Twilio supports three types of phone numbers in Germany that require address and proof of address: Local (geographic), national, and mobile. Below, please find information on regulatory requirements for each of these types of numbers.
Local (Geographic) Numbers
German local, or geographic, phone numbers are numbers that are tied to a geographic locality in Germany. For each phone number, you need to provide the following for the end user of the phone number:
- A valid German address in the same location as the prefix of the phone number (e.g., Berlin numbers need a Berlin address).
- A valid German identification document to serve as proof of address. This “proof of address” needs to demonstrate that the end user has a legal presence at the address linked to the number. In other words, the address in the identification document must correspond to the address that you provided for the phone number.
Only four forms of identification are acceptable as proof of address (see this article for more detail):
- Handelregisterauszug with an address on it
- Gewerbeanmeldung that doesn’t include an expiry date
- A valid German government-issued identification document that shows a German address (usually on the back of the card)
- A passport that lists the location of residence in Germany
For authorities to know who the end user is for each active phone number, we need to have accurate mappings between Phone Numbers, Addresses, and Identity Documents on the Twilio platform. You can read more about mapping an address and identity document to a phone number here.
National phone numbers
German national, or “non-geographic”, are similar to geographic numbers but are not tied to a specific location, allowing for nomadic use. For each phone number, you need to provide the following for the end user of the phone number:
- A valid German address
- A valid German identification document to serve as proof of address. This “proof of address” needs to demonstrate that the end user has a legal presence at the address linked to the number. In other words, the address in the identification document must correspond to the address that you provided for the phone number.
Only four forms of identification are acceptable as proof of address (see this article for more detail):
- Handelregisterauszug with an address on it
- Gewerbeanmeldung that doesn’t include an expiry date
- A valid German government-issued identification document that shows a German address (usually on the back of the card)
- A passport that lists the location of residence in Germany
For authorities to know who the end user is for each active phone number, we need to have accurate mappings between Phone Numbers, Addresses, and Identity Documents on the Twilio platform. You can read more about mapping an address and identity document to a phone number here.
Mobile phone numbers
For each mobile phone number, you need to provide the following for the end user of the phone number:
- A valid address anywhere in the world
- A valid identification document to serve as proof of address. This “proof of address” needs to demonstrate that the end user has a legal presence at the address linked to the number. In other words, the address in the identification document must correspond to the address that you provided for the phone number.
The identity document can be from any country. The following forms of identification are acceptable as identity documents for German mobile numbers:
- If the end user is an individual, the end user must provide a valid, government-issued photo identification with an address.
- If the phone number is being used by a business, either an individual employee must provide their photo identification or the business must provide an excerpt from the local business registry (Handelregisterauszug with an address on it or Gewerbeanmeldung that doesn’t include an expiry date)