What you need to get a number in your name

Most countries only hand out a number to a company that can prove it belongs there. What you need, and where it bites.

Most countries only hand out a number to a company that can prove it belongs there. What you need, and where it bites.

What is asked everywhere

• The name and email of whoever is requesting the number.
• The name and phone number of someone who represents the company.
• The company name and its registration number.

That much is the floor. Nearly every country then asks for more.

Proof of address

The most common extra requirement, and the one that delays orders. Usually an invoice or contract from a utility or telecoms provider showing the company at that address, plus registration with a chamber of commerce.

An address on your own letterhead is not proof. It has to come from a third party.

Local presence

Several countries will only issue a number for an area where the company is actually established. In the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Spain the company address has to sit in the region the number belongs to.

So an Amsterdam company cannot simply take a Rotterdam number to look local. Where you need a presence you do not have, that is a company matter before it is a telephony one.

Tax and registration numbers

Some countries want a national identifier alongside the registration: a BTW number in Belgium, CIF or NIF in Spain, SIRET in France, an organisation number in Norway, UEN in Singapore.

Restrictions that come with the number

• No outbound calls presenting that number. Applies in Austria, Estonia, China and Indonesia, among others. The number receives calls only.
• No private use. Business only, in Austria, Angola, Italy, Kenya, Malta and Norway.
• No calling-card services. Denmark, Mexico, Pakistan and Thailand.

These are conditions of holding the number, not settings we can switch off.

Where there is nothing extra

Well over a hundred countries ask for no more than the basics, including Canada, Australia and Brazil. The requirements cluster in Europe.

Send it once, properly

A rejected application starts again rather than continues, so the fastest route is a complete set the first time. Tell us which country you need a number in and we will send you the exact list before you gather anything.

See also

• Number requirements by country
• Order a new number or port an existing one
• Configure caller ID
• Which countries are in your calling bundle