Skip to main contentPrior to number activation, some phone numbers need additional information to satisfy regulatory requirements.
These requirements are defined per:
- Country
- Phone number type
- Action (ordering a phone number, or porting a phone number)
For example, porting a GB local phone number may have one set of requirements, while ordering a GB local phone number may have another set of requirements.
Use the GET /requirements endpoint and accompanying filters to see what regulatory requirements need to be met to purchase/port a phone number.
The API response will have two different record_type:
”record_type”: “requirement”: This is the parent record. It indicates which country, phone number type, and action combination that the regulatory requirements apply to. For example, DE local ordering.
”record_type”: “requirement_type”: Communicates the actual regulatory requirements that need to be fulfilled to unblock number activation in that particular country + phone number type + action combination. For example, a Proof of address.
Note: The regulatory landscape is constantly evolving. The regulatory requirements for phone numbers may change.
Fulfilling a requirement_type
To complete your order, all regulatory requirements requirement_type) must be fulfilled and approved. You can satisfy these requirements individually for each order, or you can use a requirement group to apply all the values at once.
To view additional information on a regulatory requirement (description, examples, etc.), perform a GET /requirement_types/ request.
If a requirement_type includes acceptance criteria, ensure the value provided meets those criteria.
Each requirement_type has a type classification. There are four possible types:
- textual
- address
- document
- action
Each type has different rules for fulfillment.
Textual type
To fulfill a textual type, any string can be provided (assuming it complies with the acceptance_criteria of the requirement_type)
Address type
To fulfill an address requirement, an address id must be provided as the field value.
Create an address using the POST v2/addresses endpoint. Upon successful creation, the address will have a unique id associated with it (for example 1293384261075731499). Pass that id as the field_value for the address ordering requirement.
You cannot write out the address as a string (i.e. “312 W Superior St, Chicago, IL, 60654, US”). You must create the address with the POST v2/addresses endpoint, and pass the address id as the field_value.
Document type
To fulfill a document requirement, a document id must be provided as the field value.
Upload the document using the POST /documents endpoint. Upon successful upload, an id will be returned in the response that corresponds to the document (for example 6a09cdc3-8948-47f0-aa62-74ac943d6c58). Pass that id as the field_value for the document ordering requirement.
Action type
An action requirement is unique, and very rare. Please see our separate developer guide to learn more about how to handle action requirement types.