Phone Number Validator & Formatter | Carrier Data

Validate and format phone numbers in bulk

Phone Number Validator turns phone-number lists or CSV files into structured records ready for CRM imports, contact cleanup, reporting, and automation. Validate numbering patterns, normalize numbers to E.164, and add available country, number-type, original-carrier, location, and time-zone metadata.

Processing uses numbering-plan metadata and does not call, text, or contact a number. A valid result means the number matches known numbering rules; it does not prove that the number is assigned, active, reachable, or owned by a particular person.

What can Phone Number Validator do?

• Validate international and national phone-number formats.
• Distinguish valid, possible, and invalid inputs.
• Return E.164, international, national, and RFC3966 formats.
• Classify mobile, fixed-line, VoIP, toll-free, premium-rate, and other supported number types.
• Add available country, calling-code, numbering-area, original-carrier, and time-zone metadata.
• Process an inline list, a downloadable CSV file, or both.
• Preserve invalid rows with a clear reason instead of silently dropping them.
• Export complete results as JSON, CSV, or Excel.
• Run from the Apify Console, API, schedules, integrations, or webhooks.

How to validate phone numbers

1. Add one phone number per item under Phone numbers, or provide a direct CSV download URL.
2. Use + with the country calling code for international numbers.
3. For national numbers, set Default region, such as US, GB, CN, or DE.
4. Run the Actor and open Phone validation results.
5. Export the Dataset or connect it to your workflow.

International-number input

{
  "phoneNumbers": [
    "+1 202 555 0100",
    "+44 20 7946 0958",
    "123"
  ],
  "language": "en"
}

National-number input

{
  "phoneNumbers": [
    "202-555-0100",
    "(202) 555-0199"
  ],
  "defaultRegion": "US",
  "language": "en"
}

The example numbers demonstrate formatting only. They are not customer data and are not claimed to be active.

Input parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
phoneNumbers	One input source required	Array of phone-number strings. Optional when csvUrl is provided. Inline entries are processed first.
csvUrl	One input source required	Direct HTTP or HTTPS URL to a UTF-8 comma-separated file with a header row. Optional when phoneNumbers is provided.
csvColumn	No	Exact, case-sensitive CSV header containing phone numbers. Defaults to phone.
defaultRegion	No	Two-letter region code used for numbers without a + country code. The Actor does not guess the country.
maxResults	No	Maximum number of inline and CSV entries to process. Invalid values and duplicates count toward the limit. Omit to process every selected entry.
language	No	Preferred language for country, location, and original-carrier labels. Defaults to en; unavailable labels fall back to available English metadata.

Provide phoneNumbers, csvUrl, or both. When both are supplied, inline entries are processed before CSV rows. Empty CSV phone cells are skipped, while non-empty invalid entries produce a result.

For mixed-country lists, use the international + format. Region-specific dialing prefixes such as 00 and 011 depend on defaultRegion. Short codes and emergency numbers are outside this full-length phone-number validator.

CSV input

{
  "csvUrl": "https://example.com/phones.csv",
  "csvColumn": "phone",
  "maxResults": 1000,
  "language": "en"
}

Replace the placeholder with a publicly downloadable CSV URL. A matching file looks like this:

phone
+44 20 7946 0958
+1 202 555 0100

The CSV must use UTF-8, commas, and a header row. File-sharing preview pages and login-protected URLs are not direct downloads.

Results

The Phone validation results view shows the original value, validation status, E.164 number, country or region, number type, numbering area, original carrier, and validation reason. The Formats and metadata view adds all formats, time zones, carrier availability, and processing time.

Example result:

{
  "input": "+44 20 7946 0958",
  "status": "valid",
  "valid": true,
  "possible": true,
  "reason": "",
  "e164": "+442079460958",
  "international": "+44 20 7946 0958",
  "national": "020 7946 0958",
  "rfc3966": "tel:+44-20-7946-0958",
  "extension": "",
  "countryCode": "GB",
  "countryCallingCode": 44,
  "countryName": "United Kingdom",
  "location": "London",
  "numberType": "fixed_line",
  "originalCarrier": "",
  "timeZones": ["Europe/London"],
  "carrierAvailable": false,
  "carrierLookupNote": "Original-carrier metadata is unavailable for this number range. This does not mean the number is inactive; no live carrier lookup is performed.",
  "validatedAt": "2026-09-09T15:09:37.000000+00:00"
}

Important result fields

Field	Description
status	valid, possible, or invalid.
valid	Whether the number matches supported numbering-plan validation rules.
possible	Whether its length could belong to the selected numbering plan.
reason	Empty for valid numbers; otherwise a machine-readable validation reason.
e164	Normalized international number beginning with +.
international / national	Readable formatted versions.
rfc3966	Standard tel: URI.
countryCode / countryName	Detected region and localized country label.
countryCallingCode	Numeric international calling code.
numberType	Number classification such as mobile, fixed_line, or voip.
location	Numbering-area label, not the subscriber's live location.
originalCarrier	Available original carrier for the number range; it may differ after number portability.
timeZones	Possible time zones associated with the numbering metadata.
carrierAvailable	Whether original-carrier metadata was available. It does not indicate whether the number is active.
carrierLookupNote	Explains missing carrier metadata or a language fallback.
validatedAt	UTC processing timestamp, not a live verification time.

Missing values are returned as "", not null. Meaningful booleans, numbers, and populated arrays retain their native types. A parseable but invalid number can still have candidate formats, so filter on valid: true before treating it as validated.

Pricing

Processed numbers	Charge
1	$0.0005
1,000	$0.50
10,000	$5.00

Each selected phone entry successfully saved to the Dataset creates one phone-number-processed event. Valid, possible-only, and invalid results are billable because each is analyzed and returned. Empty CSV cells, entries skipped after the run charge limit is reached, and runs that fail before processing do not create this event.

Apify also applies its standard Actor Start charge. Review the active prices and maximum charge in Apify Console before running a large list.

Use the API

import os
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient(os.environ["APIFY_API_TOKEN"])
run = client.actor("arjun_code/phone-number-validator").call(
    run_input={
        "phoneNumbers": ["+44 20 7946 0958", "+1 202 555 0100"],
        "language": "en",
    }
)

for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

The run's Dataset contains one row per processed entry. Its OUTPUT record contains totals by validation status and number type, input-selection details, billing information, and the metadata-library version.

Frequently asked questions

Does valid mean the number can receive calls or SMS?

No. Validation uses numbering-plan metadata and does not contact the number or check live service.

Can it identify the owner or check WhatsApp registration?

No. It does not access subscriber records, names, messaging-account registration, or breach data.

Why is the carrier empty?

Carrier metadata is not available for every number range. carrierAvailable: false does not mean the number is inactive.

Why did a national number fail?

Set defaultRegion to the number's two-letter region code, or supply the international form beginning with +.

Does language translate every field?

No. It selects the best available country, location, and carrier labels. JSON keys, status values, reason codes, and formatted numbers remain unchanged.

Are invalid numbers omitted?

No. Invalid entries remain in the Dataset with a reason, making the Actor suitable for contact-list cleanup.

Support and attribution

When reporting a problem, include the Apify run ID, the input format used, and a non-sensitive example that reproduces the issue. Do not publish private phone lists or API tokens.

Validation is powered by established open-source numbering metadata. Third-party attribution and license notices are retained in the Actor package.