Virtual numbers
A number there, without being there
A virtual number is a real phone number, issued by an operator in the country you choose, that does not depend on a SIM card. It lives in your ELK Connect account: the calls and texts it receives arrive in the app, wherever in the world you are. To the person calling you it is a local number — they dial a number in their own country and pay their own country's rate.
Get a real number in another country, active in seconds. Your contacts call and text you as if they're dialing a local number — with no international charges on their end. SMS messages you receive arrive in the app, wherever you are.
How it works
Choose the country
The list shows only the countries actually available right now, with the monthly price in your currency. What is out of stock does not appear: you cannot pay for a number we do not have.
Pay from your balance
The first month is taken from your ELK Balance when you order. No bank card is asked for, and no automatic renewal is set up unless you choose it.
The number goes live
Assignment takes a few seconds. The number appears in your Numbers area, ready to receive. You can give it out immediately.
Receive it anywhere
Every text arrives in the app with the sender, the time and the full message. Nothing goes through your usual operator, so nothing is billed as roaming.
What's included
A real number, not a forward
The number is issued by a regulated operator in that country. It is shared with nobody else for as long as you rent it.
Texts kept in the app
Messages land in your history and stay there. You can read them again weeks later — which a text on a lost phone does not allow.
No commitment
The rental is monthly. You stop when you want, from the app, without writing to anyone and without giving a reason.
The price before you order
The monthly amount is visible before you confirm, in your currency. It does not change mid-month.
Several numbers, one account
A business number in one country, a personal one in another: they sit in the same account and draw on the same balance.
Full history
Activation date, amounts charged, messages received — all kept and exportable, which matters when a number is used for a business.
A real example
Receive verification codes from your bank back home. Give clients a local professional number. Stay reachable for family without paying international rates.
Questions we are asked
Can I receive verification codes from my bank or from WhatsApp?
Usually yes, and it is the most common use. Some services deliberately refuse numbers not tied to a SIM card and will not send a code: that is the service's decision, not ours. If a code does not arrive, write to us before buying another number.
Do I need an address in the number’s country?
It depends on the country. Many require nothing. Some — France, for example — require the regulator to hold an address in the country for the holder; in that case your own local address is what is registered. The app tells you before the purchase, never after.
Can I make calls from this number?
The numbers are designed to receive. To call out, use the international calling service, billed by the minute from the same balance. Whether your virtual number shows as the caller depends on the country and the operator.
What happens if I do not renew?
The number stops being yours at the end of the paid period and returns to the operator, who may reassign it. Texts already received stay in your history. A released number cannot be recovered: if you use it with a bank, change the number there before you stop.
How long can I keep the number?
As long as you pay for it. There is no maximum term and no forced renewal.
A question this page does not answer? Ask the assistant, bottom right.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Some online services refuse virtual numbers as a matter of policy. We cannot compel them.
- A number that is not renewed is gone for good — update your accounts before you stop.
- Availability by country changes over time; a country missing from the list is not open today, and may be tomorrow.
We would rather you read this here than discover it later.
Ready when you are
Creating an account is free and takes a minute. You pay only for what you use, and nothing renews without you.
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- Secure payment
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