How to Get Out of the Amazon SES Sandbox (With a Request Template)
To leave the Amazon SES sandbox, open the SES console, choose "Request production access" on the account dashboard, and describe what you send, how people opt in, and how you handle bounces, complaints and unsubscribes. AWS usually replies within about a day. Specific, honest answers get approved; vague ones get rejected.
What is the SES sandbox?
Every new SES account starts in a sandbox to stop spammers. In the sandbox you can only send to email addresses and domains you have verified, and your daily volume is very small. Sandbox status is per AWS region.
How do I request production access?
- Sign in to the SES console in the region you will send from.
- Open the account dashboard and choose Request production access.
- Pick the mail type: Marketing for newsletters, Transactional for receipts and password resets.
- Add your website URL. It should be live and show how people subscribe.
- Describe your use case using the template below.
- Submit, then watch the email on your AWS account for AWS's reply.
Copy-paste request template
Edit every bracketed part so it is true for you:
We send [a weekly newsletter / product updates] to [number] subscribers
who signed up on [yourdomain.com] using a double opt-in form.
We have never purchased or rented lists.
Expected volume: about [number] emails per [week/month].
Bounces and complaints: we use an SES configuration set that sends
events to our app, which suppresses hard bounces and complaints
automatically. Every email includes a one-click unsubscribe header
and a visible unsubscribe link, processed immediately.
Authentication: our domain is verified with Easy DKIM, SPF via a custom
MAIL FROM domain, and a DMARC record.
Sample email: [link to a past issue or screenshot].Why do SES production requests get rejected?
- The website is empty, unrelated, or has no visible signup form
- The description is one vague line like "marketing emails"
- No mention of how bounces, complaints and unsubscribes are handled
- Signs of purchased lists or cold outreach
- A brand-new domain with no history and no explanation
If rejected, reply to the case with the missing details instead of opening a new one.
What happens after approval?
You can send to any address, within a daily quota and a per-second sending rate. AWS raises both as you send good mail with low bounces and complaints. Warm up gradually; see How to warm up a new sending domain.
Apps like EazyEmailer can then send through your SES account. EazyEmailer doesn't detect sandbox status for you, so request production access before your first real campaign.
FAQ
How long does the SES sandbox review take?
Usually about a day, sometimes longer. Incomplete requests take longer because AWS asks follow-up questions.
Do I need production access in every region?
Yes. Sandbox status and quotas are separate in each AWS region.
Can I test in the sandbox?
Yes. Verify your own addresses and send test emails to them while you wait.
Will AWS approve cold email?
Generally no. AWS's policies require recipients to have asked for your email.