Can I keep my Canadian phone number active while abroad?

Staying abroad often raises questions not only about living and working, but also about the possibility of keeping your Canadian contacts. A Canadian phone number is not just a means of communicating with family and friends, but also an important tool for remote banking, account verification, and two-factor authentication, including for government services. But is it possible to keep your Canadian number active while abroad without losing access to ATMs, online banking, and social media? And if so, how can you do this, given operator rates, technical limitations, and subscriber registration requirements?

Use cases

Before choosing a way to keep your number, you should distinguish between two main scenarios:

  1. Temporary stay abroad (up to six months) on a business trip or vacation
  2. Permanent residence abroad with the desire to keep your number for an indefinite period

Temporary stay (up to six months)

If your stay does not exceed six months, many Canadian operators (Bell, Rogers, Telus) offer roaming services without changing your SIM card. However, rates can be as high as:

  • Outgoing calls: from 2.50 CAD per minute

  • Incoming calls: from 1.50 CAD per minute

  • Mobile internet: 5–15 CAD per 1 MB

  • Roaming data limit: 2–4 GB

This option is suitable for short trips, but high rates can quickly eat into your budget.

Permanent residence abroad

For long-term use, Internet-based solutions are more effective:

  • eSIM from a Canadian operator
  • Virtual numbers via MVNO (Fongo, 8x8, TextNow, VoIP.ms)
  • VoIP services (Skype Number, Google Voice)

Digital SIM card (eSIM)

eSIM from a Canadian operator allows you to keep your number on your smartphone without a physical card. Cons: not all phone models support eSIM, and the cost of service may be higher than standard rates.

Virtual numbers via MVNO

MVNOs (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) provide Canadian numbers in a mobile app:

  • Monthly subscription fee: $5–15
  • Calls to non-Canadian numbers: additional charge
  • Works over the internet (Wi-Fi or mobile data)

This option is convenient for calls and SMS, but banks and government services may block VoIP numbers due to the risk of fraud.

VoIP services (Skype Number, Google Voice)

VoIP numbers work exclusively through the app:

  • Allow you to receive calls and voice messages
  • Do not support SMS for two-factor authentication (only MMS and in-app chat)
  • Require registration with a Canadian credit card

Roam Like Home

Bell, Rogers, and Telus offer the Roam Like Home package:

  • Valid in over 200 countries
  • Cost: ≈ 12 CAD per day
  • Includes unlimited calls within Canada, SMS, up to 100 MB of data
  • Must be activated before departure and used periodically during the first 7 days abroad

Alternative with local SIM cards

To reduce costs, you can combine:

  1. Leave your Canadian SIM card in your smartphone in an adapter
  2. Use a local prepaid SIM card for calls and data
  3. Receive SMS confirmation messages in Canada during transit or short visits

This is more complicated to organize, but allows you to save on roaming.

Recommendations before departure

  • Check that you have no outstanding debts in your operator's personal account
  • Set up automatic account top-ups for prepaid plans
  • Inform your relatives, bank, and employer about how to contact you abroad

Conclusion

There are several ways to keep your Canadian number active abroad:

  • Roaming from a Canadian operator (expensive but convenient)

  • eSIM or MVNO (more budget-friendly, via the internet)

  • VoIP services (for calls, but with SMS restrictions)

  • Combination of local SIM and Canadian SIM

The main thing is to choose a solution based on how often you use calls, SMS, and data, as well as taking into account the need for two-factor authentication and access to financial and government services.