Keep Your Polish Phone Number When Changing Operator (2026)
Short answer: Yes. Under art. 325 of Poland's Electronic Communications Law you can move your number to a new provider for free, within one month after your old contract ends.
If you move to a new mobile operator in Poland, you do not have to give up your phone number. The right to keep it is written into the Electronic Communications Law (Prawo komunikacji elektronicznej, Dz.U. 2024 poz. 1221), in article 325. This guide walks through what that article says, in plain English, based on the text of the law as shown in the OpenLEX legal database for the version in force from 4 July 2026 (checked 16 October 2026) and on a case note from the telecom regulator, UKE.
What the law gives you
Article 325 says a subscriber with a voice-service contract that comes with a number from the national numbering plan can ask, when changing provider, to move that number to an existing network. In practice this covers ordinary Polish mobile numbers and fixed-line numbers.
- The number moves to the new provider's network. Geographic (fixed-line) numbers move within the same geographic area, and non-geographic numbers can move anywhere in the country.
- Moving a number does not cost you anything. The law states that no fee is charged to the subscriber for the transfer itself.
- The new provider leads the process. The two providers exchange the data between themselves electronically and must cooperate in good faith.
- The new provider must give you a confirmation of the transfer on a durable medium, for example by email or in your online account.
- One limit: the rule does not apply to moving a number between fixed and mobile networks. A landline number cannot be turned into a mobile number through this procedure, and the reverse also does not work.
How you start the process
You do not need to cancel anything with your old operator first. UKE explains the normal route this way: pick the provider with the best offer, go to that provider, and sign the documents. The new provider takes care of the number transfer and of ending the contract with the previous provider. You then wait for the agreed transfer date.
The law also says the transfer must happen no later than 1 working day after the start date of service that was agreed with you and written into the new contract. The start date of the new service should line up with the end date of the old contract.
Three ways to time the move
When you ask for the transfer, you choose how it is timed. Article 325 lists three options.
- Keep the notice period from your current contract, so the transfer happens when that period ends.
- Skip the notice period and name a specific transfer date.
- Move at the end of the contract period that you committed to in order to get promotional terms, as stated in the contract with your current provider.
If you pick the second option, there is a cost. The law lets you end the old contract without the notice periods in it, but then you owe the old provider a charge that cannot be higher than the subscription for the notice period, and no higher than the subscription for one billing period. On top of that, the provider can claim the compensation described in article 304 paragraph 1 of the same law, which relates to promotional terms. Before you choose an early date, read your current contract and compare that cost with the saving from the new offer.
You have extra time after the contract ends
Article 325 also keeps your right to port the number for one month after your contract with the old provider ends, unless you gave up that right. If you cancelled first and only then found a new provider, you still have a window. The same month applies if you receive a notice that your provider's obligations were taken over after the Head of UKE withdrew its right to use numbering resources.
Do not wait until the last days of that month. Allow time for the new provider to process the request and for any data problems to be fixed.
The most common problem: data that does not match
UKE's Lublin office wrote in February 2024 that the most frequent problem in the transfer cases it sees is a mismatch of subscriber data. Providers rely only on the data that subscribers give them, so any difference can stop a transfer. UKE gave two examples that matter to foreigners in particular.
- A subscriber whose name was spelled with one different letter. He had registered the SIM card and requested the transfer using documents with different transliterations of his name (for example from Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet), and the request was rejected several times until the data was reconciled.
- A subscriber who had no PESEL number when he registered his SIM card. The old provider had no PESEL on file, the data did not match, and the transfer failed until the case was handled. In the meantime he paid the old provider and, in addition, for a temporary number at the new one.
The practical lesson is simple. Before you start, check that the name, document and PESEL details on your old contract match the document you will show to the new provider. If you got your PESEL after you registered your prepaid SIM, ask the old provider to update it first.
UKE's 2023 report, quoted in the same article, counted more than 1.4 million numbers ported in mobile networks and more than 331,500 in fixed networks that year, so the process is routine for the providers.
Where to get help
If a transfer is delayed or refused and you cannot find the reason, you can contact UKE. Its Consumer Information Centre (Centrum Informacji Konsumenckiej) publishes guidance for telecom subscribers, and UKE regional offices handle individual cases. Keep copies of your contract, your transfer request and any rejection message.
This article describes the law as shown in the sources below. Contract terms, promotions and fees differ by provider, so confirm the details in your own contract before you sign.
* Photos: SIM card Virgin Mobile Polska (CC0, Wikimedia Commons), and Black smartphone in hand (CC0, Wikimedia Commons); both are illustrative.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Polish phone number when I change operators?
Yes. Article 325 of the Electronic Communications Law lets a subscriber ask to move an assigned number to another provider's network when changing provider, and the transfer itself is free.
How long do I have to port my number after my contract ends?
The law keeps your right to port for one month from the day your contract with the previous provider ended, unless you gave up that right. Start well before the month is over.
Why was my number transfer rejected?
According to UKE, the most common cause is a mismatch in subscriber data, such as a differently spelled name or a missing PESEL on the old contract. Ask both providers to compare the data on file and correct it.
Can I turn my landline number into a mobile number?
No. Article 325 says the porting rule does not apply to moving numbers between fixed and mobile networks.
