# Why is my customer's shipping address invalid? (Phone number formatting)

Last updated: May 14, 2025

As of 2023, Shopify [has changed the requirements](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/admin-rest/2022-07/resources/customer#post-customers) for what format a phone number must be in for a customer's shipping address. 

<figure><img src="/files/g8aoCWN0lssIm1zmFskD" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip:** To check your store's Shopify settings on requiring a phone number for orders, navigate to **Settings** > **Checkout** and scroll to **Shipping address phone number**. We recommend this be set to either or **Don't include** or **Optional**. If set to Required, than all previously purchased customer subscriptions without a phone number will fail to process.&#x20;
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/XgJ33jz2cAvKVwDLQJx5" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

If your store has **Required** checked for customer shopping address phone number, the phone number must match one of the formats required by Shopify. For US-based phone numbers, (starting with +1), these formats include:&#x20;

* +1 ###-###-####
* (###)###-####
* +1##########
* \##########

For example:&#x20;

* +1 234-567-8901
* (234)567-8901
* +12346578901
* 2346578901

{% hint style="warning" %}
Do not use the + symbol without a country code (ex. +2346578901). Additionally, text input will not be accepted, so you can't write anything like "None" or "No phone number provided".&#x20;
{% endhint %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://help.smartrr.com/docs/support/troubleshooting/why-is-my-customers-shipping-address-invalid-phone-number-formatting.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.