---
title: "Buy a phone number"
url: "https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/buy-phone-number"
summary: "In the Enfonica Console, go to Phone Numbers > Purchase, search by country, type, and suburb, and then select Purchase. Australian local and mobile numbers need a regulatory listing for the end user first. If the number or range you need isn't listed, send us a request, and we'll order it for you."
type: how-to
audience: everyone
products: ["Phone Numbers"]
---

# Buy a phone number

**Short answer:** In the Enfonica Console, go to Phone Numbers > Purchase, search by country, type, and suburb, and then select Purchase. Australian local and mobile numbers need a regulatory listing for the end user first. If the number or range you need isn't listed, send us a request, and we'll order it for you.

**Applies to:** Phone Numbers

## Before you start

- An Enfonica account with a project for the number.
- For an Australian local or mobile number, the end user's name and street address, so you can create a regulatory listing.

## Add the end user's details first

Australian local and mobile numbers must have an end user assigned when you buy them, so create a regulatory listing before you search. You need only one listing per end user. Toll-free (1800) and shared-rate (1300) numbers don't need one.

1. In the [Enfonica Console](https://console.enfonica.com/), open your project, and go to **Phone Numbers > Regulatory listings**.
2. Select **New listing**.
3. Under **Type**, select **Person** or **Business**.
4. Enter the name and street address of whoever will use the number. For a local number, the address must be in Australia and can't be a PO box.
5. Read the declaration, select its checkbox, and then select **Create listing**.

If you're setting up numbers for a client, the listing holds your client's details, not yours. To learn what each field is for and why it matters, see [Regulatory listings](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/regulatory-listings).

## Search for a number

The Console shows the numbers we have ready to buy. You can narrow them down by type, area, and the digits they start with.

1. Go to **Phone Numbers > Purchase**.
2. Select the **Country** and the **Type** of number. The table after these steps shows which type to pick.
3. For an Australian local number, start entering your suburb in **Suburb / Zone**, and then select it from the list. The Console finds the zone that covers that suburb.
4. To find numbers that start with particular digits, enter them in **Prefix** in full international format. For example, `+6139` finds Melbourne numbers that start with (03) 9.
5. To see only numbers that can send SMS, under **Capabilities**, select **SMS**.
6. Select **Search**. Each result shows the number, its type, its zone, and what it can do. To see more numbers, select **Load more**.

| You need | Type | Starts with | Calls | SMS |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A number for a town or city | Local | 02, 03, 07, 08 | Yes | No |
| A mobile number | Mobile | 04 | Yes | Yes |
| A number that's free for callers | Toll-free | 1800 | Yes | No |
| One national number for the business | Shared rate | 1300 | Yes | No |

To learn the difference between 1300 and 1800 numbers, see [How do 1300 and 1800 numbers work?](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/1300-and-1800-numbers)

> **Tip:** Local numbers belong to zones that the phone network defines. A suburb is often part of a zone named after a larger suburb nearby. If a result shows a different suburb's name, that's expected. It's the name of the zone your suburb is in.

## Buy the number

1. Next to the number you want, select **Purchase**.
2. In the **Purchase phone number** window, check the number, zone, and type.
3. For an Australian local or mobile number, under **End user (regulatory listing)**, select the end user. If the Console shows "No compatible regulatory listings found", create a listing first, and then come back. See [Add the end user's details first](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/buy-phone-number#add-the-end-user-s-details-first).
4. Select **Confirm purchase**. The Console shows "Phone number purchased" and opens the number's page.

The number is billed from the day you buy it, and then monthly on that date. For today's rates, see [pricing](https://enfonica.com/pricing).

## Choose where calls go

A new number doesn't ring anywhere until you choose where its calls go. On the number's page, add an incoming call handler. A handler can forward calls to another phone, send them to your phone system over SIP, or route them through a Flow. To learn how, see [Choose where calls to your number go](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/call-handlers).

## Check that it worked

1. Go to **Phone Numbers > My numbers**. Your new number is in the list.
2. After you add a call handler, call the number from a mobile. The call goes where you sent it.

## Can't find the number you need?

The Console shows the numbers we have ready to buy, and we can order more. Customers often ask us for:

- A number in a particular suburb.
- More mobile numbers than the Console shows.
- A block of 10, 100, or 1,000 consecutive numbers (a range).

Before you send a request, add a regulatory listing for the end user to the project. Then we can add the numbers as soon as they're ready.

Send the request from **Phone Numbers > Purchase** in the project the numbers are for:

- **For a number**. When a search finds no numbers, select **Request a number**. Under **What are you looking for?**, enter how many numbers you need, the type, the suburb or city for local numbers, and any pattern you'd like.
- **For a range**. At the top of the page, select **Request range**. Enter a **Prefix** or a **Location**, select the **Range size**, and add anything else in **Notes**, such as a range that ends in 00.

Then select **Send request**. Our support team replies by email. You can also [contact support](https://enfonica.com/contact-support) with the same details.

Numbers we already hold can often be added the same day. Numbers we have to order take longer, and we'll tell you when they're in your project.

All the numbers in a range share one setup, so a call to any of them goes to the same place. To give one number its own setup, you can split it off the range later. To learn how, see [Choose where calls to your number go](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/call-handlers).

## Numbers outside Australia

The Console also offers numbers in New Zealand and the United States. A New Zealand local number needs a regulatory listing with an address in New Zealand. United States toll-free numbers can be called only from within the US mainland.

## Questions

### Can I choose a specific number?

Search for it with **Prefix**. If it isn't listed, ask us. Depending on what's available, we can sometimes order a particular number or pattern.

If another provider already holds the number, it can come to Enfonica only by porting, which its current owner requests. For more information, see [Port your phone numbers to Enfonica](https://enfonica.com/help/porting/port-numbers-to-enfonica).

### Can I get a 13 number?

Yes. 13 numbers aren't sold in the Console. Talk to our [sales team](https://enfonica.com/sales), or port a 13 number you already have.

### Can I send SMS from a local, 1300, or 1800 number?

No. Those numbers are for voice calls. To send and receive SMS, buy a mobile number. A mobile number whose regulatory listing has an address outside Australia can send SMS but can't make calls.

### Can I buy numbers with the API?

Yes. Search for available numbers, and then create a phone number instance in your project. For examples, see the [Phone Numbers docs](https://enfonica.com/docs/phone-numbers/overview/).

## Related

- [What is a regulatory listing, and why does my number need one?](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/regulatory-listings.md)
- [Choose where calls to your number go](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/call-handlers.md)
- [How do 1300 and 1800 numbers work?](https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/1300-and-1800-numbers.md)
- [Port your phone numbers to Enfonica](https://enfonica.com/help/porting/port-numbers-to-enfonica.md)
- [Pricing](https://enfonica.com/pricing)
- [Search and buy numbers with the Phone Numbers API (docs)](https://enfonica.com/docs/phone-numbers/overview/)

---

Web version: https://enfonica.com/help/phone-numbers/buy-phone-number