Keeping your existing phone numbers
What to collect before a port, how the transfer runs, and the one shortcut that loses numbers for good.
Can you take your numbers with you?
Your business numbers are yours to move. Transferring them to a new provider is called porting, it takes roughly five to fourteen business days, and it fails for one reason far more often than any other: the details on your form do not match what your current carrier has on file.
What you need to hand over
| What | Where it comes from | Why ports fail on it |
|---|---|---|
| A recent bill | Your current provider, within the last 30 days | An old bill may show a since-changed address |
| The account name | Exactly as printed on the bill | A trading name instead of the legal entity is rejected |
| The service address | The bill, not your head office | Billing and service addresses are often different |
| Account number and any PIN | The bill, or your online account | A porting PIN is separate from your login |
| The full list of numbers | Your own audit of what is in use | Numbers left off are disconnected with the account |
| A signed letter of authorization | Your new provider supplies the form | The signer must be authorized on the account |
How it runs
List every number
Include the fax, the alarm line and the direct dials nobody uses. Anything not listed can be lost.
Submit the paperwork
Your new provider sends the request to the old one with your letter of authorization.
Wait for a firm date
The carriers agree a port date. Do not schedule anything around it until that date is confirmed.
Keep the old service running
Never cancel before the port completes — canceling releases the numbers and they may not be recoverable.
Test on the day
Call every number from an outside phone. Check voicemail, the auto attendant and inbound routing.
Cancel the old account afterwards
Once everything answers correctly, and in writing.
What might not move
- A number tied to a geographic area your new provider does not cover
- Toll-free numbers, which follow a separate process and can take longer
- Numbers on an account with an unpaid balance — settle it first
- Numbers that came bundled and were never contractually yours. Check before you assume
The mistake that costs numbers
Canceling the old service to save a month of billing while the port is still in progress. The moment the account closes, the numbers go back to the carrier, and a number you have printed on vehicles and invoices for a decade can be gone for good. Pay for the overlap. It is the cheapest insurance in the process.
Last reviewed September 14, 2026
