Country Codes of the U.K.
- Telephone: +44
- 2 Letter: GB
- 3 Letter: GBR
- ISO 3116-1 Numeric: 826
- ISO 3116-2: GB
- Internet TLD: .uk
- ICAO Airport Code: EG
- Maritime Identification Digits: 232, 233, 234, 235
- Emoji Flag: U+1F1EC U+1F1E7
- Official Name: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How to call the United Kingdom (international dialing)
- Do not dial a leading ‘0 in the international call sequence – it is only used in the United Kingdom 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.
The U.K.’s country code may be mislabeled:
- Country code 0044 (exit code of ’00’ used in many European, Asian, and African nations followed by the United Kingdom’s country code of ’44’).
- Country code 01144 (exit code of ‘011’ used in the United States and Canada followed by the United Kingdom’s country code of ’44’).
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
Use the same call sequence.
Mobile phone numbers are represented by area codes ’07’ (except for ‘070’). Do not include the leading ‘0’ when calling from outside the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.
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.
VoIP phone numbers are typically in area codes ’05’ and ’08’. Do not include the leading ‘0’ when calling from outside the United Kingdom. Not all ’05’ and ’08’ phone numbers are VoIP phone numbers – they are shared with other services in these area codes.
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
The United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom (domestic dialing)
‘0’ is used as a trunk number used when calling within the United Kingdom. Dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ and the area code when calling to a different area code or between a mobile and a land-line (fixed line) phone. Dial local phone numbers can without the area code.
Local phone calls
Dial only the local phone number when calling within the same area code. Do not include the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| four to eight digit number |
| firsttwo |
Long distance phone calls or calls between landline and mobile phones
When calling to a different area code or a mobile phone include the trunk prefix ‘0’ as well as the destination area code.
| 0 | two to five digits | four to eight digits |
| trunk prefix | area code | local phone number |
United Kingdom phone numbers explained
Number details
U.K. numbers are ten digits (eleven including a leading ‘0’ used for domestic calls).
The first two to five digits represent an area (geographic) code. The first digit of the area code designates the type of phone (fixed line, mobile, freephone, etc.).
Mobile numbers are represented by area codes starting with ‘7’. Personal numbering starts with ’70’ and pagers start with ’76’.
An example of a U.K. phone number
Buckingham Palace lists its phone number in London as +44 (0) 20 7766 7300.
Number explanation
| 44 | 20 | 7766 7300 |
| country code for the United Kingdom | land-line geographic (area) code for London | local phone number within London |
Local example – calling from another location in London
Dial only the local phone number for calls within the same area code. Do not include the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code in the call sequence.
| 7766 7300 |
| local phone number within London |
Long distance example – calling from Glasgow, United Kingdom (on the other side of the country) or a mobile phone
Include the trunk prefix ‘0’ as well as the area code when calling from a different area code or a mobile phone.
| 0 | 20 | 7766 7300 |
| long distance trunk prefix | land-line geographic (area) code for London | local phone number within London |
The Channel Islands and Isle of Man example – calling from Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man
Dial calls from the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man the same as a domestic U.K. phone call. Start the call with the trunk prefix ‘0’ and include the area code.
| 0 | 20 | 7766 7300 |
| long distance trunk prefix | land-line geographic (area) code for London | local phone number within London |
International example – calling from outside the U.K., Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man
To call from outside the United Kingdom, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by the U.K.’s country code of ’33’, followed by the local area code and phone number.
The leading ‘0’ is not included in the phone call when calling from outside the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.
| firstone | 0 | 20 | 7766 7300 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | long distance trunk prefix | land-line geographic (area) code for London | local phone number within London |
How to call from the United Kingdom
…to all regions of the world except for the Channel Islands (Jersey & Guernsey) and the Isle of Man
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from the United Kingdom.
… to the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) and the Isle of Man
Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are all part of the United Kingdom’s internal telephone network.
Dial these numbers the same as a domestic U.K. call. See the respective pages for information on their assigned geographic codes.
Rates to these regions may be charged at a different rate than inland rates.
Sources and more resources
- OFCOM – The United Kingdom’s communications regulator.
- BEREC (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications) – European agency responsible for regulation and co-ordination of European telecommunication markets.
- 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 – The United Kingdom (country code +44) national numbering plan on file with ITU – Details of the U.K.’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
- OFCOM – Telecommunications Numbering – U.K.’s telephone numbering plan.
- Wikipedia – Telephone Numbers in the United Kingdom – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for the United Kingdom. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – the Phonebook – United Kingdom’s International Codes – Summary of phone codes for the United Kingdom from the BT phone book.