The Complete Guide to International Calling Codes

 

You’ve likely heard of country codes when calling abroad, but have you heard of international calling codes? These are the prefixes or international dialing codes required when calling internationally and must be used in order for the number to leave the country you’re in. They come before the country code and indicate the required international telephone circuit.

To help you make international calls more easily, our team here at Remitly put together this guide to what they are, when to use them, and how they work.

How to make a call from one country to another

Every country has its own calling code and separate country code. The calling code is the two- to three-digit number you dial at the beginning of the phone number sequence to indicate you’re calling out of the country you’re in. This is followed by the country code telling the phone system what country you’re now calling to.

Country codes vs. international calling codes

Country codes and international calling codes are two very different things. A country code is specific to each country. For example, Guatemala’s country code is 502.

The international calling code can often be the same in other countries. The most common codes are 00 or 011.

You should also note that the code for your country is the code you use to call out of the country. It is similar to when you are in a hotel and need to use the phone to call outside the hotel.

In these cases, you have to press something like 9 in order to get out of the hotel. The dial-out number for a country is very much the same.

If you are in the United States, you will call any other country by first dialing 011, which is the exit code for the U.S. If you were to call Guatemala, for example, you would dial:

  • 011
  • then the country code 502
  • and then the actual phone number

Another identifier is the area code, which is used for specific areas. For example, Vancouver, Canada, uses 604 as an area code before the local number. If a country uses area codes, this would be the order for international dialing.

  • The international access code (see the table below for a complete list of international calling codes)
  • The country code
  • The area code
  • The local phone number

When to Use the ‘+’ Sign

If you are in the United States, you may be required to skip the international calling codes and use the + symbol instead. In this case, you will dial:

  • +
  • then the country code
  • and then the actual number

When should you use this symbol instead of the number? If you are calling from a Global System for Mobiles (GSM) country to another country, you can use the + sign. However, this may only work for calling mobile phones, whereas an international phone call via landline may still require the usual dial-out code.

Making an international call

In order to make an international call, you will need to know all these numbers, including the international calling code, the country code, the area code, and the local number. Dialing codes from Canada to Mexico may look something like this:

011-52-555-333-3333

As long as you know what dial-out code to use in the country you’re in and the country code for the country you’re trying to call, you can make the phone call.

Making an international call

For quick reference, here is a list of the country and calling codes for large and smaller countries throughout the world. The country name appears on the left, and the list is in alphabetical order.

