How to keep your UK mobile number when you move abroad
Your UK bank still texts you after you move abroad. So do GOV.UK, HMRC and plenty of the apps you log into. If those codes go to a SIM sitting in a drawer, you're locked out until you can read them.
There are three common ways to keep a UK number for those codes: a UK mobile SIM, an app number, or a forwarding service like Tether Mobile. Google Voice isn't one of them; it only offers US numbers. Skype Numbers ended in May 2026.
What matters most is whether the service will text the number. Some UK services now only text UK mobile numbers, and some won't text internet (VoIP) or virtual numbers. Why some services won't text virtual numbers explains how that check works.
Which one fits
- A UK SIM if you need to call, reply or use data on your UK number, or you rely on GOV.UK and banks that only text UK mobiles.
- An app number if you mostly call and text people, and the accounts that matter already send codes to it.
- Tether Mobile if you only need to receive texts, and you want them in email or your messaging apps without a SIM.
Side by side
| UK SIM or eSIM | App number |  Tether Mobile |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Number type | Mobile | VoIP | Virtual (VLN) |
| Calls and sending texts |  Yes |
Yes |
 No, receive only |
| Mobile data | Yes, with roaming |
No |
No |
| No SIM needed | No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Receiving texts abroad | Usually requires residing in the UK and sometimes has roaming fees | Over Wi-Fi or data | Yes |
| Where texts arrive | Your phone | The app | Email, Telegram, LINE or Discord |
| Cost | SIM-only from about US$8/month, or pay-as-you-go | From about US$7/month | US$15/month with 50 SMS |
A UK SIM
A UK SIM is the safest choice for GOV.UK and the banks that only text UK mobiles. Keeping one working from abroad takes some planning:
- Keep it active. Some networks deactivate a pay-as-you-go SIM after 6 months without a paid call, text or data use, then recycle the number. One paid text every few months is enough to keep it.
- Receiving texts is often free. Many networks don't charge for incoming texts in Europe, and some don't charge anywhere. Check your network's rates for where you live.
- Don't count on Wi-Fi Calling. On several networks it doesn't work abroad.
- Read the terms. Roaming rules assume you live in the UK. One network can suspend roaming after two full months abroad in a rolling year. Others add surcharges if you use your plan abroad more than at home.
App numbers
Some apps sell UK numbers that run over Wi-Fi or data, from about US$7 a month. They handle calls and texts both ways.
Codes are the weak spot. Hushed, one of the apps that sells UK numbers, says its numbers are "NOT guaranteed to work with third-party verification due to blocks implemented by certain services." App numbers won't help with GOV.UK either. More on that below.
Tether Mobile
Tether Mobile gives you a UK number without a SIM. When a text arrives, we forward it to Email, Telegram, LINE or Discord.
Our UK numbers are virtual long numbers (VLNs), not mobile numbers. They get codes from services like Telegram, Wise, WhatsApp and Amazon. GOV.UK One Login only texts UK mobile numbers, so use its authenticator app instead. See what works on our service compatibility page.
You sign up online from wherever you are, with no SIM to activate. A UK number is US$15/month with 50 SMS included (with additional packs available), and no setup fees. Pay annually and you pay for 11 months.
What GOV.UK and your bank accept
- GOV.UK One Login only texts codes to a UK mobile number. If your number is registered outside the UK, GOV.UK says to use an authenticator app or a UK mobile number instead.
- HMRC can send its access code by text, voice call or authenticator app.
- Nationwide sends codes by text only to a mobile with a UK number. Santander only guarantees delivery in the UK to a UK (+44) number.
For GOV.UK, an authenticator app works wherever you are. Many banks also let you approve sign-ins in their app or with a card reader.
When Tether Mobile isn't the right pick
- You need calls. We can't make or receive them, so codes sent by voice call won't reach you.
- You need to reply. Plans receive texts only.
- You need mobile data. Get a local SIM or a travel eSIM.
- You want the cheapest option. A pay-as-you-go SIM kept alive with a text every few months costs less.
- A service only texts UK mobile numbers. Use a UK SIM or the service's authenticator app for that account.
Before you switch
Set up the new number while your current one still works. Add it to each important account and trigger a real login code. Keep your old number until codes have come through more than once, and turn on an authenticator app wherever an account offers one.
