Calling to the Central African Republic
- 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.
Mobile phone numbers begin with ‘7’.
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 Central African Republic does not have a country-specific satellite phone system.
Most satellite phones operate on their country code – calls to these satellite phones follow their call sequence.
… sending a fax
Use the same call sequence.
Calling within the Central African Republic (domestic dialing)
Dial the entire phone number as it is listed. There is no trunk or long distance number used in the Central African Republic’s phone system.
| eight digits |
| local phone number |
Central African phone numbers explained
Number details
Central African phone numbers are eight digits.
The first digit designates whether the phone number is a landline or mobile phone.
Landline phone numbers begin with ‘2’. The second digit of a landline designates a geographic region of the country.
Mobile numbers are represented by area codes starting with ‘7’. The second digit of a mobile number designates the mobile carrier.
An example of a Central African phone number
The Leger Plaza Bangui lists its phone number in Bangui as + 236 21 61 00 11.
Number explanation
| 236 | 21 | 61 00 11 |
| country code for the Central African Republic | indicates a land-line phone number in the Bangui area with the carrier Socatel | remainder of the phone number |
Local example – calling from another location in Bangui, Central African Republic
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within the Central African Republic.
| 21 | 61 00 11 |
| indicates a land-line phone number in the Bangui area with the carrier Socatel | remainder of the phone number |
Long distance example – calling from Birao, Central African Republic (on the other side of the country)
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within the Central African Republic.
| 21 | 61 00 11 |
| indicates a land-line phone number in the Bangui area with the carrier Socatel | remainder of the phone number |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in the Central African Republic)
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within the Central African Republic.
| 21 | 61 00 11 |
| indicates a land-line phone number in the Bangui area with the carrier Socatel | remainder of the phone number |
International example – calling from outside the Central African Republic
To call from outside the Central African Republic, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by the CAR’s country code of ‘236’, followed by the local phone number.
| exit code | 236 | 21 | 61 00 11 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for the Central African Republic | indicates a land-line phone number in the Bangui area with the carrier Socatel | remainder of the phone number |
Calling from the Central African Republic
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from the CAR.
Sources and more resources
- 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 – Central African Republic (country code +236) National Numbering Plan – Details of the Central African Republic’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in the Central African Republic – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for the Central African Republic. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Central African Republic – Entry for the Central African Republic in the British Telecom international directory.