Calling to Libya
- Do not dial a leading ‘0’ in the international call sequence – it is only used in Libya for domestic long distance calls and domestic calls to a mobile phone.
- 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 ‘9’. Phone numbers are often listed as ’09’. Do not dial the leading ‘0’ when calling from outside the country.
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
Libya 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 Libya (domestic dialing)
‘0’ is used as a trunk prefix for calling to a different area code within Libya.
Local calling (within the same area code)
To call within the same area code in Libya dial only the local number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| ”seven |
| ”local |
Long distance calling (to a different area code, or from a mobile phone)
To call to a different area code within Libya dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the two to three digit area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | two to three digits | seven to eight digits |
| trunk prefix | area code | local phone number |
Mobile calling (to a mobile phone)
To call a mobile phone within Libya dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the two digit carrier code (starting with ‘9’, then the local phone number.
| 0 | two digits | nine digits |
| trunk prefix | carrier code | local phone number |
Libyan phone numbers explained
Number details
Libyan phone numbers are nine digits (ten including a leading ‘0’ that is not included when the call is dialed from outside the country).
The first two to three digits are an area code. It represents a geographic part of the country.
Mobile numbers begin with ‘9’. The second digit represents the mobile phone carrier.
An example of a Libyan phone number
The Corinthia Hotel lists its phone number in Tripoli as +218 21 335 1990.
Phone number explanation
| 218 | 21 | 335 1990 |
| country code for Libya | area (geographic) code for Tripoli | local phone number in Tripoli |
Local example – calling from another location in Tripoli, Libya
To call within the same area code dial only the local phone number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| 335 1990 |
| local phone number in Tripoli |
Long distance example – calling from Benghazi, Libya (on the other side of the country)
To call to a different area code dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | 21 | 335 1990 |
| trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for Tripoli | local phone number in Tripoli |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in Libya)
To call from a mobile phone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | 21 | 335 1990 |
| trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for Tripoli | local phone number in Tripoli |
International example – calling from outside Libya
To call from outside Libya, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by Libya’s country code of ‘218’, followed by the local phone number.
Do not dial any leading ‘0’ listed in the Libyan phone number.
| exit code | 218 | 21 | 335 1990 |
| exit code for the country the call is dialed from | Libyan country code | area (geographic) code for Tripoli | local phone number in Tripoli |
Calling from Libya
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from Libya.
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 – Libya (country code +218) National Numbering Plan – Details of Libya’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in Libya – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Libya. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Libya – Entry for Libya in the British Telecom international directory.