To keep your number when you switch to Lebara, get a PAC from your current network by texting PAC to 65075, activate your Lebara SIM, then fill in Lebara’s port-in form at lebara.co.uk/portin. Submit it before 5pm on a weekday and your number usually moves the next working day.
Leaving Lebara instead? Text PAC to 65075 from your Lebara phone and give the code to your new network. That is covered further down. Weighing up another SIM-only network? The giffgaff guide covers the same process there.
In short: PAC from your old network → activate the Lebara SIM → port-in form with both numbers and the code → number moves the next working day. The mistake to avoid is putting the numbers in the wrong boxes.
How the Lebara port in works, step by step
Moving your number to Lebara
- Get your PAC. From the phone you want to keep, text PAC to 65075. Your current network sends a nine-character porting authorisation code, valid for a month.
- Activate the Lebara SIM. Put it in your phone and make a call or send a text. It comes with a temporary number — note it down. Activate it reasonably soon after it arrives — activation can take up to 24 hours.
- Fill in Lebara’s online form. It asks for your temporary Lebara number, the number you are keeping, your PAC and a transfer date.
- Submit before 5pm on a weekday. The transfer then usually happens the next working day. Weekends and bank holidays do not count.
You do not need to cancel anything with your old network. When the port completes, your old account closes on its own. Cancelling it yourself first is the one reliable way to lose the number.
The mistake that breaks Lebara ports
The port-in form asks for two phone numbers, and both start with 07. People swap them.
| Form field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Lebara number | The temporary number that came with your new Lebara SIM |
| Number you want to keep | Your existing number — the one everyone already has |
| PAC | The nine-character code from your old network |
Get these the wrong way round and the request either fails or tries to move the wrong number. Fixing it means a phone call to Lebara, and users who have been through it report it taking far longer than promised. Read the form back once before you press submit.
What switch day looks like
- Your old SIM loses service first
- A few hours later, the Lebara SIM picks up your original number
- The temporary Lebara number disappears once the port completes
- If nothing has happened by the evening, restart the phone before you assume something is wrong
A gap of a few hours with no service is normal. Move any security codes — banking, work logins — to another method before switch day, so that gap does not lock you out of anything.
When a Lebara port goes wrong
Three failures come up again and again on the Lebara community forum and MoneySavingExpert.
Your old network says the PAC is used, Lebara says ask your old network
This is the worst one, because each side points at the other. Ask Lebara for a porting reference and ask them directly whether the number is recorded on their side. Once a number has been ported in, sorting it out is the receiving network’s job — that is Lebara.
The port completed but calls do not arrive
The phone shows signal and you can make calls, but callers get “number does not exist” or nothing at all. That usually means the routing was not fully updated. Report it to Lebara with specifics: who called, from which network, and what they heard.
Your PAC expired before the port finished
Request a fresh one from your old network the same way. Do not keep re-entering the old code — once 30 days have passed it will not work.
Keep a record from the start. Note every ticket number, date and name. If Lebara has not fixed it after eight weeks, or sends a letter saying it cannot, Ofcom’s rules let you take the complaint to an independent dispute resolution scheme, free of charge.
Leaving Lebara: how to get a PAC code
Getting a Lebara PAC code works the same way as on any other UK network:
- Text PAC to 65075 from your Lebara phone
- The code is free and stays valid for 30 days
- Give it to the network you are joining — not to Lebara
- Your number moves the next weekday, and the Lebara account closes itself
If you have credit left, text INFO to 85075 before you go. The reply shows your remaining balance, so you can use it up first rather than leaving it behind.
Make sure you send PAC, not STAC. A STAC to 75075 also ends your service, but it gives the number up for good — which matters most if it is a premium mobile number you paid for.
Common questions
Where is the Lebara port-in form?
At lebara.co.uk/portin, on Lebara’s own website. Have your temporary Lebara number, your existing number and your PAC ready before you open it.
Do I have to activate the Lebara SIM before porting?
Usually, yes. The form asks for your Lebara number, which you get once the SIM is active. Lebara’s own guidance has described the order differently at times, so if the form asks for something else, follow the form.
Does it cost anything to switch to Lebara and keep my number?
No. Getting a PAC and porting the number are both free. Any money involved is what you still owe your old network.
How long does a Lebara port in take?
Usually the next weekday, if the form went in before 5pm. A form sent on Friday evening moves the following week.
The short version
To move to Lebara and keep your number, get the PAC, activate the SIM, and fill in the form with the numbers in the right boxes — that last part is where a lot of failed ports start. To leave Lebara, text for the code like on any network. The full process across every network, including what to do when a switch stalls, is in the guide to PAC codes.
Sources
- Lebara — How to keep your number when switching to Lebara, on the port-in process.
- Ofcom — Switching mobile provider, on free codes, 30-day validity and one working day transfers.
- Lebara Community — Number porting failure, on the failures customers report.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026. Network processes change; this guide is re-checked when they do.