How to Create a Brevo Account Without a Phone Number
In most cases you can start a Brevo account with just an email address and a password. No phone number is needed at the sign-up form. The catch is that Brevo may ask for a mobile number later, during account validation or when you switch on SMS-based security, and you can't always predict when.
This guide is for people who want to keep a personal number off a business tool, don't have a number that works in the country they're signing up from, or simply got stuck on a phone prompt. It covers what to try first, what to do if the prompt appears, and which shortcuts will cost you the account.
Quick answer
Sign up with a working email address, confirm it from the activation message, and fill in your company details honestly. If Brevo asks for a phone number afterward, you'll need one that can receive a text or call. Use a number you control, such as a second SIM, a business line, or a legitimate rental number. Fake or borrowed numbers tend to get accounts flagged.
What Brevo asks for at sign-up
Brevo, which used to be called Sendinblue, is an email and SMS marketing platform. Its registration starts with an email address and a password, or a login through a Google account. After that you confirm your email, then you're walked through a short profile: company name, website, address, and what you plan to send.
Phone numbers come up in two separate places, and people often mix them up.
- Account validation. Platforms that send bulk email watch closely for abuse, so a new account may be asked for extra proof that a real person runs it. That can include a phone number. Whether you get asked depends on Brevo's own checks, which they don't publish.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA). Brevo's security settings let you protect a login with a second step. An authenticator app is usually an option, so SMS isn't the only route. Check your security settings for the current choices.
- Brevo's SMS product. If you want to send text campaigns, that's a different feature with its own sender setup. It has nothing to do with whether you can open an account.
So the first thing to do is simply try. Plenty of people finish onboarding without ever seeing a phone field.
Steps to try first, in order
- Use a proper email address you check daily. A domain-based address (like hello@yourshop.com) tends to look more trustworthy to a sending platform than a throwaway inbox.
- Complete the profile with real business details. A site that actually loads and a plausible company name help a lot.
- Confirm the email from the activation message. Check spam if it doesn't show up within a few minutes.
- Stop at any phone prompt and read it before typing. Some fields are optional and just badly labelled.
- If the field is mandatory, contact Brevo support and ask whether another validation route exists for your case.
Step five is underrated. Support teams sometimes handle validation manually, and a short, honest message explaining what you plan to send often goes further than any workaround.
If Brevo insists on a number
Then you need a number that can receive an SMS or voice call. Here are the realistic options, from safest to riskiest.
Your own mobile is the simplest. Verification is a one-time step, and Brevo isn't going to text you daily. If privacy is the worry, a cheap second prepaid SIM keeps your main number out of it.
A business line works too, provided it can receive texts. Many office landlines and a lot of VoIP desk phones can't. More on that below.
A rental or virtual number is the third route. For users who need a paid private option, PVACodes offers rental numbers for many countries and apps, though availability varies by service. Here's the honest limitation: platforms that fight abuse often screen for VoIP number ranges, and a virtual number can be rejected even if it receives other codes fine. Nobody can promise it'll pass on Brevo. If it's refused, don't cycle through ten numbers. Repeated failed attempts from one account can look worse than the first refusal.
Using a number you can't keep also creates a recovery problem. If Brevo later sends a security text and you've lost access to that number, you could get locked out. Pick a number you'll have for as long as the account exists, which usually means a rental rather than a one-off.
Number formats that cause errors
A surprising share of "the code never arrived" cases are formatting problems. Brevo and most platforms want the international format: a plus sign, the country code, then the national number.
| Country | Local style | Enter as |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 07911 123456 | +44 7911 123456 |
| United States | (415) 555-0132 | +1 415 555 0132 |
| India | 098765 43210 | +91 98765 43210 |
| France | 06 12 34 56 78 | +33 6 12 34 56 78 |
Notice the pattern: the leading zero in UK, Indian and French numbers disappears once the country code goes in. Typing +44 07911 123456 is the classic mistake. The system either rejects it or sends to a number that doesn't exist. The US doesn't use that leading zero, so Americans rarely hit this, but they can trip over adding a stray "1" twice.
The sample numbers above are illustrative. Don't send codes to numbers you don't own.
Mobile versus landline
An SMS needs a mobile network or a number provisioned for text. Traditional landlines can't receive it. If a landline is your only option, look for a voice-call verification choice. When the form offers "call me instead," a landline can work, as long as someone picks up and the line can handle the automated reading of digits.
