South Ossetia is a partially recognized state that uses numbers from Russia’s phone system. It is currently recognized by many countries as region of Georgia.
The Russian phone network (country code +7) includes Kazakhstan (phone numbers starting with ‘6’ and ‘7’) and the partially recognized regions of Abkhazia (phone numbers starting with ‘840’) and South Ossetia (phone numbers starting with ‘9974’).
Calling to South Ossetia
- Do not include a leading ‘8’ in the international call sequence – it is only used in South Ossetia and the Russian phone network 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'.
- South Ossetia’s phone numbers occupy area code ‘9974’ in the Russian phone network.
- 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.
South Ossetia’s country code may be mislabeled:
- Country code 007 (exit code of ’00’ used in many European, Asian, and African nations followed by South Ossetia’s (and the Russian phone network’s) country code of ‘7’).
- Country code 0117 (exit code of ‘011’ used in the United States and Canada followed by South Ossetia’s (and the Russian phone network’s) country code of ‘7’).
When calling to a mislabeled country code, remove the exit code from the call sequence and replace it with the exit code of the country the call is dialed from.
… to a mobile (cellular) phone or text (SMS)
Use the same call sequence.
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
South Ossetia 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 South Ossetia (domestic dialing)
Dial only the local phone number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘8 – wait for the dial tone’ or the area code.
| six digits |
| local phone number |
South Ossetian phone numbers explained
Number details
Russian / South Ossetian phone numbers are ten digits.
In South Ossetia, the first four digits are an area code. South Ossetia is ‘9974’ within the Russian numbering system.
An example of a South Ossetian phone number
The Parliament of the Republic of South Ossetia lists its phone number in Tskhinval as+7 (9974) 45-18-37.
Number explanation
| 7 | 9974 | 45 18 37 |
| country code for Russia / South Ossetia | geographic (area) code for South Ossetia | local phone number in Tskhinval |
Local example – calling from another location in Tskhinval
Dial only the local phone number when calling within South Ossetia. Do not include the trunk prefix ‘8 – wait for the tone’ or the area code.
| 45 18 37 |
| local phone number in Tskhinval |
Long distance example – calling from Kvaisi, South Ossetia (on the other side of the country)
Dial only the local phone number when calling within South Ossetia. Do not include the trunk prefix ‘8 – wait for the tone’ or the area code.
| 45 18 37 |
| local phone number in Tskhinval |
Russian phone network example – calling from Russia, Kazakhstan, or Abkhazia
Dial the trunk prefix ‘8 – wait for the tone’, followed by the area code and local phone number.
| 8 | 9974 | 45 18 37 |
| trunk prefix | area code for South Ossetia | local phone number in Tskhinval |
International example – calling from outside South Ossetia
To call from outside South Ossetia and the Russian phone network, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by South Ossetia’s (and Russia’s) country code of ‘7’, followed by the local phone number.
Do not include a leading ‘8’ in the call when calling from outside South Ossetia and the Russian phone network.
| exit code | 7 | 9974 | 45 18 37 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | Russian / South Ossetian country code | geographic (area) code for South Ossetia | local phone number in Tskhinval |
Calling from South Ossetia
‘8 – wait for the dial tone – 10’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from South Ossetia.
Sources and more resources
- Ministry of Telecommunication and Mass Communication of the Russian Federation – Russia’s national telecommunications 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 8 October 2016.
- International Telecommunications Union – Russia (country code +7) Communication of 20.VII.2016 national numbering plan on file with ITU – Details of Russia’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone Numbers in South Ossetia – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for South Ossetia. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- Wikipedia – Telephone Numbers in Russia – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Russia. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – the Phonebook – Russia International Codes – Summary of phone codes for Russia from the BT phone book.