Instagram wants a phone number, and it does not take no for an answer. No code, no charge: nothing is billed for a number that stays silent. So borrow one — choose a market in SMS For U, give the number to Instagram, and the Instagram code arrives in your account by itself, seconds after Instagram sends it. 1,400 services sit in the same catalogue, with numbers from markets across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa.
How you get your code
- Start in SMS For U by looking up Instagram.
- The app lists the countries open for Instagram at this moment; choose one of those.
- Say yes, and a working number is on your screen immediately.
- Hand that number to Instagram at the sign-up form, or Settings → Accounts Centre, then trigger the code.
- Watch it land in SMS For U by itself, and paste it back where Instagram asked.
Why a phone number is asked for
Instagram asks for a phone number to show that a profile belongs to somebody, and to keep a way back in when the password is gone. Instagram asks for it on the sign-up form, before the account exists at all. The number goes in at: the sign-up form, or Settings → Accounts Centre. Instagram can ask for the same number again later — on a new device, after a password change or during a routine check. Bear that in mind before you tie an account to a number you will not have access to in a month.
What the code looks like
Instagram sends a 6-digit code by SMS. Whatever Instagram texts to the number is delivered into your SMS For U account automatically, a few seconds behind Instagram, with nothing to forward. A Instagram code is only valid briefly, so enter it promptly. One number can usually serve more than one Instagram account, although Instagram may limit that.
What can go wrong
Instagram accepts numbers from many countries but not from all of them. Which countries work for Instagram changes over time, because Instagram adjusts its checks and because the available ranges of numbers change. That is the honest state of it — we can hand you a number, we cannot make Instagram take it. Nothing on this page is a promise that Instagram will accept a number, and no success figure is printed here, because any figure would be out of date by the time you read it.
Countries we serve
Below are the 50 markets we hold numbers in, Instagram included. Treat them as our footprint rather than as today’s shelf: ranges run dry and are topped up again while you read this, so a market listed here may be unavailable for Instagram within the hour. The country screen in the app is where that question is answered honestly for Instagram, because it is the only thing that updates as fast as the ranges do.
- Germany
- Austria
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Norway
- Denmark
- Finland
- Ireland
- Czechia
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Greece
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Cyprus
- Malta
- Iceland
- USA
- Canada
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Argentina
- Colombia
- India
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- Vietnam
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- Japan
- Australia
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Turkey
- Ukraine
Common questions
How do I get an Instagram verification code without my own SIM card?
Open SMS For U, search for Instagram and pick a country. You get a real phone number, you enter it at Instagram (the sign-up form, or Settings → Accounts Centre), and the code Instagram sends appears in your SMS For U account by itself. No SIM card is involved, and the Instagram number is not yours to keep.
How fast does the Instagram code arrive?
The Instagram code appears in your account within seconds of Instagram sending it. How long Instagram itself takes is up to Instagram and to the country the number comes from, which is why nothing here is worded as a promise.
What happens if no Instagram code arrives?
You do not pay for an Instagram number that brought no code. Cancel the order in the app and the payment is refunded as soon as the cancellation is confirmed. That is the whole rule, and it is why a failed Instagram attempt costs nothing: no code, no charge.
Which countries can I use for Instagram?
Instagram numbers come from the 50 markets listed on this page. Which of them can be picked for Instagram at this moment is on the country screen in the app: that list moves through the day, and a page in a search index cannot keep up with it.
Can I use the same number for Instagram again later?
Sometimes. Instagram can ask for the same number again on a new device, and a used Instagram number is not reserved for you indefinitely. If you need lasting access to an Instagram account, use a number of your own.