In short. Changing your phone number is possible with all four French operators, without changing your plan or your SIM card in most cases, and it is often free when the request is prompted by harassment or malicious messages. But the operation is pointless if it is badly prepared: a number left in a synced address book, an online listing, a messaging account or a mailing list is enough to put it back into circulation within days. Here is the procedure, the order of the steps, and the traces to clean up before you cut the line.
Information verified on 14 October 2026 on the public pages of Arcep, the CNIL, service-public.fr, Légifrance, cybermalveillance.gouv.fr and on the support pages of Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile. This article provides general information and is no substitute for filing a complaint or for a lawyer's advice.
Is changing your number really the right answer?
Not always. Changing your number is a heavy-handed measure: it breaks an identifier you have handed out for years to your bank, your employer, your doctor, your family and dozens of services that use it to authenticate you. Before resorting to it, three lighter options exist.
Blocking first. On Android as on iPhone, a blocked number no longer makes the phone ring and its messages go into a separate folder. That is enough when the sender always uses the same line.
Anonymous call filtering next, available in the options of most plans and in your phone's settings. We go into how it works in our article on calling back a withheld number without revealing your own.
Reporting, finally. The 33700 service, run by AF2M in cooperation with the operators, handles unwanted commercial or fraudulent texts and calls: you forward the message to 33700, then send the sender's number. The public platform cybermalveillance.gouv.fr also points you towards the appropriate steps depending on the type of nuisance.
Changing your number becomes relevant in three specific cases:
- the sender changes number with every message (disposable numbers, online gateways, prepaid cards), which makes blocking useless;
- your number has leaked into a database that is being resold, and the flow no longer comes from a person but from a market;
- you are coming out of a personal situation — a break-up, a neighbour dispute, a legal conflict — where one single person knows the number and will not stop.
Do you have the right to demand a new number?
Yes, within the limits set by your contract and by the numbering plan. A mobile number is not your property: Arcep allocates blocks of numbers to operators, who assign you one for the duration of the contract. The resource is public and merely placed at your disposal — this is explained on the Arcep website in its documentation on the numbering plan.
The practical consequence, in two parts:
- You cannot freely choose your new number, nor request one from another département, nor reserve a particular string of digits.
- You can ask your operator to assign you another one, and it has no legitimate reason to refuse a request motivated by malicious messages.
The law also gives you a stronger lever than simply switching lines. Telephone harassment is punished under Article 222-16 of the French Criminal Code, which covers repeated malicious calls, sound attacks and, by extension through case law, repeated messages sent with the intention of disturbing another person's peace. The exact text can be consulted on Légifrance. Threats fall under Articles 222-17 and following, identity theft under Article 226-4-1.
In other words: changing your number brings relief, filing a complaint tackles the cause. The two are not mutually exclusive, and the order matters — see below.
The procedure, operator by operator
Each operator has its own route. What they have in common: the request cannot be made through self-service in your online account, it goes through an adviser, because it requires an identity check and, in some cases, supporting documents.
| Operator | Request channel | Stated timeframe | New SIM required | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | Customer service (3900) or store | Generally within a few days | No, in most cases | Depends on the reason; frequently free in cases of malicious use |
| SFR | Customer service (1023) or store | A few days | No, in most cases | Depends on the reason |
| Bouygues Telecom | Customer service (614) or store | A few days | No, in most cases | Depends on the reason |
| Free Mobile | Subscriber area + customer service (3244) | Often fast | No | Depends on the reason |
Table compiled on 14 October 2026 from the four operators' public support pages. Pricing conditions and timeframes change: ask the adviser for written confirmation before you confirm.
Three things to keep in mind before calling:
- Prepare your argument. Say "I am receiving repeated malicious messages", not "I'd like another number". A filed complaint, a receipt, or even a simple police log entry changes how the request is received and how the fee question is handled.
- Ask about the recycling period. Released numbers go back into the operator's pool after a quarantine period. So you inherit a number that may well have been used before — that is the subject of our article on the phone that had a life before you, and it explains the debt-collection or delivery calls that sometimes come in for a stranger.
- Note the switchover date. Between the order and activation there is a window during which the old number stays active. That window is when you do the migration work described below.
What to do before cutting off the old number
This is the step almost everyone skips, and it is the one that determines the outcome. A number changes in an hour; erasing it from the databases where it appears takes weeks.
1. Recover your access before anything else
The phone number has become the default recovery key for a large share of online accounts. If you cut the line before moving those accounts across, you lock yourself out. Take inventory in this order: bank and payment methods, main email account, government accounts (tax office, Ameli, CAF), messaging apps, social networks, shopping platforms.
For each one, replace the number before the switchover and, where possible, replace it not with the new number but with an authenticator app or with backup codes. That is the only way to avoid recreating the very dependency that got you into this situation. Writing those backup codes down somewhere other than the phone is essential: a small secure password notebook kept at home does the job very well, and never runs out of battery.
2. Draw up a list of everywhere your number is written down
Go through methodically:
- your active or archived online listings (classified ads, car-sharing, rentals, home services);
- your email signatures, both professional and personal;
- the public pages where you appear: association, sports club, building management company, professional directory, employer's website;
- the discussion groups where your number is visible to other members;
- your business cards and printed documents still in circulation.
