Is B2B cold calling legal in the US?
Yes. Calls to business numbers are mostly outside the National Do Not Call Registry, and the TCPA is aimed mainly at robocalls and calls to consumers. Since 2024, the Telemarketing Sales Rule's ban on misleading claims also covers B2B calls. You still have to honour do-not-call requests, and some states add rules of their own.
- The National Do Not Call Registry is for personal numbers. Most calls to business numbers fall outside it, but when a contact may be on a personal or mobile phone, we check the number against the registry first.
- Every call is made by a live caller. We don't use robocalls or prerecorded messages, which the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) restricts.
- Since 2024, the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule bans misleading claims on business-to-business calls too. Your caller sticks to the facts in your script.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again goes on your internal do-not-call list straight away.
- Some states have their own telemarketing laws, mostly stricter rules for calls to consumers. We check which states are on your list before calls start.
Cold calling in the US: callers, hours and prices · Source: FTC: Complying with the Telemarketing Sales Rule
Is B2B cold calling legal in the UK?
Yes. Live B2B marketing calls are allowed under PECR, as long as you don't call numbers registered with the TPS or CTPS (unless that business has said it's happy to be called) and you stop when asked.
- Live marketing calls to businesses are allowed under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), but not to numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) or Corporate TPS (CTPS), unless that business has told you it's happy to be called.
- We screen your list against the TPS and CTPS before we call.
- Sole traders and most partnerships count as individuals under PECR, so the TPS rules for individuals apply to them.
- Your caller's number is always shown. Marketing calls with a withheld number aren't allowed.
- Named contacts are personal data under UK GDPR, so you need a lawful basis for your list, usually legitimate interests. Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in the UK: callers, hours and prices · Source: ICO: Business-to-business marketing
Is B2B cold calling legal in Ireland?
Yes, with conditions. Marketing calls to business landlines are allowed unless the number is on the National Directory Database opt-out register, but marketing calls to mobiles need the subscriber's consent first.
- Ireland's ePrivacy Regulations don't treat calls to businesses differently from calls to individuals. What matters is whether the number is a landline or a mobile.
- Landlines: marketing calls are allowed unless the number is on the National Directory Database (NDD) opt-out register, or the business has told you not to call. We check landline numbers against the NDD first.
- Mobiles: unsolicited marketing calls to a mobile need the subscriber's consent beforehand. We call landlines and switchboards, and only call mobiles where you have that consent.
- GDPR applies to named contacts, and anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Ireland: callers, hours and prices · Source: Data Protection Commission: NDD FAQs
Is B2B cold calling legal in Canada?
Yes. Telemarketing calls to businesses are exempt from the National Do Not Call List rules, but you still have to follow the CRTC's other telemarketing rules, including keeping an internal do-not-call list.
- Telemarketing calls to businesses are exempt from the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) rules.
- They still have to follow the CRTC's other telemarketing rules, including keeping an internal do-not-call list. Anyone who asks not to be called again goes on it.
- Your caller says who they are and who they're calling for at the start of every call.
- Quebec has its own privacy law, and most Quebec businesses prefer French. Our callers call in English.
Cold calling in Canada: callers, hours and prices · Source: National DNCL: Exemptions
Is B2B cold calling legal in Australia?
Yes. Business numbers can't be registered on the Do Not Call Register, but telemarketing calls still have to follow the Industry Standard's rules on calling hours, identifying yourself and showing caller ID.
- Business numbers can't be added to the Do Not Call Register; numbers used mainly for personal reasons can. When a contact may be on a personal mobile, we check the number against the register first.
- The Telemarketing and Research Calls Industry Standard sets calling hours: weekdays 9am to 8pm, Saturdays 9am to 5pm, and no calls on Sundays or national public holidays. Our shifts are weekdays, 9am to 5pm your time.
- The Standard also says callers must say who they are and who they're calling for, end the call when asked, and show a caller ID number. We follow it on every call.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Australia: callers, hours and prices · Source: ACMA Do Not Call Register: Industry standards
Is B2B cold calling legal in New Zealand?
Yes. New Zealand has no government do-not-call register, but the Privacy Act 2020 and the Fair Trading Act still apply to how you call and what you say.
- New Zealand has no government do-not-call register. The Marketing Association runs a voluntary Do Not Call list for home and mobile numbers; it doesn't cover businesses.
- The Privacy Act 2020 covers how personal details, such as a contact's name and direct number, are collected and used.
- The Fair Trading Act bans misleading claims, on calls as much as anywhere else.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again goes on your internal do-not-call list straight away.
Cold calling in New Zealand: callers, hours and prices · Source: Marketing Association: Do Not Call
Is B2B cold calling legal in the UAE?
