e-MC Phone API

Introduction

The e-PNC (e-MC Phone Number Checker) API lets you instantly validate phone numbers from 200+ countries. You can also try it live at api.e-mc.co/epnc. For each number you submit, the API returns:

Whether the number is valid and mobile
The country (ISO code + full name)
The carrier / network operator (MTN, Orange, Airtel…)
The line type (mobile, fixed line, VoIP…)

All requests must be authenticated with an x-api-key header. Contact us to get your API key.

Authentication

Pass your API key in the x-api-key HTTP header on every request.

Request header

x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY

Never expose your API key in client-side code (JavaScript, mobile apps). Always call the API from your backend server.

Error codes

HTTP Code	Meaning	What to do
200	Request processed — always check `valid` field	Read the response body
400	Missing `phone` parameter	Check your request body
401	Invalid or missing API key	Check your `x-api-key` header
402	No credits remaining	Contact us to recharge
429	Rate limit exceeded	Slow down — retry after 1 minute

Validate a phone number

POST /v1/number/validate

Request body

Field	Type	Required	Description
`phone`	string	Yes	The phone number to validate (see formats)

Request — cURL

curl -X POST https://verify.e-mc.co/v1/number/validate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"phone": "+229012345678"}'

Response — valid mobile number

HTTP 200

{
  "valid": true,
  "phone_e164": "+229012345678",
  "phone_local": "229012345678",
  "country_code": "BJ",
  "country": "Benin",
  "network": "MTN",
  "type": "mobile",
  "recommended_action": "proceed"
}

Response fields

Field	Type	Description
`valid`	boolean	`true` if the number is valid and mobile
`phone_e164`	string	Number in E.164 format (e.g. `+229012345678`)
`phone_local`	string	E.164 without the leading `+`
`country_code`	string	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g. `BJ`)
`country`	string	Full country name in English (e.g. `Benin`)
`network`	string	Carrier name (e.g. `MTN`) or `unknown`
`type`	string	Line type — see line types
`recommended_action`	string	`proceed` when valid

Response — invalid number

HTTP 200

{
  "valid": false,
  "reason": "invalid_number"
}

`reason`	Description
`missing_phone`	The `phone` field is absent from the request
`invalid_number`	Number does not match any known numbering plan
`not_mobile_number`	Number is valid but is a fixed line, VoIP, etc.
`parse_error`	Number could not be parsed (unreadable format)

Accepted phone formats

The API accepts numbers in any of these formats:

Format	Example	Description
E.164	`+229012345678`	International with `+` prefix (recommended)
International (00)	`00229012345678`	International with `00` prefix
Digits only	`229012345678`	Full international digits without prefix

Spaces are ignored automatically. Always include the country dial code.

Line types

`type` value	Description	Valid?
`mobile`	Mobile / cellular number	✓ Yes
`fixed_or_mobile`	Could be mobile or fixed line	✓ Yes
`fixed_line`	Fixed landline number	✗ No
`voip`	Voice over IP number	✗ No
`unknown`	Type could not be determined	✗ No

Code examples

PHP (cURL)

PHP

$ch = curl_init('https://verify.e-mc.co/v1/number/validate');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode(['phone' => '+229012345678']));
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
    'Content-Type: application/json',
    'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY',
]);
$response = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
curl_close($ch);

if ($response['valid']) {
    echo $response['country'] . ' — ' . $response['network'];
}

Node.js (fetch)

JavaScript

const res = await fetch('https://verify.e-mc.co/v1/number/validate', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ phone: '+229012345678' })
});
const data = await res.json();
if (data.valid) {
  console.log(data.country, data.network);
}

Python

import requests

r = requests.post(
    'https://verify.e-mc.co/v1/number/validate',
    json={'phone': '+229012345678'},
    headers={'x-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = r.json()
if data['valid']:
    print(data['country'], data['network'])

Get API access

To obtain an API key or for any integration support, contact us at:

e-mc.co Contact

e-PNC Phone Validation API