--- title: "When Can You Send Marketing SMS in France? Allowed Hours, Sundays & Public Holidays" url: "https://www.atlascommunications.co/2026/10/15/sms-rules-in-france/" description: "Learn when you can send marketing SMS in France, including permitted hours, Sundays, and public holidays. Stay compliant with French SMS marketing rules." updated: "2026-10-15" --- - 15 October 2026 # When Can You Send Marketing SMS in France? Allowed Hours, Sundays & Public Holidays - [Voice communications](https://www.atlascommunications.co/category/voice-communications/) *Last verified: 5 October 2026* **Quick answer:** Since 1 March 2026, promotional SMS in France may be sent between **08:00 and 21:30**. Monday to Saturday is the recommended window. Sundays and public holidays are now **tolerated but not recommended**. Functional messages, such as delivery notifications, authentication codes and replies to a customer who wrote first, are not subject to these time limits. These rules come from the [af2m Business Messaging Charter 2026](https://af2m.org/charte-business-messaging-2026-laf2m-renforce-les-regles-du-jeu/), which French mobile operators and messaging providers apply. If you have read that marketing SMS are banned on Sundays in France, or that the cut-off is 20:00 or 22:00, you are not imagining it. Those were the rules, or approximations of them, until early 2026. This guide explains what changed, what applies today, and how to schedule campaigns safely. ### **The rules at a glance** **Message type****Monday–Saturday****Sundays and public holidays****Time limits apply?**Promotional SMS or RCS (offers, sales, newsletters, loyalty promotions)08:00–21:30, recommended08:00–21:30, tolerated but not recommendedYesFunctional SMS (delivery updates, OTP and authentication, appointment logistics)Any timeAny timeNoReplies in a conversation the customer startedAny timeAny timeNoThe charter covers Push SMS, conversational SMS (A2P/P2A, including Time2Chat) and RCS for Business. A promotional RCS message follows the same window as a promotional SMS. ### **What changed on 1 March 2026** The af2m (the French association of mobile operators and messaging service providers) published its first Business Messaging Charter in 2024. That version allowed promotional messages [on working days between 08:00 and 22:00](https://fr.themedialeader.com/?p=87943), which in practice meant no Sundays and no public holidays. The 2026 edition replaced it. Before the change, [promotional sends on Sundays and public holidays were prohibited](https://lareclame.fr/af2m-smspromotionnels-dimanche-jourferie-330088); now they are allowed within the same daily window. The daily window itself became shorter, ending at 21:30 instead of 22:00. **2024 charter****2026 charter (from 1 March 2026)**Daily window08:00–22:0008:00–21:30Monday–SaturdayWorking days onlyRecommendedSundays and public holidaysNot allowedTolerated, not recommendedFunctional messagesExemptExemptThe af2m says the “tolerated, not recommended” wording is meant to avoid excessive commercial pressure on weekends and holidays. Treat Sunday and holiday sends as the exception, not the default. ### **Is this the law?** Not directly. The sending window is an industry rule, set in the af2m charter and enforced through the messaging supply chain. Under the 2026 charter, every actor in the chain, from operators to aggregators to the brand, is responsible for its own practices and for making its partners comply. Breaches can lead to non-compliant messages being stopped. The legal layer sits elsewhere. Under article L34-5 of the French Post and Electronic Communications Code (CPCE), SMS prospecting to consumers requires prior consent, with [two narrow exceptions explained by the CNIL](https://www.cnil.fr/fr/la-prospection-commerciale-par-sms-mms). In practice, a compliant campaign needs both: valid consent under the law, and a send time within the charter window. Don’t confuse SMS with phone calls. Commercial phone calls to consumers follow a separate legal timetable: [Monday to Friday, 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–20:00, never on weekends or public holidays](https://www.echodumardi.com/juridique/le-demarchage-commercial-par-telephone-interdit-le-week-end-et-les-jours-feries) (décret n° 2022-1313). That rule governs calls, not SMS. ### **What happens if you send outside the window** This depends on your provider’s routing. Published provider documentation shows two behaviours. Some platforms [reschedule out-of-window commercial messages to the next allowed slot](https://faq.oxemis.com/en/faq/oxisms/what-strategy-should-i-choose-to-send-my-sms-messages). Others state that French networks [queue them and deliver them the following day](https://support.cpaas.8x8.com/hc/en-us/articles/900003328606-FRANCE-SMS-Products-and-Compliance). Note