Telemarketing is legal but tightly regulated since August 2024: calls only between 9am and 6pm, no calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, and heavy fines. How far the rules reach business-to-business calls isn't settled, so check with a UAE legal adviser.
- Cabinet Resolutions 56 and 57 of 2024 regulate telemarketing in the UAE. They took effect on 27 August 2024 and apply to companies operating in the UAE, including free zone companies.
- Marketing calls are only allowed between 9am and 6pm UAE time, numbers on the TDRA's Do Not Call Registry (DNCR) can't be called, and fines for breaking the rules can reach AED 150,000.
- The rules are written around calls to consumers, and how far they reach business-to-business calls isn't settled. We keep every call inside 9am to 6pm UAE time and stop at the first request not to be called.
- If your company is licensed in the UAE, rules on approvals and registered calling numbers may apply to you. Check with your UAE legal adviser before calls start, and we'll set up the campaign to match.
Cold calling in the UAE: callers, hours and prices · Source: Mondaq: New telemarketing regulations in the UAE
Is B2B cold calling legal in Saudi Arabia?
Business-to-business calling isn't banned, but Saudi rules on marketing lean towards prior consent and a clearly identified sender, and how they apply to live B2B calls is less settled than in the UK or the US. Take local legal advice before a large campaign.
- Saudi rules on marketing, under the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) and the anti-spam regulations, lean towards prior consent and a clearly identified sender. How they apply to live business-to-business calls is less settled than in the UK or the US.
- Because of that, we call business lines during Saudi business hours, Sunday to Thursday, and your caller says who they are and who they're calling for at the start of every call.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
- For a large campaign, take local legal advice first. We'll set up the campaign to match what your adviser recommends.
Cold calling in Saudi Arabia: callers, hours and prices · Source: Al Tamimi & Co: Marketing consent in Saudi Arabia
Is B2B cold calling legal in Singapore?
Yes. B2B marketing calls to organisations are excluded from the PDPA's Do Not Call rules. Calls to people in a personal capacity have to be checked against the DNC Registry first.
- Business-to-business marketing calls are excluded from the Do Not Call (DNC) rules of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), as long as you're calling an organisation about its business.
- Calls to someone in a personal capacity, such as on a personal mobile, are covered. Those numbers have to be checked against the DNC Registry first, and we do that before calling them.
- The rest of the PDPA still applies to personal data, such as a contact's name and direct number.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Singapore: callers, hours and prices · Source: PDPC: Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions
Is B2B cold calling legal in Germany?
Yes, but Germany is one of the strictest countries in Europe. Under the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), a sales call to a business needs at least its presumed consent: a concrete reason to believe it would welcome your call. Pure cold calls with no such reason risk cease-and-desist letters from competitors and trade associations.
- Under section 7 of the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), a sales call to a business is only allowed with at least its presumed consent (mutmaßliche Einwilligung). Calls to consumers need express consent beforehand.
- Presumed consent needs a concrete reason to believe the business would welcome your call, such as an enquiry it made, a conversation at an event, or a clear need for what you sell. A general fit with your target market usually isn't enough, and you have to be able to show the reason.
- Before calls start, we go through your list with you and only call contacts where you can show that reason. We note it against each contact.
- Automated calls need express consent even for businesses. Every call we make is a live call.
- GDPR applies to named contacts, and anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Germany: callers, hours and prices · Source: UWG § 7, official text (German)
Is B2B cold calling legal in Switzerland?
Yes. Advertising calls are allowed in principle, but under the Swiss Act against Unfair Competition (UWG) it's unfair to call a number marked with an asterisk (*) in the phone directory, which means the subscriber doesn't want advertising calls.
- Under the Swiss Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), advertising calls are allowed in principle, but calling a number marked with an asterisk (*) in the public phone directory is unfair. The asterisk means the subscriber doesn't want advertising calls.
- We check the numbers on your list against the directory and remove asterisk entries before calling.
- Your caller's number is always shown, and they say who they are and who they're calling for.
- Switzerland's Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) applies to named contacts. Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Switzerland: callers, hours and prices · Source: law.ch: Telephone advertising and cold calling (German)
Is B2B cold calling legal in Sweden?
Yes. Sweden's NIX-Telefon register lets private individuals opt out of sales calls, and marketers must check private numbers against it. Company numbers aren't covered by NIX, but GDPR applies to named contacts, and a company that asks not to be called must not be called again.
- NIX-Telefon lets private individuals opt out of sales and marketing calls, and Sweden's Marketing Act requires marketers to check private numbers against it. Company numbers aren't on NIX.
- When a number may be a person's private line rather than a company's, we check it against NIX first.
- Named contacts are personal data under GDPR, so you need a lawful basis for your list, usually legitimate interests.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Sweden: callers, hours and prices · Source: Kontakta: The NIX registry
Is B2B cold calling legal in Norway?
