Calling to Malawi
- 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’, ‘8’, or ‘9’.
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
Malawi 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 Malawi (domestic dialing)
Dial the entire phone number as it is listed for all calls within Malawi.
There is no trunk number used when calling within Malawi’s phone system.
| seven or nine-digit number |
| firsttwo |
Malawian phone numbers explained
Number details
Malawian numbers are seven digits (landline phones) or nine digits (mobile phones).
The first digit designates whether the phone number is a land-line or mobile phone number.
Mobile numbers are represented by area codes starting with ‘7’, ‘8’, or ‘9’.
An example of a Malawian phone number
The Kiboko Town Hotel lists its phone number in Lilongwe as +265 999 838485.
Phone number explanation
| 265 | 99 | 9 838485 |
| international country code for Malawi | signifies a non-geographic number | remainder of the phone number |
Local example – calling from another location in Lilongwe, Malawi
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within Malawi.
| 99 | 9 838485 |
| signifies a non-geographic number | remainder of the phone number |
Long distance example – calling from Chitipa, Malawi (on the other side of the country)
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within Malawi.
| 99 | 9 838485 |
| signifies a non-geographic number | remainder of the phone number |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in Malawi)
Dial the entire phone number for all calls within Malawi.
| 99 | 9 838485 |
| signifies a non-geographic number | remainder of the phone number |
International example – calling from outside Malawi
To call from outside Malawi, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by Malawi’s country code of ‘265’, followed by the local phone number.
| exit code | 265 | 99 | 9 838485 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for Malawi | signifies a non-geographic number | remainder of the phone number |
Calling from Malawi
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from Malawi.
Sources and more resources
- Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) – Malawi’s telephone systems 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 – Malawi (country code +265) National Numbering Plan – Details of Malawi’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in Malawi – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Malawi. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Malawi – Entry for Malawi in the British Telecom international directory.