How do you port your Austrian mobile number in 2026?

What do you need before porting your Austrian mobile number?

Old SIM ID · New SIM ID · Customer number · ID document · Contract status

Gather five things before you start. Your old SIM card ID (the long ICCID printed on the plastic carrier), your new SIM ID (or eSIM QR), your old customer / contract number, a valid photo ID (Reisepass or EU Personalausweis — Austrian prepaid SIMs require registered ID since 2019), and your old contract status (minimum term, end date, any Auflösungsentgelt). The new operator handles the rest.

• Old SIM card ID (ICCID). A 19 or 20-digit number printed on the SIM carrier or available in the operator app. Some operators also accept your phone number plus customer number as identification.
• New SIM ID. Either the ICCID of the plastic SIM you just received, or the eSIM activation QR / LPA string the new operator emails you. The new operator needs this to know which line to activate after the port.
• Customer number with the old operator. Found on any old invoice or in the operator's self-service portal. Used to match your account at the old operator's side.
• Photo ID. A passport, EU Personalausweis, or Austrian driving licence. Austria requires ID registration on every active SIM since 2019 (enforced by RTR) so the new operator must verify identity before the port closes.
• Old contract status. Check whether you are still in the Mindestvertragsdauer (minimum term, usually 12 or 24 months). If yes, expect to either wait until it ends or pay the Auflösungsentgelt (early-termination fee).
• Payment details for the new operator. SEPA Bankeinzug, credit card, or top-up voucher depending on plan type.

How does Austrian Rufnummermitnahme work?

New operator drives it · Free by law · 1–3 business days · Old contract auto-terminates

Austrian number portability is operator-led at the receiving end. You sign up with the new operator and ask for Rufnummermitnahme. The new operator then sends an electronic porting authorisation request to your old operator via the shared RTR-supervised porting database. The old operator validates the request, releases the number, and the new SIM activates. The whole exchange is free under the Telekommunikationsgesetz (TKG).

Under the hood the process maps to three actors. You are the customer initiating the request. The new operator (gewinnender Betreiber) sends the porting order, identifies you, and schedules activation. The old operator (abgebender Betreiber) validates the request, confirms or rejects within a fixed window, and terminates the old contract on the cutover. RTR sets the rules and audits operator compliance — both Magenta and A1 publish a Portierungs-Übersicht in their dashboards so you can track status.

Source: RTR, operator porting documentation, verified May 2026

How do you port your Austrian number in 5 steps?

Order SIM · Request port · Submit IDs · Wait for cutover · Verify and update

Five operator-agnostic steps. The new operator handles the heavy lifting — you only need to give them the right data and wait. Expect the line to switch within 1 to 3 business days of submitting the request, almost always overnight to minimise downtime. Do not cancel the old contract yourself; it terminates automatically on the porting date.

1. Order the new SIM and pick "Rufnummermitnahme" at checkout. Sign up with the new operator online or in a Shop. On the order form, tick the option for porting an existing number and enter your current Austrian mobile number plus the old operator's name. (Most operators show this as "Bestehende Rufnummer mitnehmen")
2. Tell the new operator you want to port your number. Provide your old SIM ICCID, customer number with the old operator, and a photo ID. For prepaid lines you may also need to confirm the registered name matches the ID. eSIM customers receive the QR code by email after submission.
3. The new operator requests porting authorisation from your old operator. They lodge the request through the shared RTR porting database. The old operator has roughly one business day to validate the request, check contract status, and either confirm or reject with a reason code.
4. Wait for the cutover. The number ports in 1 to 3 business days, typically scheduled overnight (between midnight and 6 a.m.) so daytime usage is uninterrupted. Your old SIM stops working a few minutes before the new SIM picks up. The old contract terminates automatically on this date. (Some operators including spusu and A1 offer a chosen cutover date)
5. Verify the new line and update services that rely on SMS. Insert the new SIM (or scan the eSIM QR), wait for signal, place a one-minute test call, and confirm WhatsApp, Signal, and iMessage still bind to the number. Re-confirm banking 2FA, ID Austria, and any account that uses SMS verification. Your number is unchanged, so nothing should need re-entry.

When should you start the porting process?

