Questions
- Why do some virtual numbers have an address requirement?
- Do I need to provide an address when purchasing a virtual number?
- How do I change the address associated with a virtual number?
Answer
Depending on country specific regulations, in some cases virtual numbers require that users are located within the same region as the numbers they are purchasing.
It is essential that a valid business or residential address is provided during the purchasing of these virtual numbers. If the virtual numbers are intended to be used by an individual, the residential address of the end user should be provided. Virtual numbers purchased by a business entity should provide the registered address of the business.
There are 2 types of address requirements:
- Requires an address from the same country as the number
- Requires an address from the same region (City or State) as the number
In a few cases such as Hong Kong or Singapore, proof of address is also required when requesting a virtual number.
When purchasing virtual numbers with address requirements, Nexmo will require you to file a qualifying address with us before you are able to purchase the virtual number.
If your profile contains a valid address related to the number that you are purchasing we will automatically populate the address form when purchasing a virtual number.
|
Country |
Address |
Countries that require |
Countries where only |
Proof of identity |
|
Australia |
Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Bahrain |
Country |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Belgium |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
China |
Any address |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Denmark |
Country |
Yes |
|
|
|
France |
City / Region |
|
Yes |
|
|
Germany |
City |
|
Yes |
|
|
Hong Kong |
Country |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
Ireland |
City / Region |
|
Yes |
|
|
Italy |
City |
|
Yes |
|
|
Japan |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
South Korea |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Latvia |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Netherlands |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Norway |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Panama |
City |
Yes |
|
|
|
Portugal |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Singapore |
Any address |
Yes |
|
|
|
Slovenia |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Spain |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Sweden |
City / Region |
Yes |
|
|
|
Switzerland |
Any address |
Yes |
|
|
|
Taiwan |
Country |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Turkey |
Any address |
|
Yes |
|
|
United Kingdom |
Country |
Yes |
|
|
*Buying numbers in these countries will be by request where your address will be required and we will provide available virtual numbers to select so that we can add to your account.
Process for purchasing a virtual number
For countries where an address is required at time of purchase this can be done through the Dashboard.
Login and undertake a search on the “Buy numbers” page in Dashboard (https://dashboard.nexmo.com/buy-numbers) for Voice enabled numbers in a country that requires an address when purchasing you will see the following overlay clicking “Buy”.
You are asked to add an address in order to complete your purchase and confirm that you agree to allow Nexmo share this information with our Suppliers and local regulators for the country you are purchasing the number in.
Once you have added an address, confirm you are person or you represent the entity using the number and click “Next” we retrieve some options of addresses that match your input in order to confirm we have the correct address. As we want to make sure we select the right address.
A nice little feature we added is that if you have an address in your account profile (https://dashboard.nexmo.com/edit-profile) that matches the country of the number you are purchasing we will automatically fill in the form for you, [smiley_face]!
So once we have returned some address options, you can select the correct one. We check the address provided is valid one more time and show you a summary before you confirm purchasing the number.
You’re all done and can start using that number.
For countries where you can request a number
If you are in a country such as Germany, Ireland, Hong Kong or Singapore we have to add the number to your account ourselves. Which means we request your address and agreement to share your address with Suppliers and local regulators before adding the number to your account.
When you undertake a search on the “Buy numbers” page (https://dashboard.nexmo.com/buy-numbers) you will see button to send a request rather than any numbers being returned.
Clicking on the button displays a similar form as the provisioning numbers one, where you enter your address and confirm you are person or you represent the entity using the number.
The difference after this point is that we send the request to our team to review and get in contact with you in case we require more information such as proof of address or personal identification as in some countries this is a requirement.
From here the team will add the number to your account and you will be notified to let you know you are all set.
Who uses the virtual number is important
If you own several virtual numbers for different customers in a particular country, we strongly encourage you to add multiple addresses - one for each customer. This is because regulators in countries with address requirements have the expectation that the address on file corresponds to the business or person who is receiving or originating calls from that number.
How to request an address change
If you already have an address associated with a number and would like to update it, please contact Nexmo Support.
