How to verify WhatsApp without a SIM card
WhatsApp will not create an account without a phone number, and there is no way around that. What you can avoid is the SIM card. WhatsApp only needs to send a six-digit code to a number once - so a virtual number, rented for a few minutes, is enough to finish the sign-up. The catch is what happens months later, and it is worth reading to the end before you pay anybody.
What you actually need
- A phone or computer with WhatsApp installed.
- A phone number that can receive one SMS, or one voice call.
- About two minutes. The code expires quickly, so start the rental and the sign-up together.
Step by step
- Open WhatsApp and start registrationEnter the country and number you are about to rent - not your own. Do not tap Next until you have the number in front of you.
- Rent the numberPick WhatsApp as the service. You are shown the number and a countdown. Copy it into WhatsApp exactly, including the country code.
- Wait for the code on the pageThe SMS appears on the same page you rented from. Nothing to install, no forwarding to set up.
- Type the six digits into WhatsAppIf it does not arrive before the timer runs out, the order cancels itself and the money goes back to your balance. Try a different number rather than the same one twice.
- Set a PIN immediatelyWhatsApp Settings, Account, Two-step verification. This is the step almost everyone skips, and it is the one that matters most. See below.
The PIN is not optional
WhatsApp occasionally asks an account to re-verify - after a long absence, a new phone, or a security event. It sends a fresh code to the original number. If you no longer have that number, and you have no two-step PIN, the account is gone. Nobody can recover it for you, and that includes WhatsApp.
Setting a two-step verification PIN the moment the account is created is what turns a rented number from a risk into a tool. It takes twenty seconds. Write the PIN down somewhere that is not the phone.
What it costs
A WhatsApp number is priced per use, not per month - you rent it, you receive the code, it is finished. What you pay depends on which country the number comes from, and the current price in your own currency is on your country page.
Common questions
Can WhatsApp tell that a number is virtual?
Sometimes. WhatsApp keeps lists of number ranges it will not accept, and a number from such a range is refused at the code stage. When that happens the order cancels and refunds itself, and you try another. It is not a reason to try the same number repeatedly.
Do I keep the number afterwards?
No. You rent it for the length of one verification. If you want a number you keep, that is a different product and a different price - ask support.
Will my old chats move over?
No. A new number is a new account. Chat history follows the phone backup, not the number, so a fresh account starts empty.
Is this legal?
Renting a phone number is ordinary and legal. What you use the account for is your responsibility, and impersonation, fraud and evading a ban are not made lawful by the number being rented.