VoIP lines sit in between. Some accept SMS, some don't, and the ones that do are the ones most likely to be screened by sending platforms. If you've got a choice, a real mobile SIM is the least troublesome.
How carriers affect delivery
Brevo doesn't control the last mile. After they send the text, your carrier decides whether it reaches your handset. Some widely known facts apply.
Major US carriers such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile filter messages from senders they consider suspicious, and verification texts can occasionally be caught in that net. Roaming can add delay, or block delivery altogether if your plan doesn't include it. Dual-SIM phones sometimes receive the text on the line you aren't looking at. And a full inbox or a "block unknown senders" setting will silently swallow the code.
If nothing arrives, wait a couple of minutes before asking for another code. Each new request can invalidate the previous one, so the first message may show up just after you've requested a second, and then it won't match. Our guide on why verification codes don't arrive walks through the carrier-side causes in more detail, using Signal as the example.
Legitimate reasons people avoid giving a number
Wanting to keep a phone number private is normal. Typical cases include:
- A freelancer who doesn't want client mailing tools tied to a personal line.
- A small shop owner whose only phone is a landline that can't take texts.
- A person living abroad whose home-country SIM no longer works.
- A team that wants one shared, company-owned number on record instead of an employee's.
All of these are fine. What isn't fine is making several accounts to dodge sending limits or to send mail to people who never agreed to hear from you. Brevo ties accounts to anti-spam rules, and breaking them can get the whole sender domain blacklisted. The same logic applies on other platforms; our piece on creating a 5paisa account without a phone number covers a financial service where identity checks are stricter still.
Mistakes and scams to avoid
Search for this topic and you'll find offers that sound tempting. Treat these as red flags.
- Sellers of "pre-verified Brevo accounts." These are usually stolen, resold, or shut down soon after. You'd have no control over the email on the account.
- Free public number sites. The numbers are shared with thousands of strangers, so anyone can read your code, and most platforms have already blocked those ranges.
- Anyone asking you to forward a code. If a "helper" wants the six digits Brevo sent you, they're taking over your account.
- Fake Brevo login pages. Phishing emails that mimic Brevo prompts ask for your password and phone. Open the site by typing the address yourself.
- Spamming the resend button. It rarely helps and can trigger a temporary lock.
For a related example of how this plays out on a consumer app, see how to verify Signal without your own phone number.
FAQ
Is a phone number required to sign up for Brevo?
Not at the initial form, which asks for an email and password. A number may be requested later during validation, so it isn't guaranteed either way. Read the on-screen prompt, since some fields are optional.
Can I sign up with Google instead?
Brevo has offered Google sign-in on its registration page. It saves you a password but doesn't promise to skip later checks. Look at the current sign-up screen to see what's available.
Why does Brevo want my phone number?
Mostly abuse prevention. Email platforms are targets for spammers, so a phone number is one way of confirming a real person is behind a new account. It can also protect your login if you turn on SMS-based 2FA.
Can I use an authenticator app instead of SMS?
For login security, authenticator apps are commonly offered by services like this. Check Brevo's security settings for the options currently available on your plan and account.
Will a virtual number work?
Sometimes. Sending platforms often screen VoIP ranges, so it may be rejected. A rental mobile-type number has better odds than a free shared one, but there's no guarantee.
Can I use a landline?
Only if Brevo offers a voice-call verification choice. Landlines can't receive standard text messages, so an SMS-only prompt will never reach one.
Why is my code not arriving?
Common causes are a wrong format (a leftover leading zero), carrier filtering, roaming restrictions, or a dual-SIM phone receiving on the other line. Wait a few minutes before requesting another code.
Can I change the phone number later?
Usually you can update contact and security details from your account settings. If the number was used for validation, support may need to approve the change. Look in your profile or ask support.
Is it safe to buy an account that's already verified?
No. Resold accounts are often hijacked or banned, and you won't own the recovery email. Open your own account with your own details.
Verdict: start with email and keep a real number in reserve
Begin with a plain email sign-up and an honest company profile, because that's often all it takes. If a phone prompt appears, use a number you'll keep long term, formatted in international style without the leading zero, and ask Brevo support before trying anything clever. Skip this route entirely if your plan is bulk sending to people who haven't opted in, since no verification trick will protect that account. Your next step: open the Brevo sign-up page, enter your email, and see whether a phone field even shows up.