Phone number requirements
Country-by-country preparation guides for obtaining Twilio phone numbers for inbound calls.
Last checked: 16 October 2026.
Use these guides to prepare the information and documents needed to obtain a Twilio number for inbound customer support and general telephony. Each market has a short checklist and local-language terms for number types and documents. These pages cover number acquisition, not outbound campaigns, marketing consent, SMS registration, or porting procedures.
Choose a market
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- Australia
- Spain
- France
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- Poland
- Lithuania
- Greece
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Norway
- Finland
Understand the number types
| Term | Plain-language meaning |
|---|---|
| Local / geographic | A number associated with an area code. Some countries require an address in that region; others only require an address in the country. |
| National / non-geographic | A country-wide number without a city-specific identity. It is not necessarily toll-free. |
| Mobile | A mobile-number range. A Twilio mobile number is not a SIM card; some ranges support only SMS or have use restrictions. |
| Toll-free / freephone | A number callers can generally reach without paying for the call within its supported coverage. The number holder pays Twilio charges. International access is not guaranteed. |
| M2M | Machine-to-machine: a range intended for connected devices or automated services. Do not assume it supports an ordinary voice support line. |
Country tables describe published registration categories, not current inventory. A missing category means the reviewed source did not settle its requirements, not that the category is unavailable or requires no documents. Confirm the exact number's Voice capability and availability through Twilio's number search/API.
Prepare and order
- Choose the country, number type, and actual end user. For a merchant's support number, collect that merchant's details rather than automatically using Octocom's. Twilio's regulatory FAQ explains that the rules concern the party using the number.
- Read the market page and its linked Twilio source. Check the business/individual distinction and whether the address must be in the area-code region, the country, or another permitted territory.
- Collect the listed information and evidence. Use matching legal names and addresses. “No document required” means a particular field has no listed upload requirement; it does not waive the field or the address-location rule.
- Where required, create the registration in Twilio Trust Hub, identifying the country, type, end-user category and direct-customer/ISV relationship. In the Regulatory Bundles workflow, use Twilio's Console tutorial, obtain approval, and associate the required bundle/address with the number.
- Confirm available inventory, inbound Voice capability, recurring charges, and any special allocation process. Approval does not reserve stock. Complete purchase/activation, configure inbound routing, and test calls from the countries and networks your customers use.
Understand the documents
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Proof of identity | Evidence identifying the person or legal entity; business evidence often means a register extract rather than an employee's passport. |
| Proof of address | A document showing the relevant person's/business's address. Use only the document alternatives accepted for that category. |
| Register extract | An official record of the company, often including its name, number, address, and officers. |
| Authorized representative | A person authorized to act for the company. Some countries require identity evidence and a separate proof of authority. |
| LOA / power of attorney | A signed authorization. Use Twilio's linked country template where specified. |
| Regulatory bundle / KYC | The identity, address and supporting evidence submitted for verification; KYC means “know your customer.” |
Document alternatives are alternatives, not a request to collect every listed document. A single document may satisfy multiple fields if Twilio accepts it for each. Country-specific age limits take priority. Otherwise, Twilio's FAQ prefers address evidence within three months and other evidence within one year; these preferences should not be rewritten as universal expiry rules. Local-address evidence cannot be a PO box or virtual address.
Translations are reader aids, not promises that a similarly named document will be accepted. The live Twilio form and country-specific accepted-document list determine what to submit. If they disagree with this guide, resolve the discrepancy with Twilio before ordering.
Keeping this guide current
The date records when we checked the sources, not when a regulation took effect. Before onboarding a customer, revisit the linked Twilio country page and the live registration requirements. Update the affected market's date, number-type distinctions, accepted evidence, and source links together. Keep uncertainty explicit where Twilio's public page is incomplete or ambiguous.
Start from Twilio's country regulatory index. These guides summarize Twilio's published acquisition requirements; they are not a determination that every use of a purchased number is permitted.