Option A
Let it go
Cancel the plan, then spend months updating your bank, the tax office, your doctor and every app — and get locked out of anything still sending codes to a number you no longer have.
Costs: your weekends, and some sleepFor anyone moving overseas
Your number stays home. You don’t have to.
Port your mobile number to expat.tel before you go. Voicemails and texts land in the app, the web portal and your inbox within seconds. No SIM, no roaming, no second phone.
- Price
- $6 USD / month
- Typical port time
- A few hours to 24 hours
- Dial code
- +1
- Not billed until your number ports
- Cancel any time
- No port-out fee
Why keep it
Your number is on file everywhere.
Over the years your mobile number has quietly become part of who you are on paper. It’s how your bank, the tax office and your GP know it’s you — and where dozens of sign-in codes get sent.
- Your bank
- Sign-in codes
- Tax office
- Pharmacy
- Kids’ school
- Landlord
- Old friends
- Family
- GP clinic
- Pension fund
- Airline
- Insurer
So when you move, it usually comes down to three options. Two of them are bad.
Option B
Keep paying for it
Hold on to a home plan for a phone that lives in a drawer — plus recharges, roaming and a second SIM to juggle every time a code arrives.
Costs: $30+ a monthOption C
Park it with expat.tel
Your number stays live and nothing changes for the people and places that have it. Every voicemail and text finds you, wherever you’ve landed.
Costs: from $6 a monthHow it works
Three stops. About ten minutes of yours.
You sign up, we do the carrier paperwork, and your number carries on as if nothing happened — except now it follows you.
-
Stop01
5–10 minutesSign up
Choose the country your number is from, add a few details and you’re done. Nothing is billed until your number has actually ported in.
Billing starts only once the port completes.
-
Stop02
Hours to daysWe port your number
We handle the transfer with your carrier. Keep using your SIM as normal in the meantime — the port itself closes your old line.
Don’t cancel your old plan first. A disconnected number can’t be recovered.
-
Stop03
From then onBin the SIM
Calls go to voicemail and are transcribed; texts arrive too. Both land in the app, the portal and your email within seconds — wherever you are.
Runs entirely over the internet. No roaming.
Port status, live in the portal
Watch every stage as it happens.
- Submitted
- Under review
- Processing
- Carrier confirmation
- Completed
Delivery
Every message finds you.
Calls go straight to voicemail — no phone ringing at 3 a.m. Each voicemail is transcribed, and it arrives with every text in three places at once, within seconds.
Available today · any device
The web portal
Log in from any browser to read transcripts, see your texts and follow your port from start to finish.
Every voicemail & SMS
Your email
Everything that arrives is emailed to you as well — searchable, and never more than an inbox away.
iOS & Android · coming soon
The expat.tel app
A notification for every voicemail and text, the moment it lands. Until it ships, the portal and email have you covered.
Who it’s for
Made for every kind of move.
Whatever takes you overseas, the number you leave behind is still doing a job. Here’s what it’s doing for a few kinds of people.
Moving for work
New contract, new country, new local SIM. Your bank, your pension fund and the tax office still text the old number — keep it, and nothing slips through.
Retiring abroad
Your GP, your pharmacy and your pension all know one number — and so do the grandkids. Keep it, and nobody has to learn a new one.
Studying overseas
A semester — or four — away shouldn’t cost you the number your bank, your student account and your family use. It’ll be right where you left it at graduation.
Travelling long-term
New border, new SIM, new Wi‑Fi password. Your home number stays put, and the texts sent to it follow you — no roaming, no second phone.
Pricing
Choose your stamp.
One flat price, set by the country your number is from. Pay monthly, or yearly for about 17% less. Cancel any time.
