This guide is for businesses and platforms buying numbers for phone systems and contact centres, not for consumers setting up a personal second line. A DID (Direct Inward Dialing) number — commonly called a virtual number — is a public phone number provisioned online and delivered over SIP (Session Initiation Protocol, the standard for internet calling), so you can publish a local number in a country where you have no office and take the calls anywhere. If the term is new, read what a DID number is first.
The process is five steps. With a self-serve provider, an undocumented number can move from choice to live call in a single session; a regulated market adds a verification wait but the same steps apply.
The five steps
Step 1 — Define the need
Decide three things before you look at inventory: the country you want a presence in, the number type, and whether you need voice, SMS, or both. The type is the consequential choice — local (a geographic number with a city prefix), national (non-geographic, countrywide), toll-free (free to the caller, cost borne by you), or mobile-range (needed where traffic expects a mobile origin, such as some messaging). Not every type carries SMS, and availability differs by country.
What you supply: your target market and use case. What can delay it: picking a type that does not support your use — for instance expecting SMS on a number type that only handles voice. If you are unsure which type fits, compare them in DID vs virtual numbers.
Step 2 — Check the documentation requirement
Regulators allocate number ranges to licensed carriers and attach verification rules to them, so some numbers need paperwork before activation. Requirements fall into classes — none, ID only, ID plus proof of address, or evidence of local presence — and depend on the country and number type, a process usually called KYC (Know Your Customer). A good provider shows the class on the number before you order, so you know whether it activates instantly or needs review.
What you supply: whatever the class requires, ready to upload — typically a company ID document and, where asked, an address record. What can delay it: mismatched or incomplete documents are the single biggest cause of a number stalling in a regulated market.
Step 3 — Order from live inventory
Order against real, in-stock inventory rather than a request queue. In a self-serve portal you filter by country and type, see the available numbers, and reserve the one you want. Ordering from live stock is what makes instant activation possible: the number is yours the moment the order clears, subject only to any verification from step 2.
What you supply: an account and your selection. What can delay it: a type that is temporarily out of stock in that country — live inventory shows this before you commit, so you can pick an alternative or another market. Temptera exposes live per-country availability in the coverage table, with exact rates shown once you create an account.
Step 4 — Connect the number
A number does nothing until you point it at a destination. There are three common ways to connect, in rising order of control:
- Call forwarding — send inbound calls to an existing phone number. The fastest option, with no equipment; useful for a single line or a quick test.
- Softphone registration — register a software phone (on a computer or mobile) directly to the number. Good for individuals and small teams.
- SIP trunk or PBX — route the number into a SIP trunk (a connection between your phone system and the provider) or your PBX (Private Branch Exchange, your call-switching system). This gives one-number-to-many-extensions routing and is the standard for contact centres and platforms.
What you supply: a forwarding destination, or SIP credentials / a whitelisted IP for trunk delivery. What can delay it: connection details entered incorrectly — a wrong SIP URI or an un-whitelisted IP is a common first-call failure. See SIP trunking for how delivery works.
Step 5 — Test and go live
Before you publish the number, place real inbound calls to it and confirm the basics: the call reaches the right endpoint, audio is clear in both directions, latency is acceptable, and caller ID passes through as expected. Once a test call completes cleanly, the number is ready to put on your website, campaigns, or account.
What you supply: a few minutes to make and answer test calls. What can delay it: routing that works in one direction only, usually a firewall or endpoint configuration issue rather than the number itself — worth catching before go-live rather than after.
How long does the whole thing take?
For undocumented inventory, all five steps can happen in one session — minutes from choosing a number to a live test call. For a regulated market, steps 1, 3, 4 and 5 are just as fast; it is step 2, verification, that adds a wait, typically a few business days while documents are reviewed. Planning the paperwork early is the single biggest lever on how quickly a regulated number goes live.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get a DID number?
Undocumented inventory activates within minutes of ordering — you pick the number, order it, and connect it the same session. Markets that require verification take longer, typically a few business days, because documents must be checked before the number can go live. The requirement class is shown before you order.
What do I need to buy a DID number?
An account and a way to receive the calls. For some countries and number types that is all; others require identity or address documents, or evidence of local presence, depending on how the range is regulated. The exact requirement for the number you choose is displayed at order time so there are no surprises.
How do I connect a DID number once I have it?
Point the number at a destination: forward it to an existing phone number, register a softphone, or route it into a SIP trunk or PBX using the credentials or IP details in your account. Inbound calls then arrive as a SIP INVITE carrying the dialled number, which your system maps to the right endpoint.
Can I get a phone number in a country where I have no office?
Yes — that is a core reason to buy a virtual number. You can publish a local number in a market where you have no physical presence and take those calls anywhere over SIP. Some countries still require verification or evidence of local presence for certain number types, which is stated before you order.
What can delay a DID number going live?
The main cause is documentation: incomplete or mismatched paperwork in a regulated market extends verification. Other delays come from choosing a number type that is out of stock in that country, or connection details being entered incorrectly. Ordering from live inventory and confirming requirements up front avoids most of them.
Get your first number
Temptera stocks local, national, toll-free and mobile numbers across 100+ countries, delivered over SIP with pay-as-you-go pricing and no lock-ins. Browse the coverage table, learn how to choose a provider, or create an account to see live rates and order.
To see market-specific requirements, start from a country page such as Germany virtual numbers, Spain virtual numbers, Brazil virtual numbers or UAE virtual numbers.