Yes. Norway's opt-out register (Reservasjonsregisteret) and its telephone sales rules protect consumers. Calls to businesses aren't covered by those rules, though they must still follow good business practice, and GDPR applies to named contacts.
- Consumers can opt out of telephone sales through Reservasjonsregisteret, run by the Brønnøysund Register Centre, and the Marketing Control Act's telephone sales rules protect them.
- Those consumer rules don't cover businesses, and Norway's consumer authority has said sole traders can count as businesses too.
- Calls to businesses still have to follow good business practice, and GDPR applies to named contacts.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Norway: callers, hours and prices · Source: Norwegian Government: rules on telephone sales (Norwegian)
Is B2B cold calling legal in Denmark?
Yes. The ban on unsolicited sales calls in Denmark's Consumer Contracts Act (section 4) protects consumers, not companies. Sole traders can count as individuals under the Robinson list rules in the Marketing Practices Act, and GDPR applies to named contacts.
- Section 4 of the Consumer Contracts Act bans unsolicited sales calls to consumers, with a few exceptions. It doesn't cover calls to companies.
- Sole traders can be treated as individuals under the Marketing Practices Act, which lets people opt out of marketing through the CPR Robinson list. When a number may belong to a sole trader, we check it against the Robinson list first.
- GDPR applies to named contacts, and anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Denmark: callers, hours and prices · Source: Consumer Contracts Act § 4 (Danish)
Is B2B cold calling legal in Finland?
Yes. Finland's telemarketing rules and its Robinson opt-out service are aimed mainly at consumers, and live sales calls to companies are generally allowed. GDPR applies to named contacts, and a company that objects must not be called again.
- Finland's telemarketing code of conduct and the Consumer Protection Act's distance-selling rules focus on calls to consumers.
- Consumers can opt out of marketing through the Robinson service run by ASML, the Finnish marketing association. When a number may be a person's private line, we check it first.
- Calling randomly generated numbers isn't allowed. We only call the numbers on the list you give us.
- GDPR applies to named contacts, and anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
Cold calling in Finland: callers, hours and prices · Source: ASML: Telemarketing code of conduct (PDF)
Is B2B cold calling legal in Japan?
Yes. Japan's telemarketing rules in the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions are written to protect consumers, and contracts a company makes for its business are generally outside them. The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) still applies to named contacts.
- The Act on Specified Commercial Transactions sets rules for telephone sales, such as saying who you are and why you're calling at the start, and not calling back someone who has said no. They're written to protect consumers, and contracts a company makes for its business are generally outside them.
- We follow the same courtesy on every call anyway: your caller says who they are and why they're calling, and never calls back a company that has said no.
- The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) covers how contacts' names and numbers are handled.
Cold calling in Japan: callers, hours and prices · Source: Consumer Affairs Agency: Specified Commercial Transactions Act guide (Japanese)
Is B2B cold calling legal in Qatar?
Calling businesses isn't banned, but Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law No. 13 of 2016) requires prior consent for direct electronic marketing to individuals, and whether that covers live phone calls isn't clearly settled. Take local legal advice before a large campaign.
- Qatar's Personal Data Privacy Protection Law (Law No. 13 of 2016) bans direct electronic marketing to individuals without their consent beforehand. The sender must identify themselves and offer a way to stop, and fines can reach QAR 5 million.
- Whether that rule covers live business calls isn't clearly settled. We call business lines during Doha business hours, Sunday to Thursday, and your caller says who they are and who they're calling for at the start of every call.
- Anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
- For a large campaign, take local legal advice first. We'll set up the campaign to match what your adviser recommends.
Cold calling in Qatar: callers, hours and prices · Source: Clyde & Co: Guidelines on Qatar's data protection law
Is B2B cold calling legal in Morocco?
Calling businesses isn't banned, but Morocco's data protection law (Law 09-08) and the guidance of its regulator, the CNDP, lean towards prior consent for direct marketing, and the processing has to be declared to the CNDP. How this applies to live B2B calls isn't settled, so take local legal advice.
- Morocco's data protection law, Law 09-08, is enforced by the CNDP. The CNDP's guidance on direct marketing says advertising needs the recipient's consent beforehand, and the processing must be declared to the CNDP first.
- That guidance is written mainly around messages such as email and SMS, and how it applies to live business-to-business calls isn't settled.
- So we call business lines, your caller says who they are and who they're calling for, and anyone who asks not to be called again is never called again.
- Take local legal advice before a large campaign, especially on whether you need to declare your list to the CNDP.
Cold calling in Morocco: callers, hours and prices · Source: CNDP: Direct marketing guidance (French, PDF)