How to Type a Temp Phone No. So Forms Accept It
A temp phone no. only works if you type it the way the form expects: country code first, no leading 0, and only the digits the form asks for. Many 'invalid number' errors come from a handful of formatting slips, and each one takes seconds to fix.
Free numbers available now
Click a number to open its public inbox, enter the number on the signup form, then press Update Messages on the number's page to fetch the code.
The full international format
Every phone number has a full international version: a plus sign, the country code, then the national number without its leading 0. The plus stands in for whatever your country dials to call abroad.
This is the idea behind E.164, the international numbering standard many systems use to store numbers: a + followed by up to 15 digits, with no spaces, dashes or brackets. A form with a single phone box and no country picker usually wants exactly this. Country codes are one to three digits long, so check where the code ends before you count the rest. Three you'll often see:
- United States and Canada: 1
- United Kingdom: 44
- France: 33
Drop the national 0
Inside many countries, numbers are written with a leading 0 called the trunk prefix. You dial it for domestic calls, but it isn't part of the number in international format. So a UK mobile written 07700 900123 becomes +44 7700 900123, not +44 07700 900123.
Not every country works this way. US and Canadian numbers have no trunk 0, and a few countries keep a leading digit in international format. If a number already starts with + and a country code, copy it exactly as it is.
Worked examples
| Written locally | Full international (E.164) | Type this when the country is already selected |
|---|---|---|
| UK mobile: 07700 900123 | +447700900123 | 7700900123 |
| US: (212) 555-0147 | +12125550147 | 2125550147 |
| France mobile: 06 xx xx xx xx | +336xxxxxxxx | 6xxxxxxxx |
These digits are made-up placeholders; use the digits of the number you picked from the list. Some forms accept the 0 and remove it for you, but leaving it out works on more of them.
Forms with a country dropdown
- Pick the country first, by flag, name or code, and check the code that appears, such as +44.
- Type only the national part into the number box, without the country code and without the leading 0.
- Don't paste the full +44 number into the box. Some forms then read it as +44 44 and reject it.
- Check the dropdown again before you submit. Forms often preselect the country you're browsing from, which may not match the number.
Spaces, dashes and brackets are often stripped automatically, but some forms choke on them. If you get an error, retype the number as digits only.
'Invalid number' slips and how to fix them
- Country code twice (+44 447700...): delete the repeated code.
- Leading 0 kept (+44 07700...): remove the 0 after the country code.
- Wrong country in the dropdown: a US number entered with the UK selected fails. Switch the dropdown.
- Digits lost when copying: compare the last few digits with the number's page.
- 00 or 011 instead of +: some forms only accept the plus sign.
- Hidden characters from copying: a trailing space or an invisible character can slip in when you copy from a web page. Type the number by hand instead.
- Format correct, still refused: the service may not accept that country or that kind of number. See choosing the number's country and why some numbers are rejected.
For problems after the number is accepted, such as a code that never arrives, use the troubleshooting guide.
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