Twilio errors · 2026
Twilio error 13227 and 21215: “Geo Permission configuration is not permitting call”
Last updated September 4, 2026
You loaded a list, the US numbers dialed fine, and the first Canadian or British number failed before it rang. The debugger shows 13227 or 21215. Nothing is wrong with the number, the dialer or your balance: Twilio refuses outbound calls to any country you have not switched on, and a new account has only a short default list. This page is the fix for someone who sells, not someone who codes.
The short answer
Console → Voice → Settings → Geo permissions → tick the destination country → save → dial again. If it still fails, expand the country and enable the number category that matches your list; leave the high-risk categories off. On a trial account, upgrade first: trials cannot enable high-risk ranges and can only call verified numbers anyway.
Which code you see depends on how the call was placed
| Code | Call path | Where a cold caller meets it |
|---|---|---|
| 21215 | REST API call (Calls resource) | A dialer or script that creates calls through the API |
| 13227 | TwiML <Dial> verb | Browser dialers bridging your headset to the prospect; call forwarding |
| 32205 | SIP trunking | A PBX or softphone trunked to Twilio |
Browser dialers, DialSheet included, connect your headset to Twilio and then bridge to the prospect with a Dial verb, so the code you will usually see is 13227. The fix is identical for all three.
The fix, step by step
- Open the Twilio Console and go to Voice → Settings → Geo permissions. (The direct address is console.twilio.com/us1/develop/voice/settings/geo-permissions; the legacy console has the same screen under Voice, Calls.)
- Search for the destination country and tick it. Enabling a country turns on its low-risk ranges, which is where mobile and office numbers live.
- Save. There is no propagation wait; dial the failed number again.
- If it still fails, open the Console Monitor → Debugger and filter for 13227 and 21215. The entry names the number and category refused. Expand the country on the geo-permissions screen and enable that category only if the list genuinely contains such numbers; cold-calling lists almost never do.
- On a subaccount, repeat on the subaccount: permissions are not inherited from the parent.
The three categories inside every country
| Category | What is in it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Low-risk numbers | Ordinary mobile and landline ranges | On as soon as the country is enabled; this is where your prospects are |
| High-risk special services | Premium-rate, shared-cost and special-service numbers | Off by default; almost never needed for cold calling |
| High-risk toll fraud | Narrow ranges Twilio associates with international revenue-share fraud, updated several times a month | Off by default; leave it off |
Twilio keeps the block on because international revenue-share fraud is real and is billed to the account that placed the calls: a leaked Auth Token that dials a premium range in a country you never sell to can cost more in a night than a year of legitimate calling. Enable what your lists need and nothing more.
When 13227 is not the real problem
- Trial account. Trials are limited to low-risk destinations, cannot enable high-risk ranges, and only call verified numbers in the signup country. Upgrade first; see why a trial cannot cold call.
- The number is malformed. A UK number stored as 07700 900123 instead of +447700900123 may fail with 13224 or 21217 rather than a geo error. Clean the list to E.164 first; see how to clean a lead list.
- The call is blocked, not unpermitted. 13225 and 21216 (“Call blocked by Twilio”) are fraud, regulatory or Business-Profile blocks and have a different fix; see Twilio call blocked errors.
- The rate is the surprise. Once the country is on, check its per-minute price: Irish mobiles cost several times a US minute. Per-destination rates and calling hours are in cold calling several countries at once.
Enabling a country does not make calling it lawful. Canada has the CRTC rules and the National DNCL, the UK has TPS and CTPS, Australia has the Do Not Call Register with its own hours. The country guides on this site cover each; read the one for the list before you tick the box.
Your Twilio, our dialer, the error explained on screen.
DialSheet runs on your own Twilio account at ~$0.014/min and shows the Twilio error code next to the lead when a call fails, so a geo block is a one-minute fix, not a support ticket. Free for one person, $29 per 3 seats. No Twilio at all? A managed US or Canadian line is $49/month.
Start dialingQuestions people actually ask
What does Twilio error 13227 mean?
Error 13227, "Geo Permission configuration is not permitting call", means a call placed through a TwiML Dial verb, which is how browser dialers connect you to a prospect, was to a destination your account is not allowed to call. Twilio keeps a per-account list of countries and number categories that outbound voice may reach; anything not enabled is refused before it rings. It is a settings problem, not a billing or number problem, and it takes about a minute to fix.
What is the difference between error 21215 and 13227?
Same cause, different call path. 21215 is raised when the call was created through Twilio's REST API; 13227 when it was created by a Dial verb inside TwiML; 32205 is the SIP-trunking equivalent. A browser dialer usually produces 13227 because the browser leg is bridged to the prospect with Dial. Whichever code you see, the fix is the same geo-permissions screen.
How do I fix "Geo Permission configuration is not permitting call"?
In the Twilio Console go to Voice, then Settings, then Geo permissions. Find the destination country and tick it. If calls to that country still fail, expand it and enable the number category that matches the numbers on your list: most business and mobile numbers are in the low-risk range, which is on as soon as the country is; premium, shared-cost and narrow toll-fraud ranges are separate and stay off unless you enable them deliberately. Save, then dial again; there is no propagation delay worth waiting for.
Why does my colleague's Twilio account call the UK fine and mine gets 13227?
Geo permissions are set per account, and subaccounts do not inherit the parent's list by default. Your colleague enabled the United Kingdom on theirs at some point; yours still has the default set. If you are on a subaccount of a shared parent, the parent admin has to enable the country on the subaccount too. Check the debugger in Console for warnings tagged 21215 or 13227 to see exactly which destinations were refused.
Can a Twilio trial account enable high-risk countries?
No. Trial accounts are restricted to low-risk destinations and cannot enable the high-risk categories at all; on top of that a trial can only call numbers you have verified, in your signup country. If you are on a trial and see 13227, upgrading with a payment card is step one; the geo-permissions screen unlocks after that.
Should I enable every country to stop 13227 for good?
No. The block exists because a leaked credential or a mistyped list can dial premium-rate numbers in countries you never sell to, and international revenue-share fraud is billed to you. Enable the countries on your lists and leave the high-risk categories off unless a specific campaign needs them. A cold caller working the US, Canada and the UK needs three ticks, not two hundred.