Ivorian +225 verification numbers for QA, launches and regional operations

What changed in Ivorian phone numbers, and how should you store them?

Côte d'Ivoire moved from eight-digit to ten-digit subscriber numbers in early 2021, so test fixtures and validation rules written before then are a common source of quiet failures. A current national number has ten digits, and mobile numbers begin with 01, 05 or 07.

The detail that catches engineers out: that leading zero is not a trunk prefix. It is part of the subscriber number and stays in the international form, so an Ivorian mobile looks like +225 07 xx xx xx xx in E.164.

• Persist the full string, +225 plus all ten digits, and add spacing only when you display it.
• Switch off any generic rule that strips a leading zero for +225 input; it produces a nine-digit value no network will route.
• Treat an eight-digit entry as legacy and ask the user to re-enter it instead of guessing the missing prefix.
• Keep your phone-number library current, because numbering-plan metadata for West Africa changes from time to time.

Why do product and QA teams test against +225 numbers?

Abidjan is the commercial centre of French-speaking West Africa, which makes Côte d'Ivoire a frequent first stop when a company expands into the francophone part of the region. Typical reasons to keep a +225 number for testing in the plan:

• Market launch: confirm that sign-up, login and recovery work end to end with a local number before the marketing goes live.
• Localisation QA: French is the official language, so verification texts from global apps often arrive in French, or in English when the account locale says so. Parse the digits rather than matching a fixed phrase.
• Wallet and payments onboarding: mobile money is widely used, and many finance products treat the phone number as the customer's primary identity. The fintech onboarding guide covers that pattern.
• Regional operations: teams that support neighbouring markets such as Senegal often run their Ivorian checks from the same suite.

Which services can deliver a code to an Ivorian number?

The live catalogue for Côte d'Ivoire lists more than 800 services. Popular routes in the current snapshot include WhatsApp, Telegram, Google (Gmail & YouTube), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), ChatGPT (OpenAI), Microsoft & Outlook, LinkedIn, Uber, Signal and Viber.

Inventory moves through the day, so treat any list as a starting point and ask the API what is orderable right now. The price for a given pair can also differ from one service to the next, which is why it is quoted live instead of printed in a table.

How does the Côte d'Ivoire OTP API flow look in practice?

Point your HTTP client at https://otproute.com/api/v1 and authenticate with an or_live_ Bearer key from the Developer console; for Ivorian orders the country id is ci.

A test run usually starts with GET /api/v1/balance, so a drained wallet fails the job up front. Next, GET /api/v1/prices?country=ci&service=<id> confirms the current price and whether stock exists for that pair. The order itself is POST /api/v1/activations with a body like {"service": "whatsapp", "country": "ci"}; the response carries an activation id and the +225 number to type into your own app.

From there you can poll GET /api/v1/activations/{id} or, better for parallel suites, subscribe a webhook to activation.sms_received, activation.expired and activation.cancelled. Each delivery is signed in the X-OTPRoute-Signature header (t=<unix>,v1=<hex>): recompute HMAC-SHA256 over <t>.<raw body> with the endpoint secret, compare in constant time and drop stale timestamps. The HMAC walkthrough and the API docs go deeper. The limit is 300 requests per minute per account, plenty for an SMS verification API test harness.

Can someone without code order a +225 number?

Yes. Operations staff and agencies often prefer the dashboard, and it follows the same OTP routing rules as the API.

1. Create an account at sign-up with your email and a 6-digit code, or with Google.
2. Add funds to the USD wallet.
3. Pick Côte d'Ivoire, then the service you are verifying; the price appears before you confirm.
4. Copy the number into the app's phone field and request the code.
5. The SMS shows up on the activation card as soon as it is received.

The activation stays open for 20 minutes. If nothing arrives, or you cancel first, the full amount is returned to the wallet automatically.

What should you try when an Ivorian code does not arrive?

Missing codes usually have an ordinary cause, so work through these before escalating:

• Some services decline virtual numbers for certain countries or account types; the refund exists for exactly that case.
• Let the 20-minute window finish rather than cancelling after a minute, since some senders queue messages.
• Try again later, or with the same service on another country route if your test allows it.
• Do not loop orders every few seconds; spacing retries keeps both your wallet and the route healthy.

Always follow each service's terms; the OTP Route Acceptable Use Policy applies to every order.

Is a long-term Ivorian line available, and how does billing work?

There is no self-serve long-term number for Côte d'Ivoire. Dedicated lines are a US and Canada product from $1.95/month; if your team needs a lasting Ivorian line, email [email protected] to ask, with the understanding that availability depends on local rules and may not be possible.

Billing is pay as you go from one prepaid USD wallet, with no monthly fee and no plan to choose. Ivorian test budgets can be loaded by card or in USDT/USDC, and the PDF invoice that follows each deposit lands in the account owner's inbox. For integration work, a development account can be switched to sandbox on request so the full flow returns simulated numbers and codes without touching wallet funds. Current rates live on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I test my app's Ivorian sign-up flow without a local SIM?

Yes. Order a +225 number for the service you are testing from the OTP Gateway, enter it in your sign-up form and read the code in the dashboard or through the API.

Should I drop the zero after +225 when saving a number?

No. Since the 2021 change, the leading zero is part of the ten-digit Ivorian number and must be kept in E.164 storage.

What is the country id for Côte d'Ivoire in the OTP Route API?

It is ci. Use it in the country field when you call POST /api/v1/activations or query prices.

Am I charged if the Ivorian code never comes?

No. You only pay when the code arrives; an expired or cancelled activation is refunded to your wallet in full.

Which language will the verification SMS be in?

That is decided by the sending service, but French and English are the most common for Ivorian accounts, so extract the numeric code instead of matching text.

Can I keep the same +225 number for future logins?

Not as a self-serve product, because each OTP Gateway number covers one code. Long-term dedicated numbers are only offered instantly in the US and Canada; for Côte d'Ivoire you can email support to ask.

How do I avoid spending wallet funds while building the integration?

Ask for sandbox mode on a development account. It returns simulated numbers and codes so you can test webhooks and polling end to end.

Service names are trademarks of their respective owners. OTP Route is not affiliated with them. Use numbers lawfully, follow each service's terms and our Acceptable Use Policy.