How to Get a UK Phone Number When You Live Abroad

By 2Phon Team · October 27, 2026 · 8 min read

Living outside the UK but still need a UK number for verification codes and calls? Here are the real options, what a UK number looks like, and where UK banks draw the line.

You can get a UK phone number when you live abroad in four ways: keep your old UK SIM active, move that number to an eSIM, sign up for an internet calling app with UK numbers, or get a real UK mobile number in an app like 2Phon. The right choice depends on what the number is for. Banking needs the most stable option; sign-up codes and calls give you more room.

This guide is for expats, international students who are going home, and anyone who still has UK accounts, family or work. It covers what UK numbers look like, each option's trade-offs, and the places where only a carrier line will do. New to the idea? Start with what a second phone number is.

What does a UK phone number look like?

A UK mobile number starts with 07 and has 11 digits when written at home. From abroad, you swap the first 0 for the UK country code +44.

Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, sets the rules for UK numbers in its National Telephone Numbering Plan. Its call costs guide describes 01 and 02 numbers as geographic numbers linked to places in the UK (both checked October 2026). The main ranges look like this:

Two details catch people out:

• 070 is not a mobile number. Ofcom treats 070 as a separate "personal number" range, and calls to it can cost more. A real UK mobile starts with 07 but not 070.
• Drop the 0 after +44. Write +44 7700 900123, not +44 07700 900123. Keeping the 0 is a common slip, and some forms won't accept it.

Many UK sign-up forms ask specifically for a "UK mobile number". That usually means an 07 number on a mobile network, not a landline and not an 070 number.

Why you might still need a UK number abroad

Most people need it for one of three jobs:

• Verification codes. UK banks, government services, delivery firms and shops send one-time codes to the number on your account.
• Calls. Family, a landlord, an employer, a GP surgery or an old university may only have your UK number, or may prefer to call one.
• Sign-ups for UK services. Some apps and sites only accept a UK number in their sign-up form.

GOV.UK is a good example of how strict this can be. Its guidance on getting a security code for GOV.UK One Login says: "You cannot get a security code by text message if your phone number is registered outside the UK." The alternatives it offers are an authenticator app or a UK mobile number (page last updated 28 July 2026).

Option 1: Keep your UK SIM on a low-cost plan

For banking and long-term account recovery, keeping your existing UK mobile number is the safest choice. It is the number your bank already knows, and it is a full carrier line you control.

What to watch:

• Keep it active. Pay-as-you-go numbers can be switched off if you don't use them. giffgaff, for example, deactivates a SIM that hasn't been used for six months. Making a call, using mobile data or buying credit or a plan resets the clock. After deactivation you have 30 days to move the number to another network before it is recycled (giffgaff help, checked October 2026). Other networks have their own rules, so check yours.
• Roaming rules. UK networks design roaming for trips, not for living abroad. Many apply fair-use rules or extra charges if you spend most of your time outside the UK. Read your network's current roaming terms before you move.
• Costs add up. Receiving codes and calls while roaming may be cheap or may not, depending on your plan and the country you live in.

Option 2: Move your UK number to an eSIM

An eSIM lets your UK line and a local line live on one iPhone. If your network supports it, ask to switch your UK number to an eSIM, a digital SIM built into the phone. iPhones support Dual SIM, so your UK line and a local line can be active at the same time — see Apple's Dual SIM guide. That frees the physical SIM slot for a local SIM in your new country.

What a travel eSIM won't do

Travel eSIMs sold for data abroad usually give you mobile data, not a UK phone number. They are useful for getting online, but they don't solve the "UK number" problem.

Option 3: An internet calling app with UK numbers

Some second-number apps offer UK numbers that work over the internet. Hushed, for example, says on its App Store listing that you can pick a number with a US, Canada or UK area code, and that calls and texts "run over the internet using VoIP" (checked October 27, 2026).

• Pros: quick to set up from anywhere, with texting included.
• Cons: they are internet (VoIP) numbers. The same listing notes that services may or may not send verification codes to them, "depending on their policies". If you're not sure how the two kinds of number differ, read virtual vs real phone numbers.

