Country Codes of the Bahamas
- Telephone: +1-242
- 2 Letter: BS
- 3 Letter: BHS
- ISO 3116-1 Numeric: 044
- Internet TLD: .bs
- ICAO Airport Code: MY
- Maritime Identification Digits: 308, 309, 311
- Emoji Flag: U+1F1E7 U+1F1F8
- Official Name: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas
How to call the Bahamas (international dialing)
- A leading ‘1’ is included in the international call sequence.
- A leading '+' in the phone number means 'dial your country's exit code'.
- Calling from a mobile phone: dial from on the country where you're currently located.
- Calling from a VoIP or satellite phone: dial from on the country where the phone is registered.
… to a mobile (cellular) phone or text (sms)
Use the same call sequence.
When calling a mobile phone user, dial to the country where the mobile phone is registered, regardless of where the person is roaming.
… to a VoIP phone
Use the same call sequence.
When calling a VoIP phone user, dial to the country where the VoIP phone is registered, regardless of where the person is roaming.
… to a satellite phone
The Bahamas do not have a country-specific satellite phone system.
Most satellite phones operate on their country code – calls to these satellite phones follow their own call sequence.
… sending a fax
Use the same call sequence.
How to call within the Bahamas (domestic dialing)
There is no trunk prefix (1) or area code (242) used when calling within the Bahamas.
Only the seven-digit phone number is dialed.
| seven digits |
| local phone number |
Bahamian phone numbers explained
Number details
The Bahamas’ phone numbers are ten digits (eleven including a leading ‘1’ that acts as a country code for the entire NANP calling region).
The first three digits are ‘242’ – an area (geographic) code to designate the Bahamas’ phone system within the North American Numbering Plan.
The first three digits of the local phone number are an exchange within the Bahamas’ code of ‘242’.
Mobile numbers are intermixed with land-line phone numbers.
An example of a Bahamian number
The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas lists its phone number in Nassau as 242.328.5800.
Number explanation
| 1 | 242 | 328 5800 |
| country code for the Bahamas | area code for the Bahamas within the NANP | local phone number within Nassau |
Local example – calling from another location in Nassau
Dial the seven-digit phone number when calling anywhere within the Bahamas. Do not include the trunk prefix/country code ‘1’ or the area code ‘242’ in domestic calls.
| 328 5800 |
| local phone number within Nassau |
International example – calling from the United States, Canada, or another country of the NANP (most of the Caribbean and U.S. territories in the Pacific)
To call within the NANP dial the phone call with the same call sequence as a U.S. or Canadian long distance call.
Dial the combined country code/trunk prefix of ‘1’, then the Bahamas’ area code within the NANP of ‘242’, then the local seven-digit phone number.
| 1 | 242 | 328 5800 |
| long distance trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for the Bahamas | local phone number in Nassau |
International example – calling from a country outside of the NANP (the United States, Canada, most of the Caribbean, and U.S. Territories in the Pacific)
To call from a country from outside the NANP, dial the exit code of the country you’re calling from, then the NANP country code/trunk prefix of ‘1’, then the Bahamas’ area code of ‘242’, then the local phone number.
| exit code | 1 | 242 | 328 5800 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for the North American Numbering Plan | area (geographic) code for the Bahamas | local phone number in Nassau |
How to call from the Bahamas
… to another country in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP)
NANP countries include Canada, the United States (and associated territories), and most regions of the Caribbean.
Dial the phone call starting with the trunk prefix/country code of ‘1’, then the area code and local phone number.
… to all other regions of the world
‘011’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international phone call from the Bahamas to a location outside the NANP calling region (the United States, Canada, most regions of the Caribbean, and U.S. Territories in the Pacific).
Sources and more resources
- National NANPA – The North American Numbering Plan Administration. Telecommunications numbering system regulator for numbering administration across the North American Numbering Plan.
- Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority – The Bahamas’ national telecommunications regulator.
- ITU (International Telecommunications Union) – United Nations specialized agency for information and communications technologies.
- International Telecommunications Union – DIALLING PROCEDURES (INTERNATIONAL PREFIX, NATIONAL (TRUNK) PREFIX AND NATIONAL (SIGNIFICANT) NUMBER) (IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITU-T RECOMMENDATION E.164 (11/2010)) – A collection of dialing procedures for all countries and regions of the world. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- International Telecommunications Union – The Bahamas’ (country code +1 242) National National Numbering Plan – Details of the Bahamas’ telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in the Bahamas (country code +1 242) – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for the Bahamas’ calling plan within the North American Numbing Plan. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – The Bahamas – Entry for the Bahamas in the British Telecom international directory.