Do You Know the Legislation on Sending SMS Messages on Public Holidays?

Sending marketing SMS messages requires compliance with certain rules established by legislation and by carriers. These rules involve respecting specific sending days for your SMS messages as well as specific time slots, including the “SMS Stop“ to allow recipients to unsubscribe, and finally adhering to the principle of “Validated Opt-in”: recipients must have given their consent to be contacted. Here is what you need to know about the legislation governing SMS marketing campaigns.

Update of March 5, 2026: The af2m has published the new version of the Business Messaging charter, which now tolerates the sending of promotional SMS messages on Sundays and public holidays, although they remain officially not recommended. Regarding time slots, you can now send promotional SMS messages from 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM, every day. At SMS Partner, we recommend avoiding such sends where possible if they are not necessary, to prevent excessive commercial pressure on consumers.

Sending Marketing SMS Messages on Public Holidays

The law regulates the sending of marketing SMS messages and prohibits it on public holidays and Sundays. The sending platform automatically suspends these SMS messages on those dates. However, you may send informational SMS messages, as they follow different rules.

SMS Partner is committed to following legal regulations by deferring all marketing SMS sends on public holidays and Sundays. If a send is scheduled, the platform delivers the message the following day, unless that day is also a public holiday or Sunday. If you wish to send an informational message during these periods, please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can unlock your account.

List of public holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Victory in Europe Day (May 8), Ascension Thursday, Whit Monday, Bastille Day, Assumption Day, All Saints’ Day, Armistice Day, Christmas Day. See the complete list of public holidays in France.

Sending SMS Messages on Saturdays and Sundays

Sending marketing SMS messages over the weekend is regulated:
– Saturday: SMS messages must be sent between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM.
– Sunday: sending SMS messages is strictly prohibited.

Respecting and Adhering to Sending Time Slots

PRO SMS sends must be carried out within a specific time slot:

– Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
– Saturday from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

It is therefore not recommended to send messages during the following periods:
– Saturday before 10:00 AM and after 6:00 PM.

Since 2014, we have observed significant differences in results depending on sending times and days. Find all best practices on sending times and days in this article.

Do you have questions about the legislation governing SMS marketing campaigns? Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any doubts.

Also check out our article on telephone canvassing legislation