Option 4: A UK number in 2Phon

2Phon is an iPhone app that gives you a real second phone number from dozens of countries, including the UK. Numbers are real mobile numbers, not VoIP, so the apps you use accept them for sign-up.

A UK number in 2Phon covers two jobs:

• Receiving verification codes when you sign up for or sign in to apps and services. Codes arrive with a push notification, usually within seconds. If a service offers a code by voice call, pick "Call me instead" and answer on your 2Phon number — more on that in verification codes by phone call.
• Making and receiving real calls, at home or abroad. The people you call see your 2Phon UK number, not your personal one. Calls use minutes in the app.

The number stays yours while your subscription is active. 2Phon doesn't send texts — it receives codes and makes and takes calls.

UK number options compared

Here's how the options line up for someone living outside the UK (third-party details as listed in October 2026).

Will UK banks accept a second number?

Sometimes, but don't count on it. UK banks send one-time passcodes to the mobile number registered on your account, and each bank decides which numbers it accepts.

Santander UK, for example, says on its one-time passcodes page: "We can only guarantee delivery to customers who are in the UK with a UK registered number (+44)" (checked October 2026). Other banks set their own rules, and some may expect a number from a UK mobile network.

Our honest advice:

1. For your bank, keep the carrier number it already has — your UK SIM or eSIM — and keep that line active.
2. Where a service offers an authenticator app or in-app approval, use it. GOV.UK One Login, for example, accepts an authenticator app instead of a UK mobile.
3. Use a second number for everything else: shops, delivery apps, UK sign-ups and calls.

A 2Phon number is yours while your subscription is active. If the subscription lapses, the number may be released, so it shouldn't be the only way back into an account you can't afford to lose. For more on picking the right number per account, see how to choose a phone number for verification.

How to get a UK number with 2Phon

Setting up takes a few minutes on your iPhone.

1. Pick a UK number

   Download 2Phon and choose a number from the UK in the app.

2. Sign up and receive codes

   Enter your new UK number when an app or service asks for a phone number. The code arrives in 2Phon with a push notification.

3. Call and stay private

   Make and take calls on your UK number. People you call see the 2Phon number, not your personal one.

Where 2Phon fits

If you live abroad and need a UK number for sign-up codes and real calls, 2Phon covers that without a UK carrier contract. Keep your carrier line for your bank, and use 2Phon for the rest.

Know the limits before you start: 2Phon is iPhone only, it doesn't send texts, and a service always decides for itself which numbers it accepts.

Download 2Phon on the App Store and pick a UK number — start with a free trial; current plans are shown in the app.

The short version

Living abroad doesn't mean giving up a UK number. Keep your UK SIM or eSIM active for banking, skip public free-number sites, and use a real UK mobile number in 2Phon for verification codes and calls. Comparing second-number services more widely? See the best second phone number apps for iPhone.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a UK phone number if I don't live in the UK?

Yes. You can keep your existing UK SIM on an active plan, use an internet calling app that offers UK numbers, or get a real UK mobile number in 2Phon on your iPhone. Which one fits depends on whether you need the number for banking, for sign-up codes or for calls.

Can I keep my UK mobile number if I move abroad?

Usually, yes, as long as the line stays active. Pay-as-you-go numbers can be switched off after a period without use (giffgaff says six months as of October 2026), so make a call, use data or top up regularly, and check your network's roaming rules for long stays abroad.

Will a UK bank send codes to a second number?

That's the bank's decision. Banks send one-time passcodes to the mobile number on your account, and some only guarantee delivery to a UK (+44) number used in the UK. For banking, keep a carrier mobile number you will hold for years.

How do I write a UK number in international format?

Replace the first 0 with +44. For example, the mobile number 07700 900123 becomes +44 7700 900123, and the London number 020 7946 0123 becomes +44 20 7946 0123.

Can I send texts from a 2Phon UK number?

No. 2Phon receives verification codes and makes and takes real calls. It doesn't send SMS or MMS.