Saudi Arabia’s Country Codes
- Telephone: +966
- 2 Letter: SA
- 3 Letter: SAU
- ISO 3116-1 Numeric: 682
- ISO 3116-2: SA
- Internet TLD: .sa
- ICAO Airport Code: OE
- Maritime Identification Digits: 403
- Emoji Flag: U+1F1F8 U+1F1E6
- Official Name: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
How to call Saudi Arabia (international dialing)
- Do not include a leading ‘0’ in the international call sequence – it is only used in Saudi Arabia 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 the digit ‘5’ (often listed as ’05’, with the leading ‘0’ removed 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
Saudi Arabia 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.
How to call within Saudi Arabia (domestic dialing)
‘0’ is used as a trunk prefix when calling to a different area code in Saudi Arabia.
Local calling (within the same area code)
To call within the same area code dial only the local phone number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| seven digits |
| local phone number |
Long distance calling (to a different area code or from a mobile phone)
To call to a different area code or call from a mobile phone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | one digit | seven digits |
| trunk prefix | area code | local phone number |
Mobile calling (to a mobile phone)
To call to a mobile phone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the carrier code, then the subscriber phone number.
| 0 | two to three digits | six to seven digits |
| trunk prefix | carrier code | subscriber phone number |
Saudi Arabian phone numbers explained
Number details
Saudi Arabian phone numbers are eight digits (nine including a leading ‘0’ that is not dialed when calling from outside the country).
The first digit designates whether the phone number is a landline (fixed line) or mobile phone.
Land-line phone numbers being with ‘1’. The first two digits (starting with ‘1’) are the area code. The area code signifies a geographic region of the country.
Mobile numbers begin with ‘5’. The first two to three digits are the carrier code. The carrier code signifies the mobile phone provider.
An example of a Saudi Arabian phone number
The Alwaha Palace Hotel lists its phone number in Riyadh as +966 (11) 4612288.
Number explanantion
| 966 | 11 | 4612288 |
| country code for Saudi Arabia | area (geographic) code for Riyadh | local phone number in Riyadh |
Local example – calling from another location in Riyadh
To call within the same area code dial only the local phone number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| 4612288 |
| local phone number in Riyadh |
Long distance example – calling from Duba, Saudi Arabia (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 | 11 | 4612288 |
| trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for Riyadh | local phone number in Riyadh |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in Saudi Arabia)
To call from a mobile phone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | 11 | 4612288 |
| trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for Riyadh | local phone number in Riyadh |
International example – calling from outside Saudi Arabia
To call from outside Saudi Arabia, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by Saudi Arabia’s country code of ‘966’, followed by the local phone number.
Do not include a leading ‘0’ in the call when calling from outside Saudi Arabia.
| exit code | 966 | 11 | 4612288 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for Saudi Arabia | area (geographic) code for Riyadh | local phone number in Riyadh |
How to call from Saudi Arabia
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international phone call from Saudi Arabia.
Sources and more resources
- Communications and Information Technology Commission – Saudi Arabia’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 – Saudi Arabia (country code +966) Communication of 3.IX.2014 National Numbering Plan – Details of Saudi Arabia’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in Saudi Arabia – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Saudi Arabia. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Saudi Arabia – Entry for Saudi Arabia in the British Telecom international directory.