Amazon denied my request for access to the production version of Simple Email Service. I want to keep my infrastructure entirely on AWS, and my use case is limited to transactional messages such as registration confirmations and service notifications for a SaaS application. Why would access be refused, and what requirements do I need to meet? I would prefer not to pay another provider a monthly fee just to send these emails.
2 Answers
Make sure you requested SES sending production access rather than trying to run your own mail server from an EC2 instance. Direct outbound mail-server traffic is commonly restricted and is difficult to operate reliably because of spam filtering, reverse DNS, reputation, and IP blocklists. SES is the intended option for application-generated mail. Check the support response for the specific reason for denial, then resubmit with details about your confirmation and service emails, expected volume, domain authentication, unsubscribe or preference handling where applicable, and your bounce and complaint process.
SES starts new accounts in a sandbox, where sending is heavily limited and messages can generally only go to verified addresses. To send to normal users, you have to request production access and explain your use case, expected volume, sending frequency, bounce and complaint handling, and how recipients opt in. AWS is cautious because abuse from one customer can damage the reputation of shared sending infrastructure. Transactional SaaS email is a normal use case, but approval still depends on your account history and the details in the request.
The request is mainly about showing that you have a legitimate application and safeguards in place, not necessarily about meeting a minimum monthly spend. Good account standing and a properly configured domain can help.