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🇩🇪 German Number Porting Guide

A guide to porting local and toll-free phone numbers in Germany to CloudTalk

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Written by Valeriia Volobrinskaia
Updated this week

Porting your German phone number to CloudTalk is a smooth process when the necessary documents are provided accurately. This guide covers what number types are supported, the documentation required, and how to prepare for a successful port.


Supported Number Types

  • Geographic (local) numbers

  • Toll-Free Numbers (+49800)

  • National Numbers (+4932)

Mobile numbers are not portable at this time (+49 15xx-xxxxxxx, 16x-xxxxxxx, 17x-xxxxxxx). If you already have a mobile number you would like to use for outbound calls on CloudTalk, we can create a Virtual Caller ID of your existing number

Required Documents for Number Porting

To initiate the porting process, please provide:

Geographic (local) and National (non-geographic) numbers

  • Signed Letter of Authorization (LOA) - CloudTalk Carriers Team will send you an English LOA guide during the port submission if you are confused how to fill this out

    • Must be completed and signed by an authorized representative.

    • For businesses, a company stamp is mandatory.

    • The address on the LOA should match the address registered with your current provider.

  • Latest Invoice from your Current Provider:

    • A billing statement from your current provider, dated within the last 30 days, displaying your company name and the number(s) to be ported.

  • Proof of Business Registation in the locality of the number

    • For GmbH (Ltds): Handelsregisterauszug (Commercial Register Extract)

    • For sole proprietors, civil partnerships, tradespeople: Gewa 1/2 signed and stamped by the local authority + Passport or National ID of the individual (front and back in color)

Toll-free numbers

For German-based companies

  • Signed Letter of Authorization (LOA):

  • Allocation Letter (Zuteilungsbescheid):

    • Required for toll-free numbers.

    • This document shows the original allocation of the number to your company by the telecom authority, Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)

  • Handelsregisterauszug (Commercial Register Extract)

  • VAT Number:

    • Especially relevant for toll-free number porting to confirm your business's tax identification.

  • Latest Invoice from your Current Provider:

    • A billing statement from your current provider, dated within the last 30 days, displaying your company name and the number(s) to be ported.

For non-German-based companies

  • Business registration in your main country of operation

    • ID of a legal company representative - someone who is listed on the business registration as Geschäftsführer or Prokora

      • alternately, you can elect a different registration but the company director or HR must proved a letter of delegation of authority to the ID-holder

  • Latest Invoice from your Current Provider:

    • A billing statement from your current provider, dated within the last 30 days, displaying your company name and the number(s) to be ported.

Summary of Requirements by Number Type

Number Type

Documents Required for Porting

Additional Compliance Documents

Notes

Local

- LOA (with company stamp)
- Latest Invoice

Handelsregisterauszug (Commercial Register Extract) or other business registration type

Local address in Handelsregister or Gewa must match the number's registered location

Toll-Free

- LOA (with company stamp)
- Latest Invoice

Handelsregister extract
- Allocation Letter (Zuteilungsbescheid)
- VAT Number

alternative process for companies not based in Germany, shown above

Allocation Letter must show the same company name and match VAT registration


What is a Handelsregisterauszug (Commercial Register Extract)?

The Handelsregisterauszug, or Commercial Register Extract, is an official document issued by the German commercial register (Handelsregister) that contains key details about a registered company. It’s often required during number porting as proof of the company's legal existence and registered address.

What Information Does It Contain?

The extract typically includes:

  • Company name

  • Registered address

  • Legal form (e.g., GmbH, AG)

  • Managing directors or authorized representatives

  • Registration number

  • Date of registration

How to Obtain a Handelsregisterauszug

There are two main ways to get it:

  1. Online from the Official Portal

    • Go to the German Register Portal: https://www.handelsregister.de

    • Search by company name or registration number

    • You can select Actual Printout or Chronologic Print out to download PDF version

  2. Request from Your Company’s Legal or Admin Department

    • If you're not the person handling legal registrations, your company’s legal or finance team likely already has a copy

    • It should be no older than 3 months to be accepted for porting


Estimated Porting Timelines

All number types: Approximately 2 weeks after full documentation is submitted.

Delays may occur if information doesn’t match provider records.


Common Rejection Reasons & How to Avoid Them

Issue

What It Means

How to Fix It

Missing company stamp

The LOA wasn’t stamped

Resubmit the LOA with your official stamp

Mismatched address

The site address in the LOA doesn’t match the current provider's records

Check with your provider to confirm the registered address

Missing/mismatched Allocation Letter (0800)

The toll-free number doesn’t match your business

Provide an updated Allocation Letter from the original telecom authority

Incomplete Range

The number is part of a range which cannot be split or ported individually

Ask your current provider if it is possible to split the range into individual numbers so you can port your number out

Inactive number

The number has been deactivated or suspended

Ask your provider to reactivate it before the port request

Outdated invoice

Invoice is older than 30 days

Provide a recent one from your current carrier

What Happens on Porting Day

  • The number is activated in your CloudTalk account

  • Your former provider deactivates the number

  • CloudTalk billing begins the same day

  • We recommend notifying your previous provider to prevent duplicate charges


Need Help?

For more guidance, check out:

Or reach out to our Porting Team - we're here to support you every step of the way.

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