that both pages describe pre-2026 time windows. Either way, a queued campaign is a problem. A flash-sale SMS scheduled for 22:00 that lands at 08:00 the next morning may arrive after the sale ends. Schedule with a buffer, not at the edge of the window. ### **Transactional SMS are not affected, but watch for mixed messages** The time limits apply only to promotional content. A delivery notification at 23:00, a one-time password at 03:00 or a reply to a customer’s question on a Sunday are all fine. The risk is a message that looks transactional but contains promotion. The CNIL treats a message as prospecting when its real aim is to [encourage the reader to buy or subscribe](https://www.clubic.com/actualite-616702-la-cnil-dit-enfin-ce-que-doit-etre-la-prospection-commerciale-faite-par-sms-ou-e-mail-pour-etre-legale). An order confirmation that ends with a 10% discount code for the next purchase should be treated as promotional. That means it must respect the window and needs consent. ### **Why sources online disagree** Search for French SMS sending hours and you will find at least four different answers. Most are not wrong so much as out of date. **What you may read****Where it comes from****Status in October 2026**No marketing SMS between 20:30 and 08:00, Monday–Saturday, and none on Sundays or holidays[Older provider guides](https://www.cm.com/fr-fr/blog/envoyer-des-campagnes-de-sms-l-international-les-erreurs-a-eviter) based on earlier operator codes of conductOutdatedBlocked from 21:00 to 08:00, Sundays and holidays[Platform default settings](https://faq.oxemis.com/en/faq/oxisms/what-strategy-should-i-choose-to-send-my-sms-messages)OutdatedBlocked from 22:00 to 08:00, Sundays and holidays[Provider country guides](https://support.telnyx.com/en/articles/6531603-france-sms-guidelines) reflecting the 2024 charterOutdated08:00–21:30; Sundays and holidays tolerated, not recommended[af2m Charter 2026](https://af2m.org/charte-business-messaging-2026-laf2m-renforce-les-regles-du-jeu/)**Current**Some platforms also apply stricter defaults than the charter as a safety margin. That is a product choice, not a regulatory requirement. Always check the af2m charter itself, and the date on any guide you rely on. ### **French public holidays: remaining 2026 and full 2027** Promotional sends on these days are tolerated but not recommended. Functional messages are unaffected. **Date****Holiday**Sunday 1 November 2026All Saints’ DayWednesday 11 November 2026Armistice DayFriday 25 December 2026Christmas DayFriday 1 January 2027New Year’s DayMonday 29 March 2027Easter MondaySaturday 1 May 2027Labour DayThursday 6 May 2027Ascension DaySaturday 8 May 2027Victory in Europe DayMonday 17 May 2027Whit MondayWednesday 14 July 2027Bastille DaySunday 15 August 2027Assumption DayMonday 1 November 2027All Saints’ DayThursday 11 November 2027Armistice DaySaturday 25 December 2027Christmas Day2027 dates: [HolidayDB](https://holidaydb.com/guides/working-days/france/2027). Overseas territories add [local public holidays](https://vacances-scolaires.com/jours-feries/reunion/2027), such as 20 December in La Réunion, so segment those audiences separately. ### **Scheduling checklist** - Tag every message as promotional or functional before it is sent. - Schedule promotional sends between 08:00 and 21:30 Paris time, with a buffer at each end. - Plan big campaigns for Monday to Saturday. Use Sundays and holidays only when there is a clear reason, such as a store open that day. - Load the French public holiday calendar into your scheduler. - Confirm every recipient has given valid consent, or falls under a CNIL exception. - Include an easy opt-out (STOP keyword or unsubscribe link) in every promotional message. - Check what your provider does with out-of-window messages. ### **FAQ** **Can I send a marketing SMS on a Sunday in France?** Yes, since 1 March 2026, between 08:00 and 21:30. The af2m charter tolerates Sunday promotional sends but does not recommend them. **Can I send marketing SMS on French public holidays?** Yes, under the same conditions as Sundays: 08:00–21:30, tolerated but not recommended. **What time can I send promotional SMS in France?** Between 08:00 and 21:30. Monday to Saturday is recommended. **Do the time limits apply to OTP and delivery SMS?** No. Functional messages, including authentication, delivery notifications and customer-initiated conversations, are exempt. **Do the same rules apply to RCS?** Yes. The 2026 charter applies the same window to promotional RCS messages. **Is the sending window set by French law?** No. It comes from the af2m industry charter applied by operators and providers. French law separately requires prior consent for SMS prospecting to consumers. 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