Calling to the Barbados
- 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, call to the country where the mobile phone is registered, regardless of where the person being called is currently roaming.
… to a VoIP phone
Use the same call sequence.
When calling a VoIP phone user, call to the country where the VoIP phone is registered, regardless of where the person being called is currently roaming.
… to a satellite phone
The Barbados 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.
Calling within the Barbados (domestic dialing)
There is no trunk prefix (1) or area code (246) used when calling within the Barbados.
Only the seven digit phone number is dialed.
| seven digits |
| local phone number |
Barbadian phone numbers explained
Number details
The Barbados’ 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 ‘246’ – an area (geographic) code to designate Barbados’ 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 ‘246’.
Mobile numbers are intermixed with land-line phone numbers.
An example of a Barbadian number
The Barbados Museum and Historical Society lists its phone number in St. Michael as 1 (246) 427-0201.
Number explanation
| 1 | 246 | 427 0201 |
| country code for Barbados | area code for the Barbados within the NANP | local phone number in St. Michael |
Local example – calling from another location in St. Michael
Dial the seven-digit phone number when calling anywhere within Barbados. Do not include the trunk prefix/country code ‘1’ or the area code ‘246’ in domestic calls.
| 427 0201 |
| local phone number in St. Michael |
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 Barbados’ area code within the NANP of ‘246’, then the local seven digit phone number.
| 1 | 246 | 427 0201 |
| long distance trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for the Barbados | local phone number in St. Michael |
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 Barbados’ area code of ‘246’, then the local phone number.
| exit code | 1 | 246 | 427 0201 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for the North American Numbering Plan | area (geographic) code for the Barbados | local phone number in St. Michael |
Calling from the Barbados
… 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 Barbados 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.
- The Barbados Telecoms Unit – The Barbados’ 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 Barbados’ (country code +1 246) National National Numbering Plan – Details of Barbados’ telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in the Barbados (country code +1 246) – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Barbados’ 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 Barbados – Entry for Barbados in the British Telecom international directory.