Living in Costa Rica? Keep Your US Number.
Keep getting the Social Security, Medicare and US bank codes you need, delivered to your phone or your email, from anywhere in Costa Rica. A real US mobile line, not the VoIP that the SSA and your bank reject.
Get your US phone number for Costa Rica
From $5.60/month · Activated 100% online · Cancel anytime
Our customers keep getting their codes from
This is for you if...
You’re on the Pensionado visa
Your Social Security is your income, and you have to reach the SSA portal to check your benefits and keep everything in order. Losing access to that account is not an option.
You need Medicare and SSA online
The SSA, Medicare, Login.gov and ID.me all send a code to a US phone before they let you in. No US text means no access to the services you rely on.
You sold your US home to move here
Wiring the funds to Banco Nacional or BCR to buy your place needs your US bank to text you an authorization code. Without it, the transfer stalls.
You want it simple
Get the code by email too, not just in an app. Friendly support in English and Spanish is there if you ever need a hand.
VNumber vs the alternatives
| Feature | VNumber | US SIM on roaming | Costa Rican number (+506) | Google Voice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line type | Real mobile (Non-VoIP) | Real mobile | Real mobile | VoIP |
| Social Security & bank codes (SSA, Login.gov) | Yes | While active | Blocked (foreign) | Rejected (VoIP) |
| Code also delivered by email | Yes | No | No | No |
| Works long-term from Costa Rica | Yes | Throttled / suspended | Wrong country | Yes |
| Monthly cost | From $5.60 | $50–80+ | Separate plan | "Free" |
Already have a US number? Keep it for life.
Don't hand your T-Mobile or AT&T number back to the carrier when you move abroad. Bring it to VNumber and keep the number everyone already has for you, for a fraction of the price.
How to bring your own number
Pick a new number from our list and complete checkout to get started right away.
Message our support team and let them know you want to keep your existing US number.
A porting specialist handles the rest. We move your lifelong number over, and the service runs on the number you've always had.
What our customers say
Trusted by thousands of customers who need their US line working from abroad.
"I urgently needed a US number to receive verification codes from my bank. I got it fast, the process was super simple and everything worked perfectly."
"First company where I've seen SMS forwarding actually work, and brilliantly. The text content reaches my email in under 10 seconds. The monthly payment is just as straightforward."
"It made it possible for me to deal with my US banks. Thank you so much."
"Excellent service. I tried other providers and they don't work. I'm very happy, it helps me a lot with communications and messages in the US."
"A genuinely useful service for anyone who doesn't live in the US but still has accounts there. Efficient and reliable."
"Setup took minutes and the codes started arriving right away. Exactly what I needed to keep my US accounts reachable."
US phone number for Americans in Costa Rica: the 2026 guide
Retiring to the pura vida shouldn't cost you access to your Social Security. Here's how to keep every US code coming, simply and reliably.
Why your US number stops working here
For the first month or two everything seems fine. You're still on your US carrier, roaming, and the texts come through. Then the carrier notices the line has been outside the country for 60 or 90 days straight, throttles it, and eventually parks the number. Or you do the sensible thing and cancel the pricey US plan you barely use anymore. Either way, the number quietly goes away.
The trouble is that number was never just for calls. It was your login to your Social Security account, the line your bank texts before it lets you move money, the way the government confirms it's really you. Once it's gone, a slow chain of lockouts begins, and it usually shows up at the worst possible time.
A US number that lives in an app on your own phone, here in Costa Rica, closes that gap. You keep the same access you had back home, without paying for a full US carrier plan and without flying back to fix anything.
Don’t get locked out of Social Security
If you came down on the Pensionado visa, you proved a lifetime monthly pension of at least $1,000 to qualify, and for most retirees that pension is Social Security. It is your income. So losing access to your SSA account isn't a small inconvenience. It's losing the front door to the money you live on.
Here's the part that catches people off guard. Getting into the SSA portal to check your benefits, download your SSA-1099 tax form, or change your direct deposit now means signing in through Login.gov or ID.me. Both of them send a security code to a US phone. No US text, and you're locked out of your main source of income, from thousands of miles away.
