# Phone Number Validator & Formatter - E.164, Type, Country (`flash_scraper/phone-number-validator`) Actor

Validate, normalize and classify phone numbers offline with Google's libphonenumber. Per number: valid/invalid, E.164 + national + international formats, country & region, calling code, line type (mobile/fixed/VoIP/toll-free) and carrier. Clean contact lists. No API key, no network.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/flash\_scraper/phone-number-validator.md
- **Developed by:** [Flash Scrape](https://apify.com/flash_scraper) (community)
- **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.35 / 1,000 phone validateds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## Phone Number Validator — validate phone numbers in bulk with line type, country & carrier

**Validate phone numbers in bulk** before you call, text, or import them into your CRM. Paste a list of numbers in any format — international, local, messy copy-paste — and get back a clean dataset: valid or not, normalized **E.164 / national / international** formats, **country**, **line type** (mobile, fixed line, VoIP, toll-free…), and best-effort **carrier**. Every check runs **fully offline** against Google's libphonenumber metadata: **no API key, no network calls, no proxies**, and pay-per-result pricing so you're only charged for numbers actually processed.

### What it does

- **Validates each number** with Google's libphonenumber — the same library that powers Android's dialer — returning both a strict `valid` flag and a looser `possible` flag.
- **Normalizes every valid number into three formats**: E.164 (`+14155550132`), international (`+1 415-555-0132`), and national (`(415) 555-0132`), so your dialer, SMS gateway, and CRM all get the format they expect.
- **Classifies the line type** — `mobile`, `fixed_line`, `fixed_line_or_mobile`, `voip`, `toll_free`, `premium_rate`, `shared_cost`, `pager`, and more — so you can skip landlines in an SMS campaign or flag premium-rate traps.
- **Identifies the country and location**: the country name (`United States`, `Morocco`), a human-readable locality/region description (`San Francisco, CA`) where available, the ISO region code (`US`, `MA`, `GB`), and the country calling code.
- **Looks up the carrier** (best-effort, from libphonenumber's carrier metadata) where available.
- **Parses local numbers** without a `+` prefix using a `defaultRegion` you choose, so `020 7946 0958` parses correctly as a UK number.
- **Deduplicates input** before validating (on by default) and can optionally **drop invalid numbers** from the output so the dataset is import-ready.
- Handles input as a string list or a single string separated by newlines, commas, or semicolons.

Because everything runs locally against bundled metadata, runs are fast and deterministic — no rate limits, no third-party phone-validation API bills, no data sent to external services.

### Use cases

- **Sales prospecting** — clean the phone column of a scraped lead list before handing it to SDRs, so nobody wastes dials on numbers that were never valid.
- **SMS campaign prep** — filter to `number_type = mobile` and drop landlines, VoIP, and toll-free numbers that can't receive texts, protecting your sender reputation and per-message spend.
- **CRM hygiene** — normalize every contact to E.164 so HubSpot, Salesforce, or your dialer stops choking on `(0)6-12 34 56 78`-style formatting, and dedupe contacts that are the same number written two ways.
- **Agency deliverables** — if you sell lead lists on Fiverr or Upwork, run every list through the validator and ship a `valid` column plus proper formatting as part of your quality guarantee.
- **Call-center routing & compliance** — split lists by country and region code to route to the right team, and flag `premium_rate` numbers before your auto-dialer ever touches them.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `phones` | array | *(required)* | Phone numbers to validate, one per line. International (`+1...`) or local numbers (set the default region for local ones). |
| `defaultRegion` | string | `"US"` | Two-letter country code used to parse local numbers without a `+` prefix (e.g. `US`, `MA`, `FR`, `GB`). |
| `onlyValid` | boolean | `false` | Keep only numbers that pass full validation. |
| `dedupe` | boolean | `true` | Drop duplicate inputs before validating. |

Example input:

```json
{
  "phones": ["+1 415 555 0132", "+212 661-234567", "020 7946 0958", "not a phone"],
  "defaultRegion": "US",
  "onlyValid": false,
  "dedupe": true
}
````

Only `phones` is required. `phones` also accepts a single string separated by newlines, commas, or semicolons.

### Output

Each dataset row is one validated number:

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `input` | The raw number exactly as you provided it |
| `valid` | `true` if the number is fully valid for its region |
| `possible` | `true` if the number has a plausible length/structure (looser check) |
| `e164` | Normalized E.164 format (`+14155550132`) |
| `international` / `national` | International and national display formats |
| `country` | Country name derived from the region code (`United States`, `Morocco`, `United Kingdom`) |
| `location` | Human-readable locality / region description (`San Francisco, CA`) where libphonenumber has geo metadata |
| `region_code` | ISO region code (`US`, `GB`, `MA`) |
| `country_code` | Numeric calling code (`1`, `44`, `212`) |
| `number_type` | `mobile`, `fixed_line`, `fixed_line_or_mobile`, `voip`, `toll_free`, `premium_rate`, … |
| `carrier` | Carrier name where metadata exists (best-effort) |
| `status` | `valid`, `possible_but_invalid`, `invalid`, or `parse_error:<reason>` |

Example row:

```json
{
  "input": "+212 661-234567",
  "valid": true,
  "possible": true,
  "e164": "+212661234567",
  "international": "+212 661-234567",
  "national": "0661-234567",
  "country": "Morocco",
  "location": "Morocco",
  "region_code": "MA",
  "country_code": 212,
  "number_type": "mobile",
  "carrier": "IAM",
  "status": "valid"
}
```

Export the dataset to **CSV, Excel, or JSON** straight from the Apify Console, or pull it via the API.

