Handles are subject to a manual approval process. So you have to wait for someone with the appropriate privileges to have the time to look over the pending requests.
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"May the Grace of Ara go with you, and His Vengeance be wrought upon your enemies."
Most handles I've seen are accepted within a day, usually within an hour. Taking into account how long various actions take in the game, this is not an excessively long time.
There are no pending handles waiting to be approved so I'm guessing you've either been accepted or need to resubmit a new handle if the old was declined.
Since the server outage, all the mails @swcombine.com are broken (see latest sim news). Since you receive an e-mail when your handle is either approved or declined, there is actually no way to know the status of your handle request.
I've submitted a bug report. We just need to wait a little, and hope this blocking issue gets fixed as soon as possible.
What concerns me is that we can't get new players anymore... since the confirmation e-mail is needed to activate a new accounts.
That was one persons email account. It may be fine for the others, and may have just been limited to the ASims accounts. It also may be limited to receiving and sending (which the join message does automatically) is fine.
However, I do believe that rejecting a handle doesn't give any email.
check youre spambox, or log out and come back a hour later, if its still not aproved i suggest to come back the next day. If the game asks you to submitt a new handle it means its denied and you need to create a new handle
tip: read the rules about submitting a new handle, it will safe you allot of time.
Checking new handles may take up to max 24 hours, but mostley its done in a few hours.
If waiting a hour is to long, then this may not be the game for you, patience is key in SWC
Anyway, good luck and welcome to SWC, may fortune smile on you
Neria is right. Dont get in a splutter and remember 'The best things in life come to those that wait'. It is a slow game but it really is worth it. Good luck. :)