Every one of these entries will put your new number back into circulation if you update it mechanically. For most of them, the right decision is not to correct it: it is to remove the number and leave an email address instead.
3. Check what the directories hold
You can ask your operator to put you on the liste rouge (exclusion from universal directories and directory enquiry services). You can also exercise your rights of access and erasure with the publishers of reverse directories, on the basis of the GDPR: the CNIL describes the procedure and provides a template letter on cnil.fr. Also remember Bloctel, the opt-out service for telephone marketing run on behalf of the French state, which you need to re-register with your new number.
4. Tell your contacts, but not all at the same time
The classic mistake: a group message saying "here's my new number" sent to 250 people. It only takes one recipient who is close to the sender of the messages, or whose phone is compromised, for all your work to be undone.
Work in circles. Close family and essential contacts first, individually. The others later, and only if they need it. A paper address book rebuilt by hand during this period is the best safeguard against the temptation of the group message.
Should you keep one "public" number and one "private" number?
That is often the best way out of the crisis. Rather than changing your number every eighteen months, you separate the uses once and for all:
- a contact number given to shops, delivery drivers, platforms, sign-ups and forms — the one that will take all the hits;
- a personal number reserved for family and friends, your bank and sensitive services, which is never typed into an online form.
Technically, there are three set-ups. A dual-SIM or eSIM-compatible phone lets you carry both lines on a single device. A cheap second subscription, or a prepaid card, provides the disposable line. Finally, a basic second phone — a push-button model with a week of battery life — is more than enough when you want to physically separate the two uses without lugging around two smartphones.
We set out this logic in detail in our article on the phone number that became a national ID, and the comparison of messaging solutions with no visible number is presented on our comparison page.
If all you need is to send a message without exposing your line, changing your number is beside the point: refer instead to our guide how it really works and to the site's sending page.
What if the messages start up again on the new number?
Three possibilities, to be dealt with in this order.
A leak among your contacts. Someone you gave it to passed it on, deliberately or not — an address book synced with an over-curious app, a compromised phone, a shared screenshot. Reconstruct the timeline: who received it, when, and what was the first unwanted message to arrive afterwards.
A recycled number. If the messages are clearly aimed at someone else (appointment reminders, login codes, payment chasers), you have inherited a predecessor's number. Report it to your operator, and reply to the services concerned so they correct their records.
Persistent targeting. If the messages name you, recognise you, or refer to your life, changing your number will never be enough: the person has other ways of reaching you. That is the moment to document everything and file a complaint.
How to build a usable case file
- Keep everything. Time-stamped screenshots of every message, with the sender's number visible and the phone's date on screen.
- Keep a log. A simple table: date, time, number, summary of content, channel. A sewn-binding notebook, with non-removable pages, carries more evidential weight than a file that can be edited after the fact.
- Delete nothing, not even the distressing messages, and do not reply: any reply confirms the line is active and puts you in a weaker position.
- File a complaint at a police station, a gendarmerie, or by letter to the public prosecutor. The procedure is described on service-public.fr.
Only the judicial authorities can compel the operator to identify the sender, by formal requisition. No consumer app does this, and no paid service either. Our article is it legal to send an anonymous text in France explains where anonymity stops when the courts get involved.
Checklist: the exact order of operations
- Before calling the operator: list the accounts for which your number is the recovery key; switch over to an authenticator app or to backup codes.
- Requesting the new number: customer service, precise reason, written confirmation of fees and of the switchover date.
- During the overlap window: update essential accounts, remove the number from public pages and listings.
- Switchover day: register on the liste rouge, re-register with Bloctel, check reverse directories.
- After the switchover: inform friends and family in circles, individually; no group messages.
- If the harassment continues: dated case file, complaint filed, and keep the old handset if evidence is stored on it.
Frequently asked questions
Is changing your phone number free?
It depends on the reason and the operator. A request made purely for convenience may be charged for; a request motivated by malicious messages or calls, backed up by a complaint or a police log entry, is frequently granted free of charge. Always ask for written confirmation before confirming.
Can I keep my SIM card when changing number?
In most cases yes: the number is linked to the line, not etched into the chip, and the operator can make the change remotely. Some cases do, however, require a new SIM to be sent out, in particular when switching to an eSIM.
How long does my old number stay out of service?
Released numbers are placed in quarantine by the operator before returning to the pool of assignable numbers, in accordance with the management rules of the numbering plan applied under Arcep's authority. The periods vary from one operator to another: ask the adviser if you are worried about a third party getting hold of your old line.
Does changing my number erase my old messages?
No. Received messages stay in the phone's memory and in your backups, and that is just as well if you are considering filing a complaint. Do not delete them before you have built your case file.
Can I change number to escape a specific person without filing a complaint?
Yes, nothing obliges you to. But if the messages are repeated and intended to disturb your peace, Article 222-16 of the Criminal Code applies and a complaint remains the only route to identifying the author. Changing your number treats the symptom; the complaint treats the cause.
Updated on 14 October 2026. The conditions, timeframes and prices mentioned are subject to change: check them with your operator before taking any steps.
