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Germany Porting

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In Germany we offer porting for the following number types:

  • Geographic (local) numbers (+49)1-99, (+49)2-99
  • Toll-Free (+49800)

Please note that most of International Phone Numbers have VOICE capability only. Only Mobile numbers have VOICE and SMS. Below are instructions for porting German phone numbers into Twilio. You can find porting summary and timelines here.

Once your request is received, we will place your order on your behalf using a legal document called Letter of Authorisation, which states you are giving the gaining operator the authority to act on your behalf with regards to your numbers. The order will be placed with the losing communication provider, for them to validate/accept the port order. 

In Germany conditions of service contracts are often limiting porting opportunities. Check with your current provider if there are any timeframe restrictions on porting. It often happens that service contract does not allow immediate porting.

Germany Porting Requirements

General requirements

  • The full list of numbers that you wish to port in E164 format, eg: (+[49][XXXXXXXXX]).
  • A scanned or electronic copy of the most recent phone bill (within the last 30 days) that includes the account number and authorized user’s name for all the numbers you would like to port. 
  • Your Twilio Account SID (Your unique ID starting with “AC” that you can find on the main dashboard in Twilio Console).
  • Additionally, upload compliance documents before submitting your port request. You can see the full list of required documents here.
    • Upload your documents in the Twilio Console by selecting “Phone Numbers” > “Regulatory Compliance“ > “Bundles” or follow the link here.
    • Choose the country, the phone number type and follow the instructions. Processing of the compliance documents may take up to several business days. Once your documents have been accepted, please share the associated links that start with "BU" and "AD" along with the porting request via email.

Additional requirements for Geographic Numbers

  • Letter of Authorization (LOA) signed by the authorized user and/or owner of the number(s). Note that the information on your LOA must match the authorized user name and service address provided by your current carrier.  
  • German local numbers are often assigned in ranges. Ranges must be ported together. Partial range portability is not supported.

Additional requirements for Toll-Free Numbers

  • Letter of Authorization (LOA) signed by the authorized user and/or owner of the number(s). Note that the information on your LOA must match the authorized user name and service address provided by your current carrier. 
  • Number allocation letter from the German Regulator “Zuteilungsbescheid” for each number.

Activating new Toll-Free Numbers

  • You can also activate new German Toll-Free numbers allocated by the regulator. For activation please follow the guide here.

Germany Porting process

  1. Submit your porting request with all the requirements in place via this submission form.
  2. Twilio approves the port request. If everything in Step 1 is correct, you can expect Twilio to approve your port request within 24 business hours.
  3. Twilio submits the number to the Carrier Partner. This can take up to 24 business hours. Your request is then submitted to your soon-to-be former carrier as a port request. During this time, do not close your account with your carrier and keep your numbers active.
  4. Twilio’s Carrier Partner reaches out to the Losing Carrier. This can take around one week to complete.
  5. Response from the carrier. At this point, your request is either approved or rejected:
    • Approved: If approved, Twilio will notify you about a porting date. 
    • Rejected: Rejections can occur due to various reasons. For example, invalid VAT Number or invalid/incomplete range of numbers. Read more about common reasons for port request rejections here. Additionally, you will likely need to reach out to your losing carrier to find out what’s needed to move forward. Rejections may add an undetermined amount of time to your porting request.
  6. Twilio reaches out to you with a porting date. Twilio emails you with a porting date and time slot if known. Your number is on your Account and can be visible in the Twilio Console.
  7. Configure your number. It is critical to configure your number prior to the porting date. This will minimize the service downtime. You can configure the numbers from the Twilio Console.
  8. Your phone number is with Twilio. Once your number(s) is routing to Twilio and everything works as expected, you can remove the number(s) from your former provider.

We charge a one-time porting fee for Germany, for more details please reach out to porting@twilio.com.

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