How do I get a US phone number while living abroad?
You can get a US phone number from anywhere in the world by buying a virtual number online and forwarding incoming calls to whatever phone you already use. You do not need a US SIM card, a US carrier contract, or to be physically present in the United States, you keep your local phone and your local SIM, and your US number simply rings through to it.
Why you might want a US number abroad
Moving abroad rarely means leaving the US behind entirely. Banks, brokerages, insurers, tax software, and old contacts all expect a US number, and plenty of them will not accept a foreign one. Keeping a US number means:
- Friends, family, and colleagues dial a normal US number instead of an international one.
- Clients and employers see a familiar area code rather than a foreign country code.
- You stop paying roaming charges just to keep an old SIM alive.
What your options are
There are three common approaches, and only one of them works well long term.
Keep your old carrier line active. This works, but you pay full price for a plan you barely use, and coverage abroad is unreliable.
Use a free app-based number. These are cheap, but numbers get recycled, calls depend on the app being open, and many services reject them outright.
Buy a virtual number with call forwarding. You own a real US number that forwards to whatever phone you already use. Your handset, SIM, and local plan stay exactly as they are. This is what LocalLine does.
Step by step
- Pick your area code. Choose one that matches where your contacts expect you to be, your old home city is usually the right call.
- Choose monthly or annual billing. You get the same number and features either way — annual just costs less, since paying yearly comes with a discount over month-to-month. If you’re keeping the number long term, annual is the better value. Compare both on the pricing page.
- Complete verification. Upload your ID and address document if your number type requires it.
- Set your forwarding number. Enter the phone you carry today, in any country.
- Test it. Call your new US number from another phone and confirm it rings through.
How call forwarding actually works
When someone in the US dials your number, the call lands on the US network first and is then routed onward to the phone you nominated. The caller pays their normal domestic rate, because as far as their carrier is concerned they made a local call. You receive the call as a regular incoming call on your existing phone, no app to keep open, no data connection required.
If you miss a call, voicemail is recorded and sent to you, and every call appears in your call history.
What it costs
You pay a flat subscription for your number, billed either monthly or annually. Annual billing is discounted, so it’s the cheaper choice if you plan to keep the number for a while. Current prices are on the pricing page.
Each plan includes a set amount of call-forwarding minutes each month. If you talk more than that, you simply top up your call balance and pay only for the extra minutes you use. So there are no per-minute roaming surprises from an old carrier — just a predictable subscription, plus any top-ups you choose.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Cancelling your old line before the new number is live. Set up and test forwarding first, then cancel.
- Assuming every service accepts virtual numbers. Most do; a few banks do not. Check the ones that matter to you before you rely on it.
- Picking a random area code. An area code that has nothing to do with your history looks odd to contacts and can trip fraud checks.
- Forgetting to update the forwarding number when you move. If you change local SIMs, update your forwarding destination the same day.