 every day (UTC+3, Kampala). | Check with us |
| United Arab Emirates | 07:00 to 21:00 UAE time (UTC+4), every day. Promotional messages outside these hours are queued until the window opens. | Check with us |
| Vietnam | Mon to Fri 07:00 to 11:30 and 13:45 to 21:00; Sat and Sun 09:00 to 11:30 and 14:30 to 21:00 (UTC+7). No marketing between 8pm and 8am. | Confirmed |
Times are usually the recipient's local time. "Check with us" means our sources differ on some details, so contact us before sending. Countries not listed have no specific rule in our records. For sender ID and opt-out rules, see coverage by country.
Why sending times matter
Quiet hours protect people from messages late at night or on rest days. In some countries they apply to marketing messages only; in others, to every message.
Even where there is no rule, sending during the day gets better results. A message that arrives at 2am is more likely to annoy than to be read.
realay lets you schedule a campaign for a set date, time and time zone, so messages go out when your recipients are awake.
Questions about SMS quiet hours
What are SMS quiet hours?
Some countries only allow SMS, or marketing SMS, during certain hours or days. Sending outside them can break local rules or get messages blocked by networks.
Whose time zone counts?
Usually the recipient's local time. Where a rule names a specific time zone, it is shown in the rule.
What does Check with us mean?
Our sources differ on some details for that country. Contact us before sending and we will confirm the current rule.
Where does this come from?
These are the rules we check for our own routes. They change from time to time, so the coverage page shows when each country was last checked.
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