Sinch Porting API

Overview

The Porting API automates port-in operations — transferring phone numbers from another carrier into Sinch. It supports portability checks, order creation and management, document uploads, on-demand activation, and webhook notifications for status updates. Currently supports North American (US/CA) numbers only.

Instructions

Before generating code, gather from the user:

1. Approach — SDK or direct API calls (curl/fetch)?
2. Use case — Portability check, create order, track order, activate numbers?
3. Activation mode (only for create order) — Automatic (on desiredPortDate) or on-demand (onDemandActivation: true)?

Note: The @sinch/sdk-core Node.js SDK does not currently have dedicated porting methods. Use direct HTTP calls for all porting operations.

Getting Started

Agent Credentials handling

Store credentials in environment variables — never hardcode tokens, PINs, or keys in commands or source code:

export SINCH_PROJECT_ID="your-project-id"
export SINCH_KEY_ID="your-key-id"
export SINCH_KEY_SECRET="your-key-secret"
export SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-oauth-token"

Authentication

Ensure that authentication headers are properly set when making API calls. The Porting API uses Bearer token authentication:

-H "Authorization: Bearer $SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN"

See sinch-authentication for full setup, most importantly how to obtain {SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN} (OAuth2 client-credentials — do not mint your own JWT).

Base URL

First API Call — Check Portability

Always check portability before creating an order:

curl -X POST \
  "https://porting.api.sinch.com/v1/projects/$SINCH_PROJECT_ID/portabilityChecks" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "phoneNumbers": ["+15551234567", "+15559876543"]
  }'

Response:

{
  "phoneNumbers": [
    {
      "phoneNumber": "+15551234567",
      "portable": true,
      "carrier": "T-Mobile"
    },
    {
      "phoneNumber": "+15559876543",
      "portable": false,
      "carrier": "Verizon",
      "reason": "Number is not portable"
    }
  ]
}

Create a Port-In Order

curl -X POST \
  "https://porting.api.sinch.com/v1/projects/$SINCH_PROJECT_ID/orders/portIns" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "desiredPortSchedule": {
      "desiredPortDate": "2026-05-15",
      "desiredPortTime": "09:00:00",
      "desiredPortTimeZone": "US/Eastern"
    },
    "customerOrderReference": "my-ref-123",
    "phoneNumbers": [
      {
        "phoneNumber": "+15551234567",
        "endUser": {
          "name": "Acme Corp",
          "streetNum": "123",
          "streetName": "Main",
          "streetType": "St",
          "city": "Anytown",
          "state": "CA",
          "zipCode": "90210",
          "typeOfService": "B"
        },
        "portOutInfo": {
          "existingPortOutPin": "1234"
        }
      }
    ]
  }'

existingPortOutPin — Obtain this PIN from the losing carrier before submitting the order. See Create Port-In Order for full field reference.

Response:

{
  "id": 12345,
  "status": "PENDING",
  "customerOrderReference": "my-ref-123",
  "desiredPortSchedule": {
    "desiredPortDate": "2026-05-15",
    "desiredPortTime": "09:00:00",
    "desiredPortTimeZone": "US/Eastern"
  },
  "phoneNumbers": [
    {
      "phoneNumber": "+15551234567",
      "status": "PENDING"
    }
  ]
}

Track an Order

# Auth: same Bearer token header as above
curl -X GET \
  "https://porting.api.sinch.com/v1/projects/$SINCH_PROJECT_ID/orders/portIns/12345" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Response:

{
  "id": 12345,
  "status": "CONFIRMED",
  "customerOrderReference": "my-ref-123",
  "desiredPortSchedule": {
    "desiredPortDate": "2026-05-15",
    "desiredPortTime": "09:00:00",
    "desiredPortTimeZone": "US/Eastern"
  },
  "phoneNumbers": [
    {
      "phoneNumber": "+15551234567",
      "status": "CONFIRMED",
      "focDate": "2026-05-15"
    }
  ]
}

Activate Numbers (On-Demand)

First check which number groups are ready:

# Auth: same Bearer token header as above
curl -X GET \
  "https://porting.api.sinch.com/v1/projects/$SINCH_PROJECT_ID/orders/portIns/12345/availableActivations" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Response:

{
  "activationGroups": [
    {
      "groupId": "grp-001",
      "phoneNumbers": ["+15551234567"],
      "status": "READY"
    }
  ]
}

Then activate:

# Auth: same Bearer token header as above
curl -X POST \
  "https://porting.api.sinch.com/v1/projects/$SINCH_PROJECT_ID/orders/portIns/12345/activate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SINCH_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "groupIds": ["grp-001"]
  }'

