How to Keep a UK Phone Number While Living Abroad (2026 Options)

Short answer: To keep a UK phone number while living abroad you can keep your existing UK SIM active in a dual SIM phone, or get a UK virtual phone number that receives SMS online with no SIM at all. Keeping your old SIM preserves the exact number but depends on your UK network's rules for inactive or roaming lines; an eSIM Signal UK virtual number gives you a new +44 mobile number for SMS codes and messages, with no contract and nothing to keep in your phone.

Why a UK number still matters after you leave

Moving abroad does not close your British life overnight. Bank accounts, pensions, HMRC, GP surgeries, online shops, delivery firms, family and old friends all have your UK number, and many of them only send texts to a +44 mobile.

The pain usually shows up a few months after the move: a parcel company wants to text a delivery slot, a UK app wants a code, or a family member's messages stop arriving because your old SIM quietly lapsed.

Option 1: keep your existing UK SIM

Best for: people who need their exact number, especially for banking.

You keep paying your UK network (or keep a pay-as-you-go balance topped up) and leave the SIM in a dual SIM phone alongside your new local line or eSIM.

What to watch:

• Inactivity rules. Pay-as-you-go numbers can be disconnected if they are not used for a period, typically measured in months. Check your network's terms and put a reminder in your calendar.
• Roaming limits. Many UK networks apply fair-use limits to roaming that is permanent rather than temporary. Receiving texts abroad is often free, but check your own tariff.
• A free SIM slot. You need a phone with dual SIM or eSIM support. Our dual SIM travel setup guide shows how to keep the UK line for texts and use another line for data.

Option 2: get a UK virtual number

Best for: people who need a UK number for apps, shops and sign-ups, and do not want to maintain a UK SIM.

A UK virtual number is a real +44 mobile number that lives in an online account. Texts arrive there in seconds, from any country, on any device with internet.

With eSIM Signal:

• Incoming SMS are free and unlimited
• Outgoing SMS can be sent from your account, charged per message
• Plans of 1, 3 or 12 months, renewing until you switch renewal off
• No SIM card, no UK address check, no contract
• SMS only: the number does not make or receive calls

Get a UK mobile number for SMSGet a number

The trade-off is that it is a new number. You will need to update the services that use your old one, and a few services, including some banks, do not accept virtual numbers at all. For those, keep option 1 or switch the account to an authenticator app.

Option 3: port your number to a UK SIM-only plan you keep abroad

Best for: people who want the exact number but a cheaper or more roaming-friendly UK plan.

You can move your number to another UK network that suits life abroad better, using the usual porting process before you leave. It still needs a physical SIM or eSIM from that network and a phone to hold it, so the inactivity and roaming points from option 1 still apply.

A practical setup most expats end up with

1. Keep the old UK number for the banks that will only use it, either in your phone or on a cheap plan.
2. Get a UK virtual number for everything else: shops, deliveries, marketplaces, sign-ups, newsletters.
3. Use a local SIM or eSIM in your new country for everyday data and calls.
4. Use a travel eSIM for trips outside your new home, so you are not paying roaming on top. If you travel back to Britain often, see the best eSIM for the UK.

Tip: before you move, make a list of every account that texts your UK number. Sort it into "must keep the old number" (usually banks and government) and "any UK number is fine". The second list can move to a virtual number in an afternoon.

Moving the "any UK number is fine" accounts

1. Buy the UK virtual number and leave renewal on.
2. Log in to each service, open the security or profile settings and change the mobile number.
3. Confirm with the code that arrives in your eSIM Signal account.
4. Tick each one off your list so nothing is still pointing at a SIM you might lose.

If a service refuses the new number, that is a sign it checks the number type; leave it on your old number or switch it to app-based verification.

Common mistakes when moving abroad

• Letting a pay-as-you-go SIM lapse and losing access to banking codes. Set a reminder to use or top up the line.
• Assuming roaming is free forever. Roaming terms are written for trips, not permanent residence.
• Giving your personal number to every new service in your new country, when a separate number would keep things tidy.
• Forgetting family group chats. Messaging apps tied to your old number keep working while you keep that number; plan the switch before you lose it.

For the basics of how SMS codes reach an online number, read our guide to the virtual phone number for SMS verification.

Frequently asked questions

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

Usually, yes, as long as you keep the SIM active under your network's rules and can use it in a dual SIM phone. Check your tariff for inactivity and roaming limits.

Can I move my existing UK number to eSIM Signal?

No. eSIM Signal sells new UK virtual numbers; it does not take over an existing mobile number.

Will UK banks text a virtual number?

Some will and some will not. Banks often check the number type, so keep your existing number for banking unless your bank confirms it accepts the new one.

Do I need a UK address to get a UK virtual number?

No. You can buy an eSIM Signal UK number online from any country with an account and credits topped up by card.

Can people call my UK virtual number?

No. It is an SMS number: messages to it are free to receive and you can send SMS from your account, but it does not take calls.