$7 AUD / month
Australia
Dial code +61or $70 a year, billed yearly
$6 USD / month
Czech Republic
Dial code +420or $60 a year, billed yearly
$6 USD / month
Netherlands
Dial code +31or $60 a year, billed yearly
$6 USD / month
Ukraine
Dial code +380or $60 a year, billed yearly
£6 GBP / month
United Kingdom
Dial code +44or £60 a year, billed yearly
$6 USD / month
Most popular
United States
Dial code +1or $60 a year, billed yearly
Billed in the currency shown. Nothing is charged until your number successfully ports in.
Customs declaration
Every plan includes
Contents: one phone number, kept safe while you’re away.
- Voicemail, transcribed within seconds
- SMS, including one-time codes (where the sender supports it)
- Delivery to the app, web portal and email
- No SIM — runs entirely over the internet
- Encrypted, with 2FA on your account
- Free port-out whenever you like
- Live port tracking in the portal
- Cancel any time
Weight0 g — no SIM card
Declared valueFrom $6 a month
More than one number?Add a plan for each
The honest bit
It’s not a phone plan. It’s a safe place for your number.
expat.tel is receive-only, on purpose. It keeps your number alive and brings you everything sent to it. For calling and messaging people, keep using whatever you already do:
- iMessage
- Signal
- A local SIM
What it is
- A home for your number while you’re abroad
- Voicemail, transcribed and delivered in seconds
- Your texts — one-time codes included (see P.S.)
- Still yours: port out to any carrier, no fee
What it isn’t
- A phone plan — you can’t make calls or send texts
- For live calls — every call goes to voicemail
- A SIM or eSIM — it all runs over the internet
- Accepted by every bank, app or email provider (see P.S.)
P.S. About codes and sign-ins. Once your number has moved to us, some services see it as a virtual number, and some, including certain banks, email providers and apps, don’t support virtual numbers. They may stop sending codes to it, or won’t let you use it to sign in. Check the ones that matter most before you port, and set up a backup such as an authenticator app.
Our promises
Signed, sealed and in writing.
Not billed until it ports
Sign up today; billing only starts once your number has successfully ported in.
No lock-in
Cancel from the portal whenever you like. You keep access until the end of the period you’ve paid for.
You own your number
Port out to any carrier whenever you like. There’s no port-out fee.
Private by design
Encrypted in transit and at rest, 2FA on your account, and covered by GDPR, UK GDPR and the Australian Privacy Act.
“We never sell your data — you paying us is our entire business model.”
FAQ
Good questions, straight answers.
The five we hear most. Something else on your mind? Email hello@expat.tel — we reply within one business day.
Q.01Can I make calls or send texts from my number?
No — expat.tel is receive-only. Calls go straight to voicemail, and every voicemail and text is delivered to you. To call or message people, use WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal or a local SIM; your number keeps receiving in the background.
Q.02Will my bank’s one-time codes come through?
Codes sent by text arrive like any other text, in the portal and your email within seconds. But some services, including some banks and email providers, don’t support virtual numbers: once your number is with us they may stop sending codes to it, or won’t accept it for sign-in. Check the ones that matter most before you port, and set up a backup such as an authenticator app.
Q.03Should I cancel my current plan first?
Please don’t — a disconnected number can’t be recovered. Keep using your SIM as normal. The port itself closes your old line once your number moves to expat.tel.
Q.04How long does porting take?
US and UK ports are typically same-day or next working day (in the UK you’ll need a PAC — text PAC to 65075). Australian ports take 4 hours to 3 business days; other countries vary.
The portal shows each stage: Submitted, Under review, Processing, Carrier confirmation, Completed.
Q.05What if I move home, or change my mind?
Your number is yours. Port it out to any carrier whenever you like with no port-out fee, or cancel any time from the portal; you keep access until the end of the period you’ve paid for.
Ready when you are
You pack the suitcase. We’ll pack the number.
Sign up in 5–10 minutes, keep using your SIM while we port, and pay nothing until your number arrives.
Port a number from
- Australia
Canada- Czech Republic
Israel- Netherlands
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States
Questions first? Contact us or email hello@expat.tel.
Reply paidNo stamp needed