International Dialing Codes: How to Call Any Country

Key takeaways

• An international number has three parts: + (or an exit code), the country code, and the national number.
• On a mobile phone, touch and hold 0 to type +. It replaces the exit code in every country.
• Drop the leading 0 of the national number in most countries: UK 07700 900123 becomes +44 7700 900123.
• Some codes are shared. +1 covers the US, Canada and much of the Caribbean, and +7 covers Russia and Kazakhstan.

International dialing codes work the same way everywhere: dial + (or your country's exit code), then the country code of the place you're calling, then the local number without its leading 0. To call the UK number 020 7946 0123 from a mobile phone, you dial +44 20 7946 0123.

This guide explains each part of an international number, shows when the 0 stays and when it goes, and lists the country calling codes for more than 70 countries and territories. Every code in the tables was checked against the country code list of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency that assigns them.

If you'd rather not make those calls from your personal number, 2Phon is an iPhone app that gives you a real second number for calls and verification codes. More on that near the end.

How is an international phone number built?

An international number is a + sign, a country code of one to three digits, and the national number. The standard behind this format is called E.164, and it's maintained by the ITU.

Put together: +44 20 7946 0123. Spaces, dashes and brackets are only there for reading. The network ignores them.

You may see the country code called a calling code, dialing code or dial-in code. They all mean the same thing. An area code is different: it's the part of the national number that points to a city or region inside the country.

How to dial an international number, step by step

From a mobile phone, type +, the country code and the number without its first 0, then tap call.

1. Type + instead of an exit code

   On the keypad, touch and hold 0 until + appears. That's the method in Apple's iPhone User Guide: "Enter a '+' for international calls: Touch and hold the '0' key until '+' appears" (Apple Support: Make a call on iPhone). On a landline, dial your country's exit code instead.

2. Add the country code

   Find the country in the tables below and type its code, for example 49 for Germany or 81 for Japan.

3. Drop the leading 0, if there is one

   If the number is written the domestic way with a 0 in front, leave that 0 out. There are exceptions, covered further down.

4. Enter the rest of the number and call

   Type the remaining digits and tap call. If the call doesn't connect, check the exceptions and the common mistakes below before you try again.

Here is the same UK number dialed three ways:

Before you call, check what your carrier or calling app charges for that country. The dialing code tells you where a call goes, not what it costs.

For iPhone-specific steps and calling options, see how to make international calls from an iPhone.

What is an exit code, and why does + replace it?

An exit code (the ITU calls it the international prefix) is what you dial to start a call to another country. It depends on where you are, not on who you're calling.

The ITU recommends 00, and most countries use it. Some don't. These are the ones listed in the ITU's dialing procedures list (position on 15 December 2011) for a few large countries:

Exit codes can change, and some countries have several, one per long-distance carrier. That's why + is the safer habit. On a mobile network, + means "use the exit code of the country I'm in right now". A number saved as +44 20 7946 0123 works from home and from a hotel abroad.

When do you drop the leading 0?

Drop the first 0 when it's a trunk prefix: a digit used only for calls inside that country. The ITU's rule is short: "in the international service the trunk prefix of the country of destination must not be dialled."

Most countries that use a trunk prefix use 0. You'll often see it printed in brackets, as in +44 (0)20 7946 0123. The brackets mean "dial this only inside the country".

The exceptions

• Italy keeps the 0. The ITU list shows no trunk prefix for Italy, because the 0 at the start of an Italian landline number is part of the number itself. A Rome number that starts with 06 is dialed +39 06…. Italian mobile numbers start with 3 and have no 0 to worry about.
• Some countries have nothing to drop. Spain, Portugal, Norway and Denmark are listed with no trunk prefix. You dial the country code and then the whole number as written.
• The US and Canada use 1, not 0. The 1 you dial before a long-distance number at home is the same digit as the country code. From abroad, dial +1, the three-digit area code and the seven-digit number, for example +1 212 555 0123.
• Russia and Kazakhstan use 8. The ITU lists 8 as the trunk prefix for both. A Russian mobile number written 8 (9XX) XXX-XX-XX at home becomes +7 9XX XXX XX XX.

If you're unsure about a country, look at how local businesses print their numbers in + format. Our guides to the UK number format and the US number format go through those two in detail.

International dialing codes by country

These are the country calling codes for widely called countries, grouped by region. Each one matches the ITU's list of assigned E.164 country codes (position on 15 December 2016), as checked in November 2026. Country codes change very rarely.

To use a row from a mobile phone, type the code after a + and add the national number.

North America, Central America and the Caribbean

South America

Europe

Middle East and Africa

Asia and the Pacific

Don't see the country you need? The ITU list linked above covers every assigned code.

Which countries share a dialing code?

A few country codes cover more than one country, so the code alone doesn't always tell you where a number is.

• +1 is shared by the United States, Canada, US territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam, and many Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago. The three-digit area code after the 1 tells them apart.
• +7 is shared by Russia and Kazakhstan.
• +39 is used by Italy and by Vatican City.

Getting unwanted calls from codes you don't recognize? Our guide on how to stop spam calls covers what you can do about them on an iPhone.

Country codes in contacts and sign-up forms

Save every number in + format, and it works wherever you are. A contact stored as 020 7946 0123 may not connect once you leave the UK. Stored as +44 20 7946 0123, it connects from anywhere.

The same rules apply when an app or website asks for your number to send a verification code:

• Pick the country the number belongs to, not the country you're in. A UK number needs +44 even if you're sitting in Spain.
• Leave out the trunk 0 when the form already shows the country code. +44 followed by 07700 900123 is an easy slip that can stop a code from arriving.
• Don't type the code twice. If the form has a country picker, enter only the national number in the field next to it.

If a code still doesn't arrive, see why verification codes don't arrive and how to fix it.

Common mistakes when dialing abroad

The usual mistakes all come down to one wrong or extra digit.

• Keeping the trunk 0: dialing +44 020… instead of +44 20….
• Dropping a 0 that belongs to the number: Italian landlines keep it.
• Using both + and an exit code: +00 44… or 011 +44…. Use one or the other.
• Using your home exit code abroad: 011 only works from +1 countries. Use + and you don't have to think about it.
• Mixing up the country code and the area code: +1 44… isn't the UK. The country code always comes straight after the +.
• Forgetting the time zone: the call connects, but it's 3 a.m. there.

Where 2Phon fits

2Phon is an iPhone app that gives you a real second phone number from dozens of countries. You make and receive real calls on it, at home or abroad, and the people you call see your 2Phon number, not your personal one. Calls use minutes in the app; current options are shown there.

That's useful when you'd rather not give your personal number to a hotel, a landlord or a seller, at home or abroad. 2Phon doesn't send text messages; it's built for calls and for receiving verification codes. Our guide to choosing a phone number for travel shows how it fits next to your home SIM.

Get 2Phon on the App Store — a real second number for calls and verification codes, on your iPhone.

The short version

Dial +, the country code, then the number without its trunk 0, and save your contacts that way. Check the table when you're not sure of a code, and remember that +1 and +7 each cover more than one country.

To keep your own number private when you call abroad, read how to hide your phone number when calling, or start with what a second phone number is.