Key Concepts

• Port-In Order — A request to transfer one or more phone numbers from another carrier to Sinch. Each order has a numeric id and tracks the overall lifecycle.
• Order Status — Lifecycle of a port-in order: PENDING (can update/cancel) → CONFIRMED (locked, awaiting port date) → COMPLETED (numbers active). Also: PENDING_CANCELATION → CANCELED.
• Phone Number Status — Per-number status within an order: PENDING → CONFIRMED → ACTIVATED. Also: REJECTED (see rejectReason), CANCELED, EXCLUDED (see exclusionReason).
• FOC (Firm Order Confirmation) — The confirmed port date set by the losing carrier. Returned as focDate on each phone number once confirmed. On-demand activation requires FOC date to be today or earlier.
• End User — The person or company that currently owns the number. Required fields: name, streetNum, streetName, city, state, zipCode. Must match the losing carrier's records exactly.
• Port-Out Info — Credentials from the losing carrier. Usually only existingPortOutPin is needed. May also include accountNum, accountPhoneNumber, authorizingName, authorizingDate.
• LOA (Letter of Authorization) — A document authorizing the port. Upload via POST /orders/portIns/{orderId}/documents.
• On-Demand Activation — When onDemandActivation: true, numbers are not auto-activated on the port date. Instead, call POST /orders/portIns/{orderId}/activate after FOC date is reached and numbers are routing on Sinch network.
• Voice Configuration — Optional per-number config for voice routing. Discriminated on type: RTC (programmable voice, requires appId), EST (elastic SIP trunking, requires trunkId), FAX (requires serviceId).
• Messaging Configuration — Optional per-number config for messaging features. Supports A2PLC (Application-to-Person Long Code) and SMSMMS feature types. Configured alongside voice options on each phone number in the order.
• E911 — Optional per-number emergency location data. Submitted as part of the phone number entry in a port-in order for numbers that require E911 service.
• Directory Listing — Optional per-number directory listing information (e.g., name and address for directory assistance). Provided as part of the phone number entry in a port-in order.
• Desired Port Schedule — Required. Contains desiredPortDate (ISO date, required), desiredPortTime (defaults to project config or 09:00:00), desiredPortTimeZone (one of: US/Eastern, US/Central, US/Mountain, US/Pacific).
• Configuration — Project-level defaults for porting: default contact info, webhook URL, default port time and timezone. Set via POST /configuration, updated via PUT /configuration.

Common Patterns

• Check portability — POST /portabilityChecks with phoneNumbers array. Always do this before creating an order; non-portable numbers cause order failure.

• Create port-in order — POST /orders/portIns with desiredPortSchedule, phoneNumbers (each with endUser and portOutInfo). Returns order id and initial PENDING status.

• List and filter orders — GET /orders/portIns with query params: orderStatus, phoneNumber, customerOrderReference, createdDateStart/createdDateEnd, focStartDate/focEndDate, pageSize (default 100, max 1000), page.

• Get order details — GET /orders/portIns/{orderId} returns full order with phone numbers, notes, and documents.

• Get phone number groups — GET /orders/portIns/phoneGroups/{orderId} returns phone numbers grouped by their status or activation group within the order. Porting is processed by groups.

• Update a pending order — PUT /orders/portIns/{orderId} — sends the full object (not a patch). Only works on PENDING orders.

• Cancel a pending order — DELETE /orders/portIns/{orderId} — only works on PENDING orders.

• Add note to order — POST /orders/portIns/{orderId}/notes — use to respond to issues flagged by Sinch during processing.

• Upload document (LOA) — POST /orders/portIns/{orderId}/documents — attach authorization documents.

• Get document details — GET /orders/portIns/{orderId}/documents/{documentId} — retrieve metadata or content for a previously uploaded document.

• On-demand activation — First GET /orders/portIns/{orderId}/availableActivations to see which number groups are ready, then POST /orders/portIns/{orderId}/activate to activate them. FOC date must be today or earlier and numbers must be routing on Sinch network.

• Configure defaults — POST /configuration to create, PUT /configuration to update, GET /configuration to read. Sets default contact, webhook URL, port time, and timezone.

Gotchas and Best Practices

• Always check portability first — POST /portabilityChecks before creating an order. Orders with non-portable numbers will fail.
• Phone numbers must be E.164 format — All phone numbers in requests must be in E.164 format (e.g., +15551234567). Numbers not in this format will be rejected.
• customerOrderReference max 100 characters — Longer values will be rejected at validation.
• North America only — The Porting API currently supports US and CA numbers only (countryCode is US or CA).
• Max 500 numbers per order — For orders with more than 500 numbers, contact Sinch support.
• Update is a full PUT, not PATCH — PUT /orders/portIns/{orderId} requires the complete order object. Omitting fields will clear them.
• Only PENDING orders can be updated or canceled — Once CONFIRMED, orders cannot be modified. Cancel creates PENDING_CANCELATION state during which the same numbers cannot be resubmitted.
• End user info must match the losing carrier's records — Mismatched name, address, or account details cause rejections. typeOfService defaults to B (Business); set to R for residential.
• Port-out PIN is usually sufficient — Most carriers only require existingPortOutPin in portOutInfo. Only provide accountNum, accountPhoneNumber, authorizingName if the carrier requires them.
• authorizingDate cannot be in the future — Must be today or earlier.
• Default port time is 09:00 US/Eastern — If you don't set desiredPortTime and desiredPortTimeZone on the order and haven't configured project defaults, the system uses 09:00:00 US/Eastern.
• Time zones are US-only enum values — Only US/Eastern, US/Central, US/Mountain, US/Pacific are accepted. No generic timezone strings.
• 10DLC campaign required after port completes — For US 10DLC numbers, you must associate the number with an approved 10DLC campaign before sending SMS/MMS. This can only be done after the port completes.
• Webhooks for real-time updates — Configure a webhook URL via POST /configuration or the dashboard. Use webhooks instead of polling GET /orders/portIns/{orderId} for status updates.
• voiceConfiguration is a discriminated union — Must include type field: RTC (with appId), EST (with trunkId), or FAX (with serviceId).
• No SDK support — The @sinch/sdk-core Node.js SDK does not have dedicated porting methods. Use direct REST calls.
• resellerName required for Canadian numbers — An additional field needed when porting CA numbers.

Links

• Porting Documentation
• Port-In Numbers API Reference
• OpenAPI Spec (YAML)
• Advanced Porting (Activation)
• Porting Webhooks
• LLMs.txt (full docs index)