> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getrivet.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Choosing your Rivet phone number
> How the picker finds local numbers inside your province, what the headline above the list means, and how to ask for a specific area code.
The last step of signup is picking the phone number your practice will use.
Rivet searches for available numbers inside the province or territory you
chose, as close to your city as current stock allows, and shows you up to
five. Tap **Show more** to see the rest of what it found.
## How Rivet looks for numbers
Every search stays inside your province. Rivet works down this list and
stops at the first step that has numbers:
If you've typed an area code into the small field below the list, Rivet
looks there first. Your explicit choice outranks everything else.
Numbers the carrier lists under the city you entered.
Most Canadian cities have more than one area code — Windsor and London
share 519, 226, 548 and 382; Toronto has 416, 647, 437 and 683. If
the code you asked for is empty, Rivet tries its sister codes, still
inside your city.
For Toronto and Montreal, whose own codes are often sold out, Rivet
tries the ring around the city next — 905, 289 and 365 around Toronto;
450, 579 and 354 around Montreal.
The last resort. Still your province, never the rest of the country.
## The headline tells you which step answered
Read the line above the list before you pick. It says exactly what Rivet
found:
| You see | It means |
| - | - |
| **Numbers in 548 (Kitchener-Waterloo)** | The area code you typed had stock. |
| **Numbers in Windsor, ON** | Numbers listed under your city. |
| **Nothing in 780 right now — numbers in Toronto, ON** | The code you typed was empty, so these are your city's numbers instead. |
| **Nothing in 226 right now — same calling area** | Your code was empty; these are its sister codes, in your city. |
| **Nothing in 416 right now — the nearest available numbers** | Toronto or Montreal's own codes are sold out; these are the ring around the city. |
| **Nothing in 226 right now — numbers across Ontario** | Nothing closer was available; these are elsewhere in your province. |
"Right now" means exactly that. Stock changes daily, so a code that is
empty this morning can have numbers by the afternoon.
## Asking for a specific area code
Type an area code in the field below the list and tap **Search again**.
Rivet looks there first and tells you if it came up empty. You can do this
as many times as you like before committing.
Common Canadian area codes:
| Area code | Region |
| - | - |
| 519 / 226 / 548 / 382 | Southwestern Ontario (Windsor, London, Kitchener) |
| 416 / 647 / 437 / 683 | Toronto |
| 905 / 289 / 365 | Around Toronto (Mississauga, Hamilton, Niagara) |
| 613 / 343 / 753 | Ottawa, Eastern Ontario |
| 705 / 249 / 742 | Northeastern Ontario (Barrie, Sudbury, North Bay) |
| 807 | Northwestern Ontario (Thunder Bay) |
| 514 / 438 / 263 | Montreal |
| 450 / 579 / 354 | Around Montreal (Laval, Longueuil) |
| 418 / 581 / 367 | Quebec City |
| 604 / 778 / 236 / 672 | Vancouver, BC Lower Mainland |
| 250 / 778 / 236 / 672 | Rest of BC (Victoria, Kelowna) |
| 403 / 587 / 825 / 368 | Calgary, Southern Alberta |
| 780 / 587 / 825 / 368 | Edmonton, Northern Alberta |
| 902 / 782 | Nova Scotia and PEI |
| 506 / 428 | New Brunswick |
| 709 / 879 | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| 204 / 431 / 584 | Manitoba |
| 306 / 639 / 474 | Saskatchewan |
If you serve clients across two area codes (say, 519 and 226 in
Southwestern Ontario), either one reads as local. Pick whichever number
you like the look of.
## Why the area code matters to your clients
For most people, the area code is the first thing they read on an incoming
call. A 519 number says "Windsor" to a Windsor-area client; a 902 number
says "East Coast." Both are local Canadian numbers, but the perceived
distance matters when a client is deciding whether to pick up.
Because you choose your province before your city, "Windsor" means Windsor,
Ontario when you are in Ontario and Windsor, Nova Scotia when you are in
Nova Scotia. Rivet never offers a number from another province.
## If nothing comes up at all
If your whole province is out of stock, the picker says so and gives you
**[hello@getrivet.ca](mailto:hello@getrivet.ca)**. Write to us and we will find you a number. This is
rare, and it is not something you can fix by picking a different city.
If the picker says it couldn't reach the number search, that is a hiccup
on our side, not empty stock. Tap **Search again**.
## Can you change the number later
Not easily. The number you pick during signup is the one your clients
will save to their contacts, and your auto-reply will identify you as
"calling from" that number on every outbound text. Treat this picker like
picking a custom phone number — print it on a card and you live with it.
If you absolutely need to change numbers later (you moved provinces, you
mistyped the area code, the chosen number turns out to be confusable
with a local pizza place), email **[hello@getrivet.ca](mailto:hello@getrivet.ca)** and we'll work
out a migration plan. Account changes that affect your line are not
self-serve, because they affect every client who already has your
number saved.
## Related articles
The other identifier your clients will remember — your URL.
The deliberate, supported path if you absolutely need to swap numbers
later.
How a Rivet number compares with a carrier line, a second SIM or an
answering service.
This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.