21408: Message blocked: permissions disabled for the destination region

This error means your account tried to send a message to a destination that is disabled in Messaging Geo Permissions, or to a destination that Twilio does not support for the channel you are using. Messaging Geo Permissions are designed to help you limit outbound traffic to the countries and regions where you operate.

• The destination country or region is disabled in Messaging Geo Permissions for this account. New accounts can send only to the home country verified during signup until you enable additional destinations.
• The To number maps to a destination that Twilio does not support for the channel you are using. For WhatsApp and RCS, this includes recipients whose numbers begin with +98.
• Delivery is blocked by regulatory restrictions that Geo Permissions cannot override. Twilio stopped delivering voice, messaging, and email traffic to recipients in Iran on March 15, 2025, and to recipients in Syria and Cuba on September 15, 2025.

• In Console, go to Messaging > Settings > Geo Permissions and enable the destination country or region if Twilio supports that route and your use case requires it. Changes take effect immediately.
• Confirm that the To number uses the correct international country code for the recipient you intend to reach. SMS Geo Permissions are generally evaluated by destination country code, so an incorrect prefix can trigger this error.
• Review the destination's messaging requirements before enabling it. Some countries require additional registration and may restrict traffic by sender type or use case.
• Do not retry traffic to recipients in Iran, Syria, or Cuba expecting Geo Permissions to restore delivery. If you send over WhatsApp, also verify that the recipient is not using a blocked country number such as +98, +53, +963, +7978, or +850.

• SMS Geo Permissions
• Programmable Messaging RCS Regional Availability
• What countries can I reach with the Twilio API for WhatsApp?