How to remove yourself from Ex-directory (landline listing)
Open Ex-directory (landline listing)’s opt-out page →Opens on their site. Come back here for the steps.
- Holder
- Your landline provider; BT 0330 123 4150
- How you come off
- Fixed at the sourceyour council
- They may ask for
- Nothing beyond the name and address they already hold.
- Legal deadline
- 30 days · UK GDPR Art.17 (erasure) and Art.21 (objection to direct marketing - absolute right)
- Re-lists
- Yes — switching provider can reset the listing to 'listed'. We re-check every 180 days.
- Time it takes
- About ten minutesthey usually act within 21 days
- Last verified
- 7 September 2026
- Difficulty
- Easy
How to get removed
- This one is fixed at the source rather than with a broker - see the note below.
- Typically 21 days to take effect. The legal deadline is 30 days either way - we count it and tell you the day it lapses.
- Expect to be relisted: switching provider can reset the listing to 'listed'. We re-check every 180 days.
Ask for 'ex-directory - no calls'. Upstream fix for 118, UKPhonebook and 192.com phone data. BT print books ceased Mar 2024 and thephonebook.bt.com closed Apr 2024; OSIS data still flows to third parties.
Why you come back
Most people-search sites keep buying fresh public records, and Ex-directory (landline listing) is one of them — switching provider can reset the listing to 'listed'. A removed listing can reappear months later under a new URL. The reliable fix is cutting off the source where you can — in the UK that is the open electoral register — and re-checking on a schedule.
Opt-out processes change. If a step no longer matches what you see, tell us and we’ll update it.