#### Example output

A real sample from a live run:

| input | valid | country | location | number\_type | carrier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +1 415 555 0132 | true | United States | San Francisco, CA | fixed\_line\_or\_mobile |  |
| +212 661-234567 | true | Morocco |  | mobile | Maroc Telecom |
| +44 20 7946 0958 | true | United Kingdom | London | fixed\_line |  |
| not a phone | false |  |  |  |  |

### Pricing

This actor uses **pay-per-result pricing**: you're charged only per number that actually lands in your dataset — a fraction of a cent per validated row. No subscription, no minimum, no charge for failed runs. A **free Apify plan** includes enough platform credit to validate thousands of numbers, so you can clean a real list before spending anything.

### Tips / FAQ

#### Does "valid" mean the number is currently in service?

No. Validation is **structural**: the number matches the official numbering plan for its country (right length, real prefix, assigned range). It cannot tell whether a specific line is currently active or answered — that would require a live carrier (HLR) lookup, which this actor deliberately doesn't do. It reliably catches typos, fake numbers, wrong lengths, and impossible prefixes.

#### How accurate is the carrier field?

Best-effort. Carrier names come from libphonenumber's metadata and reflect the carrier the number range was **originally assigned to**. Ported numbers may show the old carrier, and many ranges (especially US fixed lines) have no carrier metadata at all — you'll get `null` there.

#### What happens to numbers that can't be parsed?

They still get a row (unless `onlyValid` is on) with `valid: false` and a `status` like `parse_error:1` explaining why parsing failed, so you can audit exactly which inputs were rejected and fix them upstream.

#### Is there a limit on list size?

No hard limit in the actor. Validation is offline and fast, so even lists with tens of thousands of numbers run quickly. `dedupe` (on by default) keeps you from paying twice for the same number pasted twice.

#### Do I need proxies or an API key?

No. The actor makes **zero network requests** — every check runs locally against bundled metadata, so there's nothing to block, rate-limit, or subscribe to.

#### How do I automate this?

Call the actor from the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) with your list in the `phones` field, or put it on an Apify **Schedule** to re-validate your CRM export weekly. The dataset is available as CSV/JSON/Excel the moment the run finishes, and you can wire it to Zapier/Make via Apify integrations.

### Related actors

- [Bulk Email Verifier](https://apify.com/flash_scraper/email-verifier) — the email counterpart: verify and score email addresses before you hit send.
- [Email Pattern Finder](https://apify.com/flash_scraper/email-pattern-finder) — guess likely work emails from a name + company domain.
- [Company & Domain Enricher](https://apify.com/flash_scraper/company-domain-enricher) — turn a domain list into full company records with emails, socials, and tech stack.

***

Found a bug or missing a feature? Open an issue on this actor's **Issues tab** — typical response within 1 business day.

# Actor input Schema

## `phones` (type: `array`):

Phone numbers to validate, one per line. International (+1...) or local numbers (set the default region for local ones).

## `defaultRegion` (type: `string`):

Two-letter country code used to parse local numbers without a + prefix (e.g. 'US', 'MA', 'FR', 'GB').

## `onlyValid` (type: `boolean`):

Keep only numbers that pass full validation.

## `dedupe` (type: `boolean`):

Drop duplicate inputs before validating.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "phones": [
    "+1 415 555 0132",
    "+212 661-234567",
    "+44 20 7946 0958",
    "not a phone"
  ],
  "defaultRegion": "US",
  "onlyValid": false,
  "dedupe": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "phones": [
        "+1 415 555 0132",
        "+212 661-234567",
        "+44 20 7946 0958",
        "not a phone"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("flash_scraper/phone-number-validator").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "phones": [
        "+1 415 555 0132",
        "+212 661-234567",
        "+44 20 7946 0958",
        "not a phone",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("flash_scraper/phone-number-validator").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "phones": [
    "+1 415 555 0132",
    "+212 661-234567",
    "+44 20 7946 0958",
    "not a phone"
  ]
}' |
apify call flash_scraper/phone-number-validator --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=flash_scraper/phone-number-validator",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Phone Number Validator & Formatter - E.164, Type, Country",
        "description": "Validate, normalize and classify phone numbers offline with Google's libphonenumber. Per number: valid/invalid, E.164 + national + international formats, country & region, calling code, line type (mobile/fixed/VoIP/toll-free) and carrier. Clean contact lists. No API key, no network.",
        "version": "0.1",
        "x-build-id": "WU16h8GYw5BcfMaP3"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/flash_scraper~phone-number-validator/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-flash_scraper-phone-number-validator",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/flash_scraper~phone-number-validator/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-flash_scraper-phone-number-validator",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/flash_scraper~phone-number-validator/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-flash_scraper-phone-number-validator",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "required": [
                    "phones"
                ],
                "properties": {
                    "phones": {
                        "title": "Phone numbers",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Phone numbers to validate, one per line. International (+1...) or local numbers (set the default region for local ones).",
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "defaultRegion": {
                        "title": "Default region",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Two-letter country code used to parse local numbers without a + prefix (e.g. 'US', 'MA', 'FR', 'GB').",
                        "default": "US"
                    },
                    "onlyValid": {
                        "title": "Only valid numbers",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Keep only numbers that pass full validation.",
                        "default": false
                    },
                    "dedupe": {
                        "title": "Remove duplicates",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Drop duplicate inputs before validating.",
                        "default": true
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```