Leave the SES sandbox: request production access

Amazon SES (BYOS)Updated

A new Amazon SES account only delivers to addresses you've verified yourself. Request production access inside AWS, and EmailFig picks up the result.

Every new Amazon SES account starts in the sandbox, which delivers only to email addresses you’ve verified in your own SES console. Real campaigns wait until AWS lifts it. You request production access inside AWS: EmailFig can’t make the request for you. What we do is notice once AWS grants it, and start sending.

Until then, Settings → AWS shows Connected — SES sandbox and a card titled SES sandbox.

Verify a sending domain first

AWS asks what you send and where from, and a verified sending domain is the strongest answer. Add and verify yours before you file the request; the sandbox doesn’t stop you. See Add and verify a sending domain and The DNS records we generate.

Request it

  1. Open Settings → AWS and find the SES sandbox card.
  2. Click Request production access. It opens your own SES account page in the AWS console, in us-east-1.
  3. Use AWS’s request form. Expect to describe your mail type (marketing), the website the addresses come from, how people opt in, how you handle bounces and complaints, and how people unsubscribe.
  4. Submit it and wait. AWS aims to answer within about a day; it can take longer.

The SES sandbox card explaining that your AWS account only delivers to verified addresses, with Check now and Request production access buttons.

AWS’s own Request production access form in the SES console, asking for the mail type, the website URL, additional contacts and a preferred contact language, with an acknowledgement to tick and a Submit request button.

Answer honestly and specifically. Useful things to say: your list is opt-in and collected by you, every email carries a one-click unsubscribe, and bounces and complaints are suppressed automatically.

When AWS grants it

EmailFig checks with AWS when you open Settings → AWS, and when you click Check now on the sandbox card. There’s no timer, so once AWS emails you, come back to the page. The moment we see the change:

  • the card becomes Your AWS account is out of the sandbox, so you can send to anyone
  • your send rate is read from your own SES limits for the first time. See Your SES sending quota and send rate
  • we email you, subject Your AWS account is out of the SES sandbox

Both Check now and the connection’s re-check button spend API calls in your own AWS account, so they’re rate limited. Click too often and EmailFig answers Please wait a moment before checking again.

What you can still do while sandboxed

  • Build campaigns, automations, forms and templates.
  • Import contacts.
  • Add and verify sending domains.
  • Send test emails. Test sends fall back to EmailFig’s shared sending identity while your account is sandboxed, so they arrive as normal. See Send a test email.

What you can’t do is send a campaign. The send is refused with Can’t send yet: your AWS account is still in the SES sandbox, which only delivers to addresses you’ve verified — see Settings → AWS. A scheduled campaign keeps retrying for an hour, then reverts to draft and we email you.

If AWS says no

AWS has no way to tell us a request was refused, so EmailFig can’t tell a declined request from one still being considered: the connection just stays in the sandbox.

The appeal is between you and AWS. Reply in the AWS Support case with what changed. We can’t open, chase or appeal an AWS case on your behalf. If AWS has told you it was refused and you’d like the EmailFig side to reflect that, email support@emailfig.com with your sign-in email and what AWS said.

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