# Porting and Hosting Numbers

Porting and hosting numbers allows you to use your existing phone numbers with Twilio. Port your numbers to transfer voice and messaging capabilities to Twilio. Host your numbers to use phone numbers carried by another provider, while being able to access Twilio [Voice](/docs/voice) and [Messaging](/docs/messaging) services.

The following table outlines the difference between porting and hosting numbers:

| Feature                       | Porting               | Hosting                     |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------- | --------------------------- |
| Use of existing phone numbers | Transferred to Twilio | Stays with current provider |
| Twilio Messaging              | ✅                     | ✅                           |
| Twilio Voice                  | ✅                     | ❌                           |
| Compliance and registration   | Managed by Twilio     | Managed by current provider |

## Porting a number

When you port a number:

* Voice and Messaging capabilities are transferred to Twilio
* Your previous provider releases control of the number to Twilio

To port numbers into Twilio, go to **Products & Services > Numbers and Senders** and select **Port and host** to get started. The process takes 5-15 days, but can take up to 4 weeks in the case of rejection by your current provider. For more information on porting your number using Twilio APIs, see the documentation on how to [port phone numbers using Twilio APIs](/docs/phone-numbers/port-in), including details on how to check if your number is portable.

### Porting numbers away

You can also port numbers away from Twilio to another provider. To do this, submit a request with the carrier you'd like to port your Twilio numbers to. Carriers might require a Letter of Authorization, including the service address for your number. Contact [porting@twilio.com](mailto:porting@twilio.com) to request this.

Once the carrier informs Twilio of your request, you will receive a notification email from Twilio and can view requests in the **Port Away Requests** tab of the **Port and host** page.

## Hosting a number

When you host a number with Twilio, you retain your current carrier but can use Twilio's messaging and voice services with your existing phone number. To host a number, you must verify ownership of the number via a one time passcode (OTP). For support with the process, contact [hostedsms@twilio.com](mailto:hostedsms@twilio.com).

To manage number hosting requests:

1. Go to **Products & Services > Numbers and Senders > Port and host**.
2. Select the **Host Numbers** tab.
3. Click **+** to request hosting.

> \[!NOTE]
>
> A2P 10DLC registration is required for numbers used to send SMS or MMS messages to the US. To set up, go to [**A2P Messaging**](https://console.twilio.com/us1/develop/sms/regulatory-compliance/a2p-10dlc-overview) in the Twilio Console.

For more information on the Hosted Numbers API, see the [documentation](/docs/phone-numbers/hosted-numbers/hosted-numbers-api).