> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.smsmanager.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Phone Number Formats Accepted by SmsManager

> SmsManager accepts E.164 phone numbers without the leading + sign. Learn the expected format and how numbers are normalized.

Every recipient phone number you pass to SmsManager must include the full international dialling prefix — no local shortcuts or ambiguous national formats. SmsManager uses the **E.164 standard** as its canonical form, but strips the leading `+` sign. This means you pass a plain digit string starting with the country code, with no spaces, dashes, or other separators.

## Required format

SmsManager expects phone numbers in **E.164 format without the leading `+` or `00`**. Start directly with the country code followed by the subscriber number, with no formatting characters.

| Country        | International (E.164) | SmsManager format |
| -------------- | --------------------- | ----------------- |
| Czech Republic | +420 777 123 456      | `420777123456`    |
| United Kingdom | +44 7700 900123       | `447700900123`    |
| United States  | +1 415 555 0100       | `14155550100`     |
| Germany        | +49 151 23456789      | `4915123456789`   |
| Slovakia       | +421 902 123 456      | `421902123456`    |

The pattern is straightforward: take the full international number, remove the leading `+`, and remove all spaces, dashes, and parentheses.

## Auto-normalization

SmsManager accepts several other common representations and converts them to the canonical format before processing. While this gives you some flexibility, passing numbers in the recommended E.164-without-`+` format avoids any ambiguity and gives you the most reliable results — especially for numbers from countries that have non-obvious national dialling conventions.

Formats that are automatically normalised include:

* Numbers prefixed with a literal `+` (e.g. `+420777123456`)
* Numbers prefixed with the international exit code `00` (e.g. `00420777123456`)
* Numbers containing spaces, dashes, dots, or parentheses as separators (e.g. `420 777 123-456`)
* National format numbers with a leading `0` where the country can be inferred (e.g. `0777123456` in some configurations)

<Note>
  National format with a leading `0` (e.g. `0777123456`) may not be correctly identified for all countries, because the country code cannot always be inferred from the number alone. Always include the full country code to guarantee correct routing.
</Note>

## Format validation table

| Format                              | Example           | Accepted?                                                 |
| ----------------------------------- | ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| E.164 without `+` **(recommended)** | `420777123456`    | ✅ Accepted as-is                                          |
| With leading `+`                    | `+420777123456`   | ⚠️ Accepted — normalised by stripping `+`                 |
| With leading `00`                   | `00420777123456`  | ⚠️ Accepted — normalised by stripping `00`                |
| National with leading `0`           | `0777123456`      | ⚠️ Accepted for some countries — may not work universally |
| With spaces or dashes               | `420 777 123-456` | ⚠️ Accepted — separators are stripped                     |

## Country codes

Always include the full country dialling code as the first digits of the number — do not add a leading `+`. For example:

* Czech Republic (`420`) → `420XXXXXXXXX`
* Germany (`49`) → `49XXXXXXXXXX`
* United States (`1`) → `1XXXXXXXXXX`

The country code does more than just route the message — it also determines the applicable per-message price, required sender registration rules, and any country-specific content restrictions. Using the wrong or missing country code can result in misrouted messages or unexpected charges.

<Tip>
  If you store phone numbers in your database with a leading `+`, strip it before passing numbers to the SmsManager API. A simple `phone.replace(/^\+/, "")` in JavaScript or `phone.lstrip("+")` in Python is all you need.
</Tip>

## Phone numbers in the Verify API

The Verify API accepts phone numbers in the `phoneNumber` field of the request body using the same format: digits only, including the country code, no leading `+` or `00`.

The Verify API validates the number against the following pattern before accepting a session request:

```text theme={null}
^[1-9]\d{6,14}$
```

This means:

* The first digit must be `1–9` (no leading zeros)
* Total length must be between 7 and 15 digits (inclusive)
* Only digit characters are accepted — no spaces, dashes, or `+`

**Example Verify API request body:**

```json theme={null}
{
  "phoneNumber": "420777123456"
}
```

<Warning>
  Invalid phone numbers cause messages to be **rejected before they are sent**. A rejected message may trigger a `result: rejected` webhook callback. Always validate and normalise phone numbers on your side before calling the API, and check the `rejected` array in API responses to identify any numbers that failed.
</Warning>