Enabling Email Address Internationalization is a one-toggle change in Setup, but the rollout needs sequencing across validation rules, integrations, and downstream tools. Below is the order that avoids breaking existing data.
- Audit existing validation rules
Search Setup with Setup Search for "Email" and Pattern. Identify every validation rule using REGEX() on an Email field. Document which need updates and which can be retired.
- Audit custom Apex on email parsing
Search the codebase for any Apex that parses From addresses or splits on the at sign. Confirm string handling is UTF-8 safe; update if necessary.
- Check downstream sending tools
Confirm Marketing Cloud, Pardot, and any third-party email tools support SMTPUTF8. Without downstream support, enabling EAI in Salesforce will load addresses that other tools cannot send to.
- Enable EAI in Setup
Setup > Email > Deliverability or Email > Email Internationalization (location varies by release). Check Enable Email Address Internationalization and save.
- Test field-level acceptance
Create a test Contact with an internationalized email and confirm the save succeeds. Test through both the UI and the REST API to confirm consistency.
- Test send and receive
Send a test email to an internationalized address from inside Salesforce. Confirm delivery. Then send a test from an internationalized address into your Email-to-Case or Email Services endpoint and confirm receipt.
- Update validation rules
For each rule flagged in step 1, either update the REGEX to accept UTF-8 or remove the rule. Test the change in a sandbox before applying to production.
The master org-level toggle. Off by default; on means non-ASCII addresses validate as legal email format across every Email field.
Related setting controlling how the platform tracks bounce responses. Internationalized sends may show different bounce categories; review after enabling.
All Email, System Email Only, No Access. EAI works the same at any level, but System Email Only restricts user-initiated sends.
Sends a copy of every outbound email to a compliance address. Confirm the compliance inbox handles UTF-8 addresses in headers before relying on it.
Set a per-user Reply-To. Reply-To addresses must conform to the same EAI setting; with EAI off, internationalized Reply-To addresses are rejected.
- Enabling EAI in Salesforce does not enable internationalized sending in Marketing Cloud, Pardot, or any third-party tool. Each tool has its own setting.
- The receiving mail server must support SMTPUTF8 for delivery to succeed. Some legacy on-prem mail servers do not, and Salesforce will fail delivery silently to those recipients.
- Validation rules using REGEX on email fields commonly use an ASCII-only pattern. These rules will reject valid internationalized addresses; audit and update before enabling.
- Reversing EAI does not delete existing internationalized addresses. Records remain queryable and updatable through the API but may not be editable through the UI after the reversal.
- Some legacy Apex assumed ASCII-only email strings. Audit any custom email parsing code for UTF-8 byte-count correctness, otherwise the parser may truncate or mangle addresses.