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How to get out of the Amazon SES sandbox

Every new SES account starts in the sandbox, in every region. Here is what the sandbox blocks, what AWS checks before granting production access, and how to ask so the first answer is a yes.

What the sandbox limits

While an account-region is in the sandbox:

  • You can only send to verified addresses and domains, or the mailbox simulator.
  • You can send at most 200 messages in 24 hours.
  • You can send at most 1 message per second.
  • Suppression list bulk actions and management API calls are disabled.

Everything else works, so finish your setup before you apply. Source: AWS documentation.

Before you apply

  1. Verify your sending domain, not just one address, with DKIM. AWS lets you request production access from the Get set up page once a domain is verified, and approves those requests faster.
  2. Set up a custom MAIL FROM domain and DMARC so your mail is aligned and authenticated.
  3. Handle bounces and complaints. Route SES events somewhere that suppresses bad addresses automatically. AWS asks you to confirm you have this.
  4. Publish a real website at the URL you will submit, showing what your product does and how people sign up.

Request production access in the console

  1. Open the SES console in the region you send from and choose Account dashboard.
  2. In the sandbox banner, choose View Get set up page, then Request production access.
  3. Choose Transactional or Marketing, whichever describes most of your mail.
  4. Enter your website URL.
  5. Add up to four contact addresses and a contact language.
  6. Confirm you only send to people who asked for your email and that you process bounces and complaints, then submit.

Or request it with the AWS CLI

aws sesv2 put-account-details \
  --production-access-enabled \
  --mail-type TRANSACTIONAL \
  --website-url https://example.com \
  --additional-contact-email-addresses ops@example.com \
  --contact-language EN \
  --region us-east-2

Use MARKETING for mostly marketing mail and JA for Japanese. You cannot edit the request while it is under review.

After approval

AWS raises your quota, typically to 50,000 messages a day at 14 per second to start, and increases it as you send good mail. Keep your bounce rate under 5% and complaint rate under 0.1%: above those, AWS puts the account under review.

Stamp0 shows your sandbox status and quota for each connected region, runs the checklist above for you, and watches bounce and complaint rates against those thresholds. Connect AWS to see where your account stands.

Frequently asked

01

How long does it take to get out of the SES sandbox?

AWS says its support team gives an initial response within 96 hours. Requests from accounts with a verified domain and a clear, consent-based use case are usually approved in that first response; if AWS asks for more information, it takes longer.
02

Is the SES sandbox per region?

Yes. Sandbox status is set per AWS account and per region. Getting production access in us-east-1 does not lift the sandbox in eu-west-1; request it in every region you send from.
03

What can I do while still in the sandbox?

Everything except send to unverified recipients. You can verify domains, set up DKIM and MAIL FROM, wire up events, and send up to 200 emails a day, one per second, to verified addresses or the SES mailbox simulator.
04

Why was my production access request denied?

Common reasons are a missing or placeholder website, no verified domain, a use case that sounds like unsolicited or purchased-list email, or no plan for handling bounces and complaints. Fix those and reply to the support case or submit again.

Send through SES without the SES console.

Resend-compatible API, automatic DNS and an event log, on your own AWS account.