Keeping your home number or moving your number to Spain

Key rules

• Foreign numbers: A foreign mobile number cannot be moved to a Spanish operator.
• Foreign codes: Keep the foreign SIM or eSIM active if a bank or app sends codes to it.
• Spanish numbers: You can move a +34 number between Spanish operators for free.
• Old contract: Moving your number does not cancel unpaid bills or minimum-term penalties.

Can you move your foreign number to Spain?

No. A foreign mobile number cannot be ported to a Spanish operator, so keep the foreign SIM or eSIM active if you need its codes. Porting only works between operators inside the same country. Spanish numbers (+34) can move between Spanish operators, and that is the only kind of move on offer.

How to keep foreign codes working

Pick the option that fits how many SIMs you want to carry.

• Dual SIM or eSIM. Keep your foreign SIM active next to a Spanish one. The Spanish line handles daily calls and data. The foreign line still receives SMS codes from your bank and apps. This is the usual choice.
• Roaming. Inside the EU/EEA, using a home plan in Spain is cheap, but fair-use limits apply to longer stays. Operators outside the EU charge more, so check your rates before you rely on roaming.
• Keep the number alive. Many home operators offer cheap retention plans. Otherwise, top up now and then so the number does not expire. Home operators can limit or cancel lines used mostly abroad, so read your plan.
• Avoid needing the SIM. Move services to an authenticator app where you can. Wi-Fi calling and virtual numbers can forward SMS in some cases.

If your home operator also works in Spain, ask whether it has its own transfer option.

Other ways to change number

You can take a new Spanish number and update your contacts. WhatsApp has a change-number feature that moves your chats to the new number. Do this only for services that let you update the phone number on file, and do it before you cancel the old line.

Moving a Spanish number between operators

Moving a Spanish number to another Spanish operator is free and is completed within one working day once the request is validated. Your current operator cannot block it. It may still charge you separately for early-termination or minimum-term obligations. The step-by-step process is below.

Porting your number to a Spanish operator step by step

Porting a Spanish mobile number to a new Spanish operator

• Keep your current line active and do not cancel it: Before you start, and until the switch is done

• Gather the holder's ID (DNI, NIE or passport), the number to move and the name of your current operator: Before you contact the new operator

• Sign the contract or prepaid registration with the new operator and ask to keep your number: Once your documents are ready

• Let the new operator send the port request. Your current operator checks your data. If asked, confirm the code sent by SMS to the line: Right after you sign

• Put in the new SIM or activate the eSIM when the operator tells you, and expect a short outage: When the new operator tells you

• Do not cancel the old contract. It ends automatically, but unpaid bills and any minimum-term penalty are still due: After the switch

• If the request is rejected, ask your current operator for the correct holder name, ID or ICC, then ask the new operator to send it again. Common causes are data that does not match, a requester who is not the holder, or another request already open on the number: As soon as you hear of the rejection

• If a request is already pending, wait for it to end before asking for a new one: If the rejection says a request is open

• If it still fails, complain to the operator's customer service, then to the Oficina de Atención al Usuario de Telecomunicaciones, the telecoms users' office of the Ministry of Digital Transformation: If the operator does not fix it

• Company lines need the company tax ID (CIF), the legal representative's details and an authorization: Before you contact the new operator, for business lines only

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a Spanish SIM and keep my foreign SIM at the same time?

Yes, a dual-SIM phone or an eSIM lets you keep your foreign SIM active next to a Spanish SIM.

How do I stop my foreign number from expiring while I live in Spain?

Top up the line now and then, or switch to a cheap retention plan from your home operator. Some operators limit or cancel lines used mostly abroad, so check your plan terms first.

Will roaming be expensive for receiving foreign codes in Spain?

Roaming is cheap within the EU and EEA, but fair-use limits apply to longer stays. Operators outside the EU usually charge more, so ask yours what receiving SMS in Spain costs.

What can I do if I don't want to keep two SIMs for foreign codes?

Move your accounts to an authenticator app where you can, so you no longer depend on SMS. You can also take a new Spanish number and update your contacts, or use WhatsApp's change-number feature for that app.