SMS API for Kiribati: bulk SMS to +686 numbers

Kiribati, with Tarawa as its capital, is a Pacific island nation known for its remote location and reliance on digital communication. Software products like banking apps, travel agencies, and government services send text messages to their users. These messages are triggered by events such as account updates, travel confirmations, or public service announcements. SMS is chosen because it reaches every mobile phone, works without internet, and is read quickly, making it reliable for both urban and rural users.

Kiribati

Calling code +686

Per SMS segment
$0.02547
Messages for $100
3,926
Local language
English
Encoding
GSM-7

What a bulk SMS send to Kiribati costs

Every message is priced at $0.02547 per segment to Kiribati. Texts over 160 GSM-7 or 70 Unicode characters are split into segments, so a two-segment text costs twice as much.
Messages1 segment2 segments
1$0.02547$0.05094
1,000$25.47$50.94
10,000$254.70$509.40
100,000$2,547.00$5,094.00

Number format in Kiribati

Mobile numbers in Kiribati have 8 digits after +686 and no trunk prefix, so the local form 72001234 becomes +686 72001234 in the to field.

Alphabet and segments

English text stays inside the GSM-7 alphabet, so one segment to Kiribati holds 160 characters and each part of a longer text 153. Watch for curly quotes and emoji copied from other tools: one of them moves the whole text to Unicode at 70 characters per segment, and POST /v1/estimates shows the encoding before you send.

Time zone and timing

Kiribati spans several time zones, from UTC+12 in Tarawa to UTC+14 in Kiritimati (January offsets). A send_at of 21:00 UTC lands at 09:00 in Tarawa in January; for a nationwide reminder, split the list by region and give each batch its own send_at.

Send to Kiribati with one request

The answer comes back at once with the message id, the country the number was matched to (KI) and the price. A delivered or failed event follows on your webhook, and a failed message is refunded.

For a list, send the same text to up to 10,000 numbers with POST /v1/batches, or a personal text per number in messages.

curl https://bulksmsapi.cc/v1/messages \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BULKSMSAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"to": "+68672001234", "text": "Your Northwind code is 482913. It expires in 10 minutes."}'

What developers send to Kiribati

Common integrations that call the SMS API for recipients in Kiribati.

Banking alerts

A bank in Tarawa sends a text when a user's account balance changes significantly.

Travel confirmations

A travel agency in South Tarawa sends SMS with flight details and booking confirmations.

Public announcements

A government service in Betio texts residents about upcoming public events or emergencies.

Appointment reminders

A clinic in Bikenibeu texts reminders for upcoming medical appointments.

SMS to Kiribati: questions

More answers on accounts, payments and the API are in the FAQ.

How much does it cost to send bulk SMS to Kiribati?

Each message segment to Kiribati costs $0.02547. A plain text of up to 160 characters is one segment, so 1,000 one-segment messages cost $25.47 and 10,000 cost $254.70. Failed messages are refunded to the balance.

How many SMS to Kiribati does a $100 top-up send?

$100 covers about 3,926 one-segment messages to Kiribati at $0.02547 each. The first top-up adds a bonus on top, which raises that number. The balance is shared by every country, so the same top-up also pays for messages anywhere else on the list.

How do I write Kiribati numbers for the API?

Send them in international format with the plus sign: +686 72001234 becomes "+68672001234" in the to field. The API also accepts spaces, dashes and a 00 prefix and cleans them, and numbers that cannot be read are listed in set_aside instead of being charged.

Which language should we use for SMS in Kiribati?

English is widely used for business communication. Gilbertese can also be effective, especially for reaching local audiences.

Are there seasonal peaks in SMS traffic?

Yes, during holidays like Christmas and New Year, there is increased activity in travel and retail sectors.

Start sending to Kiribati

Create an account, top up from $40 and send to Kiribati at $0.02547 per segment, from the console or with one API call.

SMS API Kiribati: Bulk SMS to +686 From $0.02547 | BulkSMSAPI