How to port your number in Canada and keep it when you switch

What is porting?

Porting means moving your phone number from one provider to another. In Canada you can keep your number when you move:

• mobile to mobile;
• landline to mobile, or mobile to landline;
• landline to landline.

The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) says your new provider will cancel your old service for you. You do not even need to talk to your old provider.

How to port your number, step by step

1. Keep your old service active. The CRTC says: “do not cancel your service before you switch.” If you cancel first, you will need a new number.
2. Get your details from a recent bill. Freedom asks for your phone number, your account number, the account holder’s name and the billing address.
3. Tell the new carrier you want to keep your number when you sign up, in store, online or by phone.
4. Approve the transfer. Your old carrier sends a text or email. Freedom says to reply “Yes” within 90 minutes, or the request is cancelled. Keep the old SIM in a phone that is turned on.
5. Wait for the confirmation text. While you wait, Freedom gives you a temporary number with your plan’s features.
6. Set up the new SIM or eSIM after the transfer is approved.

Moving between iPhone and Android? Freedom suggests turning off iMessage or RCS chat on the old phone first, so your texts arrive.

Porting checklist: have this ready

What happens to your bank codes after a port?

Your number stays the same, so banks and apps keep texting the same number. After the port, those texts arrive on the new SIM or eSIM. The old SIM stops working.

• Do the port on a day you do not need a bank code.
• Keep the old phone nearby until the new line can send and receive texts.
• If you lose texts for more than a day, call the new carrier.

Porting a home phone (landline) number

You can also move a landline number to a mobile plan, or a mobile number to a home phone. The CRTC says this typically takes up to 2 business days. You might need a new number if you are moving to a different local calling area. Ask the new provider before you cancel anything.

How long does porting take?

The two sources give different times for landline numbers. Ask your new carrier what to expect. The CRTC also warns that service can be interrupted during a transfer, including 9-1-1 service.

What does it cost to switch?

• No activation fee on the new plan since June 12, 2026. See the activation fee ban.
• No early cancellation fee on the old plan if you did not get a discounted phone with it. This is section G.3 of the Wireless Code.
• If you did get a discounted phone, the cancellation fee cannot be more than the discount, and it must fall to $0 within 24 months.
• Any phone balance you still owe on a financed phone is not a fee. You still pay it.
• No 30-day notice. Cancellation takes effect the day your provider gets the notice.

Pay any final bill from the old carrier. Unpaid bills can hurt your credit. See credit mistakes to avoid.

Moving from prepaid to a monthly plan

Many newcomers start on prepaid and move to a monthly plan once they have a bank account. You can keep the same number:

• To a different carrier: port the number, as above.
• Within the same company: some carriers have their own process. Koodo, for example, explains how Koodo Prepaid and Public Mobile customers can move to a Koodo monthly plan.

Keep your prepaid account paid until the move is done. The Wireless Code gives you at least 7 calendar days after your prepaid period ends to top up and keep your account active. Do not count on it; top up early if your switch might take time. Compare plans in best phone plans for newcomers.

When you cannot keep your number

• You cancelled the old service first. The CRTC says you will “definitely need to get a new phone number.”
• You move to another province or local calling area. The CRTC says you might need a new number. Freedom says it only supports area codes inside its coverage area.
• Some internet phone (VoIP) services. The CRTC says moving between VoIP and mobile or landline might need a new number.
• A number from another country. Freedom says international numbers are not eligible for porting. To keep a home-country number for codes, see keep your home number for OTP codes.

If the transfer fails

1. Check that the account number, name and address match your old bill exactly.
2. Check that the old SIM is still active and in a phone that is on, so you get the approval text.
3. Ask the new carrier to resubmit the request.
4. If a provider will not fix a problem, you can complain for free to the CCTS (Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services). Try the provider first.

Common questions

Sources

• CRTC: Switch providers and keep your number
• CRTC: The Wireless Code, simplified
• CRTC: Postpaid versus prepaid services (your rights)
• CRTC: Telecom Regulatory Policy 2026-43 (ban on activation and plan-change fees)
• Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS)
• Freedom Mobile: About transferring your number
• Freedom Mobile: About eSIM
• Koodo: Credit check requirements

Checked against these sources on November 5, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.