Calling to Sierra Leone
- Do not dial a leading ‘0’ in the international call sequence – it is only used in Sierra Leone 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 ’25’, ’30’, ’33’, ‘4’, ’55’, ’56’, ‘7’, ‘8’. Phone numbers are often listed with a leading ‘0’, however the leading ‘0’ is not dialed 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
Sierra Leone 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 Sierra Leone (domestic dialing)
‘0’ is used as a trunk prefix for calling to a different area code or between a mobile phone and landline within Sierra Leone.
Local calling (within the same area code)
To call within the same area code in Sierra Leone dial only the local seven-digit local number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| ”six |
| ”local |
Long distance calling (to a different area code, or from a mobile phone)
To call to a different area code within Sierra Leone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the two digit area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | two digits | six digits |
| trunk prefix | area code | local phone number |
Mobile calling (to a mobile phone)
To call a mobile phone within Sierra Leone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the two digit carrier code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | two digits | six digits |
| trunk prefix | carrier code | local phone number |
Sierra Leone’s phone numbers explained
Number details
Sierra Leonean phone numbers are eight digits.
The first two digits designate whether the phone number is a landline or mobile phone, as well as designate a geographic region (if a landline) or the mobile carrier.
Landline phones begin with ’32’, ’22’, and ’52’.
Mobile numbers begin with ’25’, ’30’, ’33’, ‘4’, ’55’, ’56’, ‘7’, ‘8’.
An example of a Sierra Leonean phone number
The National Tourist Board of Sierra Leone lists its phone number in Freetown as (+232) 25 216362.
Phone number explanation
| 232 | 25 | 216362 |
| country code for Sierra Leone | geographic (area) code | remainder of the phone number |
Local example – calling from another location in Freetown, Sierra Leone
To dial within the same area code dial only the local phone number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| 216362 |
| local subscriber number |
Long distance example – calling from Koidu, Sierra Leone (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 | 25 | 216362 |
| trunk prefix | geographic (area) code | remainder of the phone number |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in Sierra Leone)
To call from a mobile phone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | 25 | 216362 |
| trunk prefix | geographic (area) code | remainder of the phone number |
International example – calling from outside Sierra Leone
To call from outside Sierra Leone, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by Sierra Leone’s country code of ‘232’, followed by the local phone number.
Do not dial any leading ‘0’ listed in the Sierra Leone phone number.
| exit code | 232 | 25 | 216362 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for Sierra Leone | geographic (area) code | remainder of the phone number |
Calling from Sierra Leone
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from Sierra Leone.
Sources and more resources
- National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) – Sierra Leone’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 – Sierra Leone (country code +232) National Numbering Plan – Details of Sierra Leone’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in Sierra Leone – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Sierra Leone. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Sierra Leone – Entry for Sierra Leone in the British Telecom international directory.