Country Country Code Calling Code
Afghanistan 93 0
Albania 355 0
Algeria 213 0
American Samoa 1 684 11
Andorra 376 0
Angola 244 0
Anguilla 1-264 (ANG) 11
Antigua and Barbuda 1-268 (ANT) 11
Argentia 54 0
Armenia 374 0
Aruba 297 0
Australia 61 11
Austria 43 0
Azerbaijan 994 810
Bahamas 1-242 (BAH) 11
Bahrain 973 0
Bangladesh 880 0
Barbados 1 246 11
Belarus 375 810
Belgium 32 0
Belize 501 0
Benin 229 0
Bermuda 1-441 0
Bhutan 975 0
Bolivia 591 10
Bosnia and Herzegovina 387 0
Botswana 267 0
Brazil 55 14
Brunei Darussalam 673 0
Bulgaria 359 0
Burkina Faso 226 0
Burundi 257 0
Cambodia 855 0
Cameroon 237 0
Canada 1 11
Cape Verde 238 0
Cayman Islands 1-345 0
Central African Republic 236 0
Chad 235 15
Chile 56 0
China 86 0
Christmas Island 61-8 11
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 61-8 11
Colombia 57 5
Comoros 269 0
Congo, Republic of (Brazzaville) 242 0
Congo, Democratic Republic of (Kinshasa) 243 0
Cook Islands 682 0
Costa Rica 506 0
Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 225 0
Croatia (Hrvatska) 385 0
Cuba 53 119
Cyprus 357 0
Czech Republic 420 0
Denmark 45 0
Djibouti 253 0
Dominica 1-767 (ROS) 0
Dominican Republic 1-809, 1-829, 1-849 11
Ecuador 593 0
Egypt 20 0
El Salvador 503 0
Equatorial Guinea 240 0
Eritrea 291 0
Estonia 372 0
Ethiopia 251 0
Falkland Islands (Malvinas) 500 0
Faroe Islands 298 0
Fiji 679 0
Finland 358 0
France 33 0
French Guiana 594 0
French Polynesia 689 0
Gabon (Gabonese Republic) 241 0
Gambia 220 0
Georgia 995 810
Germany 49 0
Ghana 233 0
Gibraltar 350 0
Greece 30 0
Greenland 299 9
Grenada 1-473 11
Guadeloupe (formerly French Antilles) 590 0
Guam 1-671 11
Guatemala 502 0
Guinea 224 0
Guinea-Bissau 245 0
Guyana 592 0
Haiti 509 0
Holy See (Vatican City State) 379 0
Honduras 504 0
Hong Kong 852 1
Hungary 36 0
Iceland 354 0
India 91 0
Indonesia 62 1
Iran 98 0
Iraq 964 0
Ireland (Irish Republic) 353 0
Israel 972 0
Italy 39 0
Jamaica 1-876 11
Japan 81 10
Jordan 962 0
Kazakhstan 7-6, 7 810
Kenya 254 0
Kiribati (Kiribati Republic, formerly Gilbert Islands) 686 0
Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of (North Korea) 850 0
Korea, Republic of (South Korea) 82 1
Kuwait 965 0
Kyrgyzstan 996 0
Laos (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) 856 0
Latvia 371 0
Lebanon 961 0
Lesotho 266 0
Liberia 231 0
Libya 218 0
Liechtenstein 423 0
Lithuania 370 0
Luxembourg 352 0
Macao (SAR China) 853 0
Macedonia, Republic of 389 0
Madagascar 261 0
Malawi 265 0
Malaysia 60 0
Maldives 960 0
Mali 223 0
Malta 356 0
Marshall Islands 692 0
Martinique (formerly French Antilles) 596 0
Mauritania 222 0
Mauritius 230 0
Mayotte 262 0
Mexico 52 0
Micronesia, Federated States of 691 11
Moldova 373 0
Monaco 377 0
Mongolia 976 1
Montenegro 382 99
Montserrat 1-664 11
Morocco and Western Sahara 212 0
Mozambique 258 0
Myanmar 95 0
Namibia (former South West Africa) 264 0
Nauru 674 0
Nepal 977 0
Netherlands 31 0
Netherlands Antilles 599 0
New Caledonia 687 0
New Zealand 64 0
Nicaragua 505 0
Niger 227 0
Nigeria 234 9
Niue 683 0
Norfolk Island 672 0
Northern Mariana Islands 1-670 11
Norway 47 0
Oman 968 0
Pakistan 92 0
Palau 680 0
Palestinian Territory, Occupied 970 0
Panama 507 0
Papua New Guinea 675 5
Paraguay 595 2
Peru 51 0
Philippines 63 0
Pitcairn 870 0
Poland 48 0
Portugal 351 0
Puerto Rico 1-787, 1-939 11
Qatar 974 0
Réunion 262 0
Romania 40 0
Russian Federation 7 810
Rwanda (Rwandese Republic) 250 0
Saint Helena and Tristan Da Cunha 290 0
Saint Kitts and Nevis 1-869 11
Saint Lucia 1-758 11
Saint Pierre and Miquelon 508 0
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1-784 11
Samoa 685 0
San Marino 378 0
São Tomé and Príncipe 239 0
Saudi Arabia 966 0
Senegal 221 0
Serbia 381 99
Seychelles 248 0
Sierra Leone 232 0
Singapore 65 1
Slovakia 421 0
Slovenia 386 0
Solomon Islands 677 0
Somalia 252 0
South Africa 27 0
Spain 34 0
Sri Lanka 94 0
Sudan 249 0
Suriname 597 0
Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island 47 0
Swaziland 268 0
Sweden 46 0
Switzerland 41 0
Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) 963 0
Taiwan, Republic of China 886 2
Tajikistan 992 810
Tanzania, United Republic of 255 0
Thailand 66 0
Timor-Leste 670 NA
Togo (Togolese Republic) 228 0
Tokelau 690 0
Tonga 676 0
Trinidad and Tobago 1-868 11
Tunisia 216 0
Turkey 90 0
Turkmenistan 993 810
Turks and Caicos Islands 1-649 11
Tuvalu (formerly Ellice Islands) 688 0
Uganda 256 0
Ukraine 380 810
United Arab Emirates 971 0
United Kingdom 44 0
United States of America 1 11
Uruguay 598 0
Uzbekistan 998 810
Vanuatu 678 0
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 58 0
Vietnam (Viet Nam) 84 0
Virgin Islands, British (British Virgin Islands) 1-284 11
Virgin Islands, US (US Virgin Islands) 1-340 11
Wallis and Futuna Islands 681 19
Yemen 967 0
Zambia 260 0
Zimbabwe 263 0

Calling code and country code FAQs

Still have questions about making international calls? Read on for answers.

What is the US country code?

The country code for the US is 1. Its calling code is 11.

Do country calling codes work differently on mobile phones?

On cell phones, you typically dial + and then the country code.

Do you need to use country calling codes to text message?

Yes, to send a text message through a mobile satellite service on your mobile phone, you typically need to enter the same international dialing codes you do when placing an international phone call.

What is the North American Number Plan?

The North American Numbering Plan or NANP is a scheme that makes it easy to place international calls between countries in the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and most countries in the Caribbean.

Through the NANP, all participating countries use the same calling code at the beginning of a telephone number. As a result, you don’t need to dial an exit code if you’re placing an international call to an international number in another NANP country.

What are country calling zones?

Calling code zones allow people within a certain region to call phone numbers in surrounding foreign countries without dialing an exit code. There are nine zones:

  • Zone 1: North America, all countries included in the NANP
  • Zone 2: Africa, Greenland, Faroe Islands, and Aruba
  • Zones 3 and 4: Europe
  • Zone 5: Central and South America
  • Zone 6: Southeast Asia and Oceania
  • Zone 7: Russia and neighboring regions
  • Zone 8: Japan, China, Taiwan, and other East Asian nations

Do you need to use international dialing codes for domestic calls?

How you place a domestic call depends on which country you are in. There may be dialing codes that you need to enter before the phone number. However, you shouldn’t have to dial an international access code or country code to place a domestic call.

Who oversees international dialing rules?

The International Telecommunication Union oversees issues related to telephone communications, including international calling standards. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Stay in touch with loved ones using telephone country codes

Now that you know how to make long-distance calls abroad, you can keep in touch with your loved ones. Remember that the first digit or digits you dial is the calling code. Then, you dial the country code and the phone number.