Business phone numbers in Germany

Germany assigns geographic numbers by city (030 Berlin, 040 Hamburg) and requires a verifiable German address for those and for mobile numbers. It only exempts foreign businesses from local-address rules on 0800 toll-free numbers, so a UK or US company usually needs a German presence for anything else.

Number types in Germany

Type	National format	E.164	Notes
Local	030 12345678	+49 30 12345678	Trunk prefix 0 plus 2 to 5 digit area code plus 3 to 8 digit subscriber number. Newly assigned numbers standardised to 11 digits since 1 July 2011, as of July 2026.
National	0180 1234567	+49 180 1234567	0180 is shared-cost/service (call centres, hotlines); 0900 is premium rate.
Mobile	0151 23456789	+49 151 23456789	Prefixes 015x, 016x, 017x. Requires a Handelsregister extract or Gewerbeanmeldung and a verifiable German address, as of July 2026.
Toll-free	0800 1234567	+49 800 1234567	0800 numbers can be issued to a foreign company with a worldwide address, since the caller bears no cost risk.

Porting

The Bundesnetzagentur regulates porting via the WBCI (Wholesale Buyer Carrier Interface) process, introduced in 2016. The losing provider must respond to a pre-notification within 3 business days, as of July 2026.

A port bundled with a provider switch (VA-KUE-MRN/ORN) needs a switch date at least 20 business days out, with the approval confirming a date at least 15 business days out. A realistic business-line port bundled with a switch takes 3 to 4 weeks; a standalone port of an already-terminated line can complete in 1 to 2 weeks.

Submitted subscriber details must match the losing provider's records exactly or the port is rejected. Invoices used as proof must be under 30 days old. The Bundesnetzagentur was consulting on changes to the porting data-exchange procedure through mid-July 2026.

Requirements

·German mobile numbers (015/016/017) require a Handelsregister extract or Gewerbeanmeldung, plus a verifiable German address, as of July 2026.
·Geographic numbers and 032 non-geographic national numbers require a verifiable German address matching the assigned city or region.
·0800 toll-free numbers are the exception: they can be issued to a foreign company with a worldwide address and no German entity required.

Compliance notes

·Emergency numbers are 112 (EU-wide) and 110 (national police). All public telecom and VoIP providers must connect both free of charge without delay and pass caller location to the correct centre, under the NotrufV and the Bundesnetzagentur's Technical Directive on Emergency Calls, as of July 2026.
·Call recording without consent from every party is a criminal offence under Sec 201 StGB, punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment. A written terms-of-service disclosure is not enough; an explicit spoken announcement at the start of the call is the reliable method.
·Germany's data-protection culture treats undisclosed recording as a criminal matter, not just a civil or regulatory one, which is stricter than most EU peers.

Regulatory details verified July 2026 and re-checked quarterly. wlur offers numbers in Germany; add one from the app in about a minute.

Frequently asked questions

Can a US company get a German phone number?

Only easily for an 0800 toll-free number, which needs no German entity. Geographic and mobile numbers require a verifiable German address. Mobile also needs a Handelsregister extract or Gewerbeanmeldung, as of July 2026.

How long does porting take in Germany?

A business-line port bundled with a provider switch typically takes 3 to 4 weeks under the WBCI process. A standalone port of an already-terminated line can take 1 to 2 weeks.

Is call recording legal in Germany without telling the other party?

No. Sec 201 StGB makes it a criminal offence to record a call without consent from every party. Courts generally exclude covert recordings as evidence.

Do German mobile numbers require a local address?

Yes. As of July 2026, 015/016/017 mobile numbers require a Handelsregister extract or Gewerbeanmeldung and a verifiable German address.