What are international dialling codes?

How do you make an international call?

To make an international call, you’ll indeed to have these numbers to hand and dial:

• The international dialling code (International Direct Dialing (IDD))

• The country code

• The city/area code (if any) for the number you are dialling. Smaller countries may not use city codes or area codes

So, for example, you were calling Switzerland from the UK, the number may look something like this:

00 41-27-111-1111

As long as you know which international dialling code (IDD) to use for the country you’re in, and the country code for the country you’re trying to call, you can make the phone call.

The plus sign (+)

The plus sign that you may see before the country code is an indication you should add the international dialling code (IDD).  If, for example, you’re calling from the US, you’d simply replace the plus sign (+) with 011 (international dialling code from US).

However, with mobile phones and wireless networks, you can simply use the plus sign (+) instead of entering the international calling code.

For more information on calling other countries, take a look at these useful articles:

• How to call Mexico from the US

• How to call Ghana from the UK

International dialling codes

Every country has its own specific international dialling code (IDD). While you may know your own country’s international dialling code (IDD);you may not know the code of the country you’re visiting, and want to call out from. Or you may not know the country code you’re calling into. So, it’s good to know that there are a number of useful online tools to help you look them all up, including this handy resource:  

International dialling code from UK

To call a number overseas from the UK, you must use the international dialling code 00, followed by the country code, area code and local number.

International dialling code from Australia

To call a number overseas from Australia, you must use the International dialling code 0011, followed by the country code, area code and local number.

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For more articles head over to our blog. You’ll find a selection of helpful and informative insights put together especially for people living and working abroad.

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The contents of this blog post does not constitute legal or financial advice and is provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.