How do I use Twilio when phone numbers are unavailable in my country? – Twilio Support

Objective

A procedure on how to use Twilio for locations where phone numbers are unavailable.

Product

Phone numbers

User Account Permission/Role(s) Required

Owner, Developer

Procedure

If Twilio doesn't offer the country and number type you need, we suggest looking into the following options:

Purchase an international number to send messages to your intended country

Even if Twilio doesn’t have phone numbers in your country, you can still use a number from a different country to reach you and your customers.

If you want to use Twilio to place and/or receive voice calls, head to our list of voice-enabled numbers to see if there’s another country where you’d want to purchase a number to make international calls from.
If you want to use Twilio to send and/or receive SMS text messages, head to our list of SMS-enabled numbers and look for a “Yes” under the “Global SMS Enabled” column. That means we’ll most likely be able to send SMS to your country.

Notice: To double-check that you’ll be able to make calls and send SMS to your country from these international numbers, make sure your country is searchable for in our SMS or Voice pricing pages.

Use a Custom Alphanumeric Sender ID for Outbound SMS

Alphanumeric Sender ID is a feature that allows you to send one-way SMS using your brand or business name. This feature is only available when sending messages to specific countries, and some countries may have pre-registration and/or transactional message requirements. For more information, please see International support for Alphanumeric Sender ID.

To make this work, please see Getting Started with Alphanumeric Sender ID for Twilio Programmable SMS.

Notice: Alphanumeric Sender IDs are only for outbound one-way messages. They do not support incoming messages.

Use a Verified Caller ID for Outbound Calls

Using a Verified caller ID allows you to validate a non-Twilio phone number to be used as a caller ID when placing outbound calls from Twilio. This can be a good solution for placing calls that appear to be from a local number, even if we don't offer Twilio numbers locally.

To make this work, all you need to do is verify a number that you own. You can then use this verified phone number as the “From” number when you make outbound voice calls from our platform.

Notice: Any calls made back to your number would continue to be handled by your regular carrier.

Sign up to get notified when we expand to your country

Hopefully the above options will allow you to successfully use Twilio while we continue working to expand internationally. Since your feedback and requests are important to improve our international offerings, we would also ask that you submit a request for any phone numbers we don't offer via Console.

To request a new number, make a request within your Twilio project. Fill out the form, and then check the Notify Me When Available box and click Submit. We'll be sure to keep you updated as we offer new phone numbers to Twilio.

Additional Information

Due to legalities, costs, and demand fluctuations, Twilio is not able to offer phone numbers in every country. Check out this guide for how to search which countries we do and don’t stock numbers in.