Why is my fax number port rejected? Causes and fixes

A port is rejected when a value on the order differs from the losing phone company's record, or when a lock, a freeze or a disconnected line blocks the move. The FCC lets that company require only 14 standard fields on a simple port (47 CFR 52.36), plus a passcode if the customer requested and was assigned one. Three of the 14 describe your line: the number, the account number and the ZIP code. Check those and any passcode first.

What can the losing company require?

A local fax number is a telephone number to the carriers, so the same rules apply. The losing company is the one your number is leaving. For a simple port order, 47 CFR 52.36 lists 14 required fields and says a carrier may require only that data and an optional passcode. The FCC's 2010 porting order (FCC 10-85) says the ZIP code is the one for the end user's service address and is used to validate that the order carries the right end user's number. The other 11 fields describe the order and the companies on it: company codes, the due date, the order version, the initiator's phone number and whether the new provider holds the customer's authorization.

The list covers simple ports only. The rule sets no fixed fields for a non-simple one. For validation, the FCC concluded in 2007 that a simple port should rest on no more than four fields: the 10-digit number, the account number, the 5-digit ZIP code and the passcode, if there is one (restated in FCC 09-41, note 32).

Which values does the losing company check?

Verizon and AT&T describe their mobile lines, and Xfinity describes its phone service, so these windows and blockers belong to those companies. Your own carrier's pages set its windows and blockers. The table lists what to check before you resubmit.

Roles limit who can request a PIN. Verizon's business page names the primary contact and administrators, and AT&T limits requests to primary users. A Verizon business PIN works for one line only, while AT&T's PIN covers every number on the account. Verizon also warns against generating a second PIN after the first has reached the new carrier, which may disrupt the port.

Does the name or street address have to match?

The rule's list leaves out both, and you should match them anyway. The 14 fields include no account holder name and no street address, so 47 CFR 52.36 does not list either as required data on a simple order. The ZIP code is the one location field, and the FCC ties it to the service address. The losing company still compares the order with its own record, so copy the name and the service address from its latest bill exactly as printed.

How do you fix the order and resubmit?

1. Ask the new provider for the rejection reason. The losing company must answer a simple order with a firm order confirmation, which accepts it, or a rejection within 4 business hours, or within 24 clock hours when the due date is three or more business days out or the order is for a non-simple port (FCC 10-85, Appendix C).
2. Compare the flagged field with the company's record. The new provider can request the customer service record, which the losing company must return within 24 clock hours, not counting weekends and its holidays, unless the two agree otherwise (FCC 10-85).
3. Clear any blocker. Turn off a number lock, reactivate a disconnected line and have the account holder lift a freeze through the company that holds the number. The order for leaving the old provider is in How to port a fax number before you cancel.
4. Check any PIN against its window, and create a new one only if the old one has lapsed.
5. Have the new provider resubmit the corrected order.

How long does a corrected port take?

The FCC sets the clock. A simple port between wireline carriers, between a wireline and a wireless carrier, or involving interconnected VoIP service must complete within one business day, and a non-simple port within four, unless the new provider or the customer asks for a longer period (47 CFR 52.35(a), (d) and (e)). A carrier with an FCC waiver gets four business days for a simple port (52.35(c)). Business days run Monday through Friday, excluding the losing company's own holidays.

The count starts with an accurate and complete order. One that arrives between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time is eligible to activate at midnight that day, and a later one counts as received at 8 a.m. on the next business day. The FCC pairs a rejection with an incomplete or inaccurate order, so the count starts again with the corrected one. Xfinity's porting FAQ gives one business day for a request with one number and up to four for several. Carriers and interconnected VoIP providers must each facilitate a valid request that moves a number to or from a VoIP provider, without unreasonable delay or unreasonable procedures (47 CFR 52.34(a) and (c)).

The losing company decides whether an order matches its records, so no provider can promise approval in advance. Most transfers to Fax Pigeon finish in 5 to 15 business days, and your current provider keeps the number working until it lands. Porting in is free on every paid plan, and porting out is free too.

* Carrier porting pages, 47 CFR 52.34 to 52.36 and FCC orders 09-41 and 10-85 last verified October 11, 2026, at each carrier's own site, the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations and the FCC's document site. Fax Pigeon plan terms as of October 14, 2026. Fax Pigeon is not affiliated with Verizon, AT&T, Xfinity or the FCC.