How Long Does Porting a Number Take? Everything Explained

Contrary to common opinion, porting a mobile number to a new carrier is not an immediate process. Moreover, if you are wondering how long does porting a number take, the entire transfer could take as long as two to four weeks. This time will be taken to appropriately follow all the applicable FCC local number portability rules. Also, porting a number from the same legacy carrier is much quicker.

Nevertheless, it might take a while to get alternatives with better features. And the average time required to port a number in the United States is 5-7 business days and 7-10 business days in Canada.

Yet, timeframes can differ for up to 12 or 14 days if specific prerequisites are not met.

Keep reading to learn the answer to the question “how long does porting a number take” and other relevant details related to phone number portability checks. 

Port Rejection for Phone Number

Several reasons might lead to this issue when speaking of port rejection for phone numbers. Below are some common reasons why does porting your number cancels service and how you can overcome it.

• There is a difference between the data you deliver to your current provider during your port-out demand and the data they have on file
• The client’s signature is from an unauthorized source
• Your account number is wrong
• Your secret code or password is invalid
• Data was provided from the incorrect source
• Mistakes in spelling

So to reduce the risk of your number porting rejection, you must take the following measures:

• Communicate with your current provider to verify what data they have on record for you
• Pay all port out charges and follow the required prerequisites
• Contact the new carrier and ask for a port-in for your current phone number well in advance
• Submit personal details that match what’s on your phone invoice

Location of the Phone Number

The process for porting international numbers is different from porting local numbers. For instance, when porting your Canadian number, the average time required is  7 to 10 days, depending on the factors above.

Furthermore, if your mobile phone carrier lies outside North America, it might take an extended time to port in a new mobile number. Also, note that some areas do not allow porting your number, and you might face issues in those locations.

Landline to Wireless Transition

The kind of phone transfer you need can significantly influence the timeline and duration required to port your number. And you must know that you can port your landline number to a VoIP platform.

However, converting a landline number to a wireless transition is complicated, and your account must remain in a better position before the number porting begins.

Miscellaneous or Wrong Documents

Submitting multiple or incorrect documents is one of the significant reasons for delays in porting a number. Therefore, you must remember that you must correctly fill in all the documents required for porting and submit them to the service provider timely.

Moreover, you must also avoid the common missing documentation mistakes that are as follows:

• No LOA (Letter of Authorization) submitted
• No billing receipt supplied
• LOA presented but not signed
• The incorrect billing receipt provided
• The inaccurate phone number listed on the bill
• Invoice details are under another name than LOA

Porting of Simple and Complex Numbers

When porting your number, another aspect that you will come across is the difference between simple port and complex port. Now you might wonder what is it exactly, right? So when you receive only some calls or texts on your mobile, it will move to a simple port process.

On the other hand, if your mobile number remains attached to several lines or has special features, it will be deemed a complex port and might require additional porting time.

The Bottom Line

After looking at the points above, you should now know how long does porting a number takes. So if you are planning to port a number to a new service provider, it is time to test your new network provider at JustCall. After testing your service provider on our comprehensive platform, you can seamlessly transfer your phone number, which is the cheapest way to get a phone number to port.