Can I keep my UK home phone number when I move abroad?

Whether you’re retiring to Spain, heading to Portugal for a couple of years, or simply want to keep a UK number so the grandkids can ring you on a normal landline number, this is everything you need to know about taking your number with you.

The short answer? Yes. You can carry on calling abroad.

Here’s something the big providers don’t shout about: your home phone number belongs to you, not to them. You’ve probably had it for decades. It’s the number written in your sister’s address book, saved in your GP’s records, and registered with your bank. And when you move abroad, you don’t have to give it up.

It’s a worry we hear a lot. Research consistently shows that what people miss most when they live abroad isn’t the weather or the food. It’s family. One survey of British expats found that more than half said family was the thing they missed above all else. The good news? Staying reachable on the number your family already knows is one part of the move you can sort in an afternoon.

What is number porting, and does it work if you move abroad?

Number porting is the official process of moving your phone number from one provider to another. It’s regulated by Ofcom, the UK’s telecoms watchdog, so your old provider can’t refuse to release your number.

Here’s how it works in plain terms. You sign up with a new provider and give them your number. They contact your old provider behind the scenes, agree a switchover date, and your number simply moves house. Your phone keeps ringing throughout, and the people calling you never notice a thing.

And yes, it works if you’re moving abroad. Because services like Phonely carry your number over the internet rather than down a copper wire, your UK number no longer needs to live at a UK address. Once it’s ported, you can answer it from a villa in the Algarve just as easily as from a bungalow in Bournemouth.

Why keeping a UK number matters (more than you might think)

When people picture moving abroad, they think about the removal van and the paperwork. The phone number tends to be an afterthought, right up until someone important can’t reach them. Three things catch people out:

NHS and GP callbacks. If you’re keeping a foot in the UK, perhaps spending part of the year here, GP surgeries and hospital clinics will ring a UK number. Many won’t call an overseas one at all.

Banking and security codes. UK banks routinely confirm it’s really you by calling or texting the number they hold on file. If that number is dead, simple tasks like approving a payment or resetting a password can turn into a genuinely stressful ordeal. The same goes for pension providers, HMRC, and insurers.

Family calls. A UK number means your mum, your grandchildren, or your old neighbour can ring you from their home phone as a normal UK call, at no extra cost to them. No fiddly apps for them to install, no international dialling codes to remember. They dial the number they’ve always dialled, and you answer in the sunshine.

Keep your UK number, wherever you are. From £9.97 per month. No BT line needed. See how Phonely keeps you connected →

How the Phonely app lets you use your UK number anywhere in the world

This is where it all comes together. Port your home number to Phonely, and it lives in the Phonely app on your mobile or tablet – or an actual landline phone if you’d prefer.

When someone rings your UK number, your phone rings, whether you’re in Lanzarote or your own back garden. When you call out, your familiar UK number is what appears on their screen. To everyone back home, nothing has changed.

The app works over any Wi-Fi or mobile data connection. Hotel Wi-Fi, your apartment’s broadband in France, a Spanish SIM card’s data plan: if you can check your emails, you can take your calls. There’s no equipment to install and nothing technical to maintain. If you can use WhatsApp, you’ll be at home with Phonely in minutes.

It’s handy for holidays too, not just permanent moves. Plenty of our customers use the app to carry on calling from the poolside every summer.

What you’ll pay (and what you won’t)

Phonely plans start from £9.97 per month, and the number you’ve had for years comes with you at no extra charge.

Just as important is what you won’t pay. Because calls travel over the internet, there are no international roaming charges for using your UK number abroad through the app (assuming you’re using Wi-Fi or a local SIM). Answering a call from your daughter in Doncaster costs the same whether you’re in Devon or Benidorm. Compare that with mobile roaming bills, which have quietly crept back since Brexit, and the appeal is obvious.

Calls back to UK landlines and mobiles are included in your plan, so there’s no nasty surprise at the end of the month. Just one predictable bill, in pounds, from a UK company you can trust.

How does it compare with keeping a BT line at an empty house?

Some people consider keeping their old landline running at a UK address, perhaps a house they still own, just to hold on to the number. It’s worth understanding what that really involves.

There’s a bigger problem looming, too. The UK’s old copper phone network (the PSTN) is being switched off, with the deadline set for January 2027. BT’s replacement, Digital Voice, needs a working UK broadband connection at a UK address, which is no help at all if you’re 1,000 miles away. Skype, for years the default suggestion for expats, closed down in 2025. A UK number that lives in an app, rather than at an address, is the approach that actually fits the way you’re planning to live.

Carry on calling

Moving abroad is a big step, and the list of things to organise can feel endless. This is one of the easy wins. Port your number before you go, pop the app on your phone, and the question of “how will everyone reach us?” is quietly, permanently answered.

The grandkids ring the number they’ve always known. The bank’s security call comes straight through. And you carry on calling, exactly as you always have, just with better weather.

If you’re ready to take your number with you, compare Phonely plans for expats and we’ll handle the rest.

Frequently asked questions