How to keep your phone number when moving abroad

Why your home number still matters

If the number is disconnected, the carrier will eventually reassign it to someone else. That person could then receive codes intended for you.

• Banks and card issuers send one-time passcodes by SMS for logins, payments and new payees, and many will only send them to a registered domestic number.
• Government and tax portals often use SMS codes for sign-in, and changing the registered number may require a visit or a letter to your home address.
• Two-factor authentication on email, cloud storage and social accounts may rely on SMS.
• Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal use the number as your account identity.
• Old contacts, landlords, employers and doctors know you by that number.

Option 1: keep your home SIM active and roaming

The simplest route is to keep your current plan and use the SIM abroad. Codes keep arriving and nothing changes for your accounts. The downsides are cost and practicality: roaming charges can be high outside certain regions, and you need a phone or dual-SIM slot that holds the home SIM at all times.

Check whether your carrier charges for receiving SMS while roaming — in many cases incoming texts are free or cheap, which is all you need for verification codes.

Option 2: move to a cheaper plan with your home carrier

Most carriers let you switch to a low-cost prepaid or minimum plan while keeping the same number. In some countries you can also move the number to a budget operator that offers very cheap plans for keeping a line alive. Ask your carrier what is required to keep the number active — often a small top-up or one chargeable action every few months.

Write down the rule and set calendar reminders. Many prepaid numbers are withdrawn after a period of inactivity, and the exact period differs by carrier and country.

Option 3: move your 2FA away from SMS

Wherever a service allows it, switch two-factor authentication to an authenticator app or a hardware security key. These work anywhere, without a mobile signal, and they don't depend on any phone number.

Save the backup or recovery codes each service gives you, and store them somewhere safe outside your phone. Some services, especially banks and government portals, will still insist on SMS; for those you'll need to keep the home number or update it officially.

Get a local number in your new country before you arrive

Your new life will need a local number too: rental listings, employers, schools, delivery apps, local banks and utilities all want one. Waiting until you arrive can create a chicken-and-egg problem, since some local SIMs require an address or ID you don't have yet.

An online real mobile number in your destination country solves this. You can give it to landlords and employers before you land, verify local apps in advance, and keep receiving SMS and calls in a browser from anywhere. Later, you can keep it alongside a local SIM or as your main contact number.

Choosing between the options

Keep home SIM roaming

Least effort; can be expensive; needs the SIM in a phone

Cheapest plan at home carrier

Keeps the number alive at low cost; watch inactivity rules

Authenticator apps

Best for security; not accepted everywhere

Online number in new country

Local presence before arrival; SMS and calls in a browser

Letting the number lapse

Not recommended until every account has been updated

Before-you-leave checklist

1. 01List every account linked to your home number: banks, government, tax, pensions, insurance, email, cloud, messaging and shopping.
2. 02Switch two-factor authentication to an authenticator app wherever possible and save the backup codes.
3. 03Ask your carrier for the cheapest way to keep the number and the rules to keep it active.
4. 04Confirm that your SIM can receive SMS while roaming, and what it costs.
5. 05Get a number in your destination country and start using it for local sign-ups.
6. 06Update your contact number with services you'll use in the new country.
7. 07Only once nothing depends on the home number, decide whether to keep or cancel it.

Getting a number for your new country with SMSCreation

1. 01Open the list for your destination country — SMSCreation covers 181 countries — and choose a real mobile number.
2. 02Pick the yearly plan at $1.80 a month ($21.60 billed yearly), or another term shown at checkout.
3. 03Pay with USDT or USDC stablecoins. Sign-up needs only an email; no ID or local address.
4. 04Use the number from the dashboard: read SMS instantly, send SMS and place calls from the browser.

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 it, and refunds

Every SMSCreation number includes unlimited incoming SMS and calls, 500 outgoing SMS and 1,000 outgoing call minutes a month, from $1.80 a month on the yearly plan ($21.60 billed yearly). The number stays yours as long as you keep it renewed. If it hasn't been used for any call or SMS, you can get a full refund within 7 days of activation. SMSCreation provides new numbers; it does not take over your existing home number, so keep that one active with your carrier.