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Keep your UK mobile number when you move abroad

ExpatTel keeps your +44 number live from anywhere in the world. Voicemails and SMS delivered to app, portal and email, from £6/month.

£6.00 GBP/month · or £60.00 GBP/year

Start your United Kingdom port

The UK makes it easy to move numbers between mobile providers — text PAC to 65075 and your current carrier is legally required to hand you a Porting Authorisation Code within one minute. Ofcom sets the rules; every UK network follows them.

ExpatTel is another UK-compatible destination for that PAC. Instead of moving your +44 number to another consumer plan, port it to us — we hold it live from anywhere in the world, deliver voicemails and SMS to our app, web portal and email, and don't need a SIM in your phone. You can't make outbound calls, but you keep your number for £6/month instead of losing it or paying for a plan you can't use.

How the United Kingdom port works

Regulated by the UK Office of Communications. Typical time: one working day after your PAC is provided.

  1. Sign up on ExpatTel

    Create an account, pick monthly or yearly, and enter your +44 mobile number.

  2. Text PAC to 65075

    From the UK mobile number you're porting, text the word PAC to 65075. Your current network will reply with a code (and any early-termination info) within one minute. This is an Ofcom-mandated process — every UK network does it.

  3. Give us the PAC

    Enter the PAC in the ExpatTel portal along with your address details. The code stays valid for 30 days.

  4. We submit the port

    Ports usually complete the next working day. You keep using your existing SIM until the switch happens; you'll get a notification the moment it does.

  5. Bin your SIM

    From that point on, calls to your +44 number go to voicemail; SMS and voicemail transcripts are pushed to the app, portal and email.

Which United Kingdom carriers can we port from?

ExpatTel accepts PACs from every UK network and its MVNOs, including:

  • EE
  • O2
  • Vodafone UK
  • Three
  • BT Mobile
  • Tesco Mobile
  • Giffgaff
  • VOXI
  • iD Mobile
  • Smarty
  • Sky Mobile
  • Lebara
  • Lycamobile

Before you port: the rules

A few conditions apply. None of them are surprising, but check they don't affect you.

  • You must be the account holder, or authorised in writing by them.
  • A PAC is valid for 30 days — the port must be started before it expires.
  • If you're still inside a UK contract, your original carrier may charge an early-termination fee (Ofcom lets them). That's between you and them; the port itself still goes through.
  • Business (SME/enterprise) numbers can be ported but need extra documentation. Contact us first.

United Kingdom-specific questions

Everything asked most often by United Kingdom customers before they port.

Text the word PAC (all caps) to 65075 from the UK mobile number you want to port. This is Ofcom's "text to switch" system and every UK network is required to respond within one minute with your PAC and any info about early-termination fees. It's free and does not cancel your service on its own.

Once we have your PAC, UK ports complete on the next working day. If the PAC arrives late in the day it might slip to the day after — the app will show a live ETA once the port is submitted.

No — as long as you can receive the reply from 65075 (your existing SIM working while you're still in the UK, or someone at home texting on your behalf while roaming), we can do the port from anywhere. Many customers port after they've arrived overseas.

Standard SMS to your +44 number lands in the ExpatTel app, portal and email within seconds — including most bank OTP codes. That said, a small number of UK banks send 2FA via a channel that requires a UK carrier SIM specifically. Check with your bank before porting; we recommend an authenticator app (Authy, Google Authenticator) as backup regardless.

Yes — text PAC to 65075 from the ExpatTel dashboard-generated helper, or ask us for a PAC. Port-out is free and you keep your number for future use.

Yes. ExpatTel operates under standard UK Mobile Number Portability regulations. We're a legitimate destination for a PAC-authorised port, no different in mechanics from moving to another consumer carrier.

Keep your United Kingdom number. Move anywhere.

Sign-up takes 5–10 minutes, and nothing is billed until your number has ported in.

Start your port
Not United Kingdom? See every country we port from