Mid-week · Pre-cancellation timing · Avoid holidays · Travel rules

The cheapest day to port is the day your old Mindestvertragsdauer ends — you avoid the Auflösungsentgelt and the old line auto-terminates on the porting date. Submit the request 3–5 business days before that end date so the cutover lands cleanly. Avoid bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year, when operator porting teams run skeleton shifts.

• Mid-week is best. Submit Monday or Tuesday so validation, cutover, and any troubleshooting all sit inside one business week. Friday submissions often cut over on the following Tuesday because RTR working days exclude weekends.
• Time the request to your contract end. If you are on a 12 or 24-month Vertrag, line the porting date up with the day after the Mindestvertragsdauer ends. You keep the number, dodge the Auflösungsentgelt, and the old contract terminates automatically with no Kündigungsfrist headache.
• Avoid holiday weeks. Operator porting back-ends run reduced capacity around 24 December–6 January and Easter. RTR's "one business day" target still applies but real-world responses slip to 2–3 days.
• Do not start while travelling. If you are abroad on the cutover day, the old SIM may go dark for up to two hours before the new one activates. Wait until you are back in Austria with both SIMs in your possession.
• Keep the old SIM until activation completes. Some operators send a confirmation SMS to the old number minutes before the cut. Throwing the old SIM away early can mean you miss the activation OTP for the new line.

What if porting fails?

Wrong ICCID · Name mismatch · Open contract · RTR escalation

Most rejections fall into four buckets: wrong ICCID, name mismatch between old and new operator, an open contract with unpaid invoices, or an incomplete prepaid ID registration. The new operator surfaces the rejection code within a business day and you can usually fix the underlying data and resubmit on the same form. Unresolved disputes can be escalated to RTR's Schlichtungsstelle free of charge.

Source: Operator porting documentation + RTR Schlichtungsstelle reports, verified May 2026

If the operators cannot resolve a dispute, RTR runs a free Schlichtungsstelle (arbitration body) at rtr.at/schlichtung. They handle around 3,000 telecom cases a year and porting disputes typically close within 6–8 weeks. Keep emails and screenshots of the rejection reason — RTR will ask for them.

Can you port a contract (Vertrag) mid-term?

Legal right · Auflösungsentgelt · Subsidised handset rule · Prepaid is free

Yes. Number portability is a legal right under TKG regardless of contract status. But the contract itself does not disappear: if you port out before the Mindestvertragsdauer ends, you owe an Auflösungsentgelt equal to the remaining monthly fees (often discounted to 50–75% for the unused months) plus the balance of any subsidised handset. Prepaid SIMs have no minimum term, so porting is fully free.

Austrian Vertrag tariffs typically run 12 or 24 months. The Auflösungsentgelt is calculated as the remaining monthly fees over the minimum term minus a discount that varies by operator. A1 publishes the formula in its Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen (AGB) — usually around EUR 9–15 per remaining month on a EUR 20/month tariff. If the operator subsidised your handset, the unamortised handset value is added separately and is not discounted.

• Prepaid (Wertkarte). No minimum term. Port for free at any time. Unused credit is forfeited unless the old operator offers a refund procedure (most do not).
• Vertrag inside minimum term. Number ports, but you pay the Auflösungsentgelt on the final invoice. Operators typically issue this within 30 days of the cutover.
• Vertrag past minimum term. Auto-renews monthly with a Kündigungsfrist (usually one month). The cleanest move is to schedule the port to coincide with the end of the next billing cycle.
• Subsidised handset. The remaining handset balance is invoiced separately. This is not a fee for porting — it is the unfinished instalment plan. Pay it and the handset is unlocked.
• Business / Geschäftskunden tariffs. Often have longer minimum terms and explicit early-termination clauses. Check the AGB before submitting the port.

Should you keep your number or get a new one?

Keep for 2FA + contacts · New number for clean break · Cost is the same

Keep the number in almost every case. A ported Austrian mobile is tied to banking 2FA, ID Austria, FinanzOnline, WhatsApp, contacts, and business correspondence — re-registering all of that is hours of work for zero cost saving. Take a new number only if you want a clean break from cold callers, are migrating from a business to a private line, or your number is on too many spam lists.

Source: SimCompare365 analysis, verified May 2026

The decision rule is short: keep the number unless you genuinely want it retired. The auto-termination clause alone makes porting cleaner than starting fresh — you do not have to send a Kündigungsschreiben, you do not have to chase the old operator's Kündigungsfrist, and the final invoice arrives within 30 days without further action.