A real US number ends that worry. The Login.gov code, the ID.me code, the SSA sign-in prompt all land on your phone, right where you are.
Get the code by email, not just an app
Not everyone wants to fiddle with an app, and that's perfectly fine. This is why every code can also arrive in your email, exactly the kind of technology you already use every day and feel comfortable with.
It's a safety net that really matters. Say you misplace your phone, or you're sitting at the kitchen table with only your laptop on Wi-Fi. The code still reaches you in your inbox. You're never one dead battery away from being locked out of your bank or your benefits.
And if you ever get stuck, our support team is there in both English and Spanish to walk you through it, patiently and at your pace.
Wiring money to buy your home in Guanacaste
A lot of retirees fund the move the same way: they sell the house back in the States and wire the proceeds down to buy a place in Guanacaste or the Central Valley. It's a big, exciting step, and the money has to move cleanly.
Costa Rican banks like Banco Nacional and BCR have strict limits on incoming transfers, and your US bank, whether that's Bank of America or Fidelity, will text you a code to authorize a wire that large. If that text has nowhere to go, the transfer stalls right when the closing is waiting on it.
With a real US line, the authorization code arrives the moment your bank sends it, and your home purchase keeps moving.
Who’s already doing this in Costa Rica
A few of the situations we see most often among American retirees in Costa Rica:
- A retired couple in Guanacaste living on Social Security — Their SSA deposit is the whole budget, so signing into the Social Security portal through Login.gov has to just work. The code lands on the US line every time, and they never worry about being locked out.
- A retiree in the Central Valley buying a home — Sold the US house and is wiring the funds from Bank of America to Banco Nacional for the purchase. The bank's authorization text reaches the VNumber line, so the closing isn't held up.
- A snowbird splitting the year — Half the year in Costa Rica, half back in the States, and refuses to lose account access either way. The US line stays active the whole time, so the bank and brokerage are always reachable.
- A retiree who isn’t techy — Doesn't love apps and was nervous about the whole thing. Having the code arrive by email, just like any other message, made it simple. Support in English and Spanish sealed the deal.
Sound familiar?
Setting it up from Costa Rica
No US address, no SIM mailed to your place in Guanacaste or the Central Valley, no trip back to the States. The whole thing is done online, and our team is happy to help in English or Spanish.
Tell us you're in Costa Rica. Pick it as your country at checkout and complete the purchase online.
Choose your plan. From $5.60/month, billed monthly. No contract, cancel anytime.
Activate it. Your US number is live in minutes, and your codes arrive in the app and your email, so you never miss one.
Questions Americans in Costa Rica ask us
Can I access my Social Security and SSA account from Costa Rica?
Yes. The SSA portal, Login.gov and ID.me send a security code to a US phone before they let you in. VNumber is a real US mobile line (Non-VoIP), so it receives that code and you stay in control of your benefits from anywhere in Costa Rica.
Can I receive the code by email instead of an app?
Yes. Every code can arrive in your email as well as in the VNumber app. So even if you only have your laptop on Wi-Fi, or you misplace your phone, the code still reaches you. It is a simple safety net we built in on purpose.
Can I keep the US number I have had for years?
In most cases you can bring your existing US number over to VNumber, so all the accounts already tied to it keep working. If you would rather start fresh, a new US number is ready in minutes either way.
Can it authorize a wire to Banco Nacional for a home purchase?
Yes. When you wire funds from your US bank to Banco Nacional or BCR, the bank texts you a code to release the transfer. VNumber receives that code, so a large wire to buy your home does not get stuck because the text had nowhere to go.
Do I need to be in the US to set it up?
No. You set everything up online from Costa Rica. No US address, no SIM to ship, no trip home. The number is live in minutes, and our team supports you in English and Spanish.
Keep your US line from Costa Rica
A real US mobile number, set up online from anywhere in Costa Rica. Codes on your phone or by email. Cancel whenever you like.
Get your US phone number for Costa Rica
From $5.60/month · No contract
