What is MTA-STS in simple terms?

MTA-STS is a standard that requires other mail servers to use encryption when sending email to your domain. If encryption fails, the message is not delivered in plain text.

What is TLS-RPT?

TLS-RPT is the reporting partner of MTA-STS. It sends you daily reports about TLS delivery issues so you can fix them before they become real problems.

Do I need both MTA-STS and TLS-RPT?

Technically no, but practically yes. MTA-STS without TLS-RPT means you are protected but blind. Always deploy them together.

Is MTA-STS required for DMARC or BIMI?

No. MTA-STS is completely independent. It complements DMARC and BIMI but is not a prerequisite for either.

Will MTA-STS affect the emails I send out?

Only indirectly. MTA-STS protects emails coming to your domain. Your outgoing emails are protected by the MTA-STS policies of the domains you send to.

Is MTA-STS legally required?

Not in most regions yet. But government and regulated industries are starting to adopt it as a baseline, and that trend is moving downstream.

How long does MTA-STS take to set up?

The technical setup takes about an hour. The testing phase should run for at least two to four weeks before you switch to enforce.

Why are my TLS-RPT reports empty?

Smaller senders do not always send TLS-RPT reports yet. You will mostly hear from major providers like Google and Microsoft. That is normal, not a sign that anything is broken.