Guide · updated 28 October 2026

Switching mobile provider in Spain and keeping your number

What the portability code is, how long the switch takes, what happens to your old contract, and the three mistakes that cost people a day without service.

Moving to another operator while keeping your number is simpler than most people fear, and nearly every problem comes from three decisions made badly at the start.

How it works

The number does not belong to the operator; it belongs to you. Portability is a regulated process in which the new operator requests the transfer and the old one is obliged to allow it. You do not cancel anything with the old operator: cancel it yourself and you lose the number.

The steps

1. Check for an outstanding commitment (permanencia) on the line you are moving, or work out the compensation.
2. Sign up with the new operator. They take the account holder’s details and your current provider. You do not hand over your password or account access.
3. Ask for the portability code if the new operator does not handle it for you. You request it from the old operator by phone or in their customer area, free of charge.
4. Receive the new SIM and wait for the port date. Mobile: usually one working day. Landline: up to several days.
5. On the day, the old line stops and the new one activates. Inserting the new SIM early is harmless — it starts working when the transfer completes.

What happens to the old contract

If the number was part of a bundle with fibre, moving the mobile can change the bundle. Ask before what happens to the rest of the services and whether the bundle price changes when the mobile leaves. This is the most common surprise: portability is free, but the bundle loses its discount.

The three mistakes that hurt

• Cancelling the old line before porting. The number is released and there is no way back.
• Porting without checking the new operator’s coverage in your town. The offer can be excellent and still not reach your building.
• Not checking the next invoice. Discounts that vanish, setup fees applied wrongly, services still active. Read the first bill and complain in writing if something is off.

What it costs

Portability itself is free and the new operator cannot charge you for keeping the number. What can cost money is the outstanding commitment on the old contract and, sometimes, the new operator’s setup fee.

Before you decide

Compare offers on what you will pay in month 13, not the welcome price. And check the coverage operators declare for your town: it is the one fact price comparison sites leave out, and the one that decides whether the offer is real.

Want to know what coverage your town has?Check your postcode.

Published 28 October 2026.