How to get an Italian phone number from abroad

How Italian mobile numbers work

Italy's country code is +39. Italian mobile numbers start with 3, for example 312 345 6789 at home and +39 312 345 6789 from abroad. Most have 10 digits, though some older mobile numbers have nine. The first three digits (such as 320, 333, 347 or 393) were originally tied to specific operators, but numbers can move between networks, so they no longer reliably identify the carrier.

Italy handles the 0 differently from most of Europe. Landline numbers begin with 0, such as 06 for Rome and 02 for Milan, and that 0 is kept in international format: +39 06…. Mobile numbers have no 0 at all. So the rule is simple: never add a 0 to an Italian mobile, and never remove it from an Italian landline. Italy's communications authority, AGCOM, oversees the numbering plan.

Country code

+39

Mobile prefix

3 (e.g. 320, 333, 347, 393)

Mobile length

Usually 10 digits, some 9

Example (domestic)

312 345 6789

Example (international)

+39 312 345 6789

Landlines

Start with 0, which is kept after +39 (Rome: +39 06…)

Common mistake

Typing +39 0312… — Italian mobiles never start with 0

Italian SIMs and buyer identification

Italian law requires mobile operators to identify the buyers of SIM cards, including prepaid ones. The anti-terrorism decree of 2005 (Decree-Law 144/2005, converted by Law 155/2005) requires operators to record the buyer's personal data from an identity document, including the document type and number. In practice, operators usually also ask for an Italian tax code (codice fiscale), which foreigners can request from the Italian Revenue Agency.

For someone in Italy with a passport this is quick. From abroad, it is the main hurdle: you need to complete the identification, and afterwards the SIM has to stay in a phone and be kept active with occasional use or top-ups, or the operator can deactivate the line.

Your options, compared

Roaming your home SIM

No setup, and cheap for many EU SIMs under EU roaming rules, but it isn't a +39 number, so Italian-only forms reject it.

Italian prepaid SIM

A genuine +39 3 mobile number. Requires identification with an identity document, and usually a codice fiscale; the SIM must stay in a phone and be kept active.

eSIM data plan

Handy for data on a visit. Most travel eSIMs are data-only and have no Italian number for SMS codes.

VoIP app number

Available instantly, but often rejected by verification systems, and many aren't in the mobile range starting with 3.

Real mobile number online

A real +39 3 mobile number managed in a web dashboard. No SIM, no identification visit, and SMS and calls reach you abroad.

Why Italian services want a +39 3 number

Italian forms typically preselect +39 and check the number against the mobile ranges. An Italian landline beginning with 0 fails because it can't receive SMS, and a foreign mobile may not be accepted at all. Services that confirm logins, orders or payments by SMS need a number they can reach reliably.

Beyond sign-ups, an Italian mobile simply makes you reachable. Couriers call before a delivery, landlords and agencies phone about viewings, and Italian businesses often talk to customers on WhatsApp. With your own +39 number, all of that works before you arrive, and after you leave.

How to get an Italian number with SMSCreation

1. 01Open the Italy number list. Each listing is a real Italian mobile number in +39 3 format; the first two and last two digits appear as XX until activation.
2. 02Choose a number and a plan. The yearly plan is $1.80 a month ($21.60 billed yearly); other terms and their prices are shown at checkout.
3. 03Pay with USDT or USDC on Tron, Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Base or Solana, or from your wallet balance. No codice fiscale, identity document or Italian address is needed.
4. 04Your number is activated and appears in the dashboard, where incoming SMS and calls arrive in real time.
5. 05Enter it as +39 followed by the number starting with 3, with no 0. With a country selector set to Italy, type the digits from the 3 onward.

Where an Italian number helps

• Signing up for Italian online services, marketplaces and booking platforms that validate +39 mobile numbers.
• Receiving calls and texts from couriers for deliveries in Italy.
• Contacting landlords, agencies, universities and employers before you move.
• Verifying WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and other accounts on an Italian number.
• Running a holiday rental or small business with an Italian contact number.
• Keeping an Italian number after you leave, so linked accounts keep receiving codes.
• Staying in touch with Italian family, friends and contacts through a local number while you live elsewhere.

When an online number isn't the right fit

An Italian number doesn't replace identity requirements. Banks, public administration services and some platforms identify you separately, often with your codice fiscale, identity documents or a digital identity. An online number can receive their SMS codes, but it can't stand in for those checks.

If you live in Italy and want mobile data too, an Italian SIM plan is usually the better long-term deal. An online +39 number works best while you're abroad, before a move, between stays, or as a second Italian number kept separate from your personal one.

Tips for Italian number formats

• Mobiles: +39 and the number starting with 3, no 0. Landlines: +39 and the number starting with 0, keeping the 0.
• Don't worry if a number has nine digits after +39 instead of ten; some older Italian mobile numbers are shorter and still valid.
• San Marino has its own country code, +378, so pick Italy (+39) in country pickers for an Italian number.
• Plan for the time zone: Italy uses CET (UTC+1) and CEST (UTC+2) in summer, and callbacks usually happen in Italian business hours.
• If a code is slow, wait a couple of minutes before requesting another, and choose a voice call when it's offered.
• Renew in good time. Italian services often send a new code when you log in on another device.
• If you see 0039 in front of a number, that's 00, the exit code used from Italy and much of Europe, plus 39. In forms, write +39 instead.

Why it works with WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram & Google

Apps check more than the digits: they look up the line type, the country format and whether the number can actually receive their code. Every SMSCreation number is a real mobile number in its country's official format — not a VoIP line — so it passes those checks the same way a SIM in your pocket does.

And we stand behind it with a 7-day replacement guarantee: if your number doesn't work with WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Google or any app you need, we replace it free with a new number in the same country — or refund 100% if you prefer.

• Non-VoIP, real mobile line type — line-type checks see an ordinary SIM number, not a VoIP line
• Official country format with the right country code, prefix and digit count
• Unlimited incoming SMS and calls — codes arrive by text or through the “call me” option
• Private to you — never listed on public SMS sites, so it isn't flagged or rate-limited
• Yours for as long as you want — re-verification and account recovery keep working

Price, keeping the number and the 7-day guarantee

Italian numbers cost the same as every other country: from $1.80 a month on the yearly plan ($21.60 billed yearly), with unlimited incoming SMS and calls, 500 outgoing SMS and 1,000 outgoing call minutes a month.

The number stays yours while you keep it renewed. If it doesn't work with WhatsApp, Google or another app within 7 days of activation, you get a free replacement Italian number or a full refund, and if you haven't used it for any call or SMS, you can have a full refund within 7 days.