Calling to Zambia
- Do not include a leading ‘0’ in the international call sequence – it is only used in Zambia 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 ‘9’. Phone numbers are often listed as ’09’, 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
Zambia does not have a country-specific satellite phone system.
Most satellite phones operate on their country code – calls to these satellite phones follow their own call sequence.
… sending a fax
Use the same call sequence.
Calling within Zambia (domestic dialing)
‘0’ is used as a trunk prefix for calling to a different area code within Zambia.
Local calling (within the same area code)
To call within the same area code in Zambia dial only the local six-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 Zambia dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the three digit area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | three digits | six digits |
| trunk prefix | area code | local phone number |
Mobile calling (to a mobile phone)
To call a mobile phone within Zambia dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the two digit carrier code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | three digits | six digits |
| trunk prefix | carrier code | local phone number |
Zambian phone numbers explained
Number details
Zambian phone numbers nine digits (ten including a leading ‘0’ that is not dialed when calling from outside the country).
The first three digits (not including a leading ‘0’) are an area code. It designates a geographic part of the country.
The rest of the phone number is six digits.
Mobile numbers are represented by area codes (carrier codes) starting with 9. The first three digits signify the mobile phone carrier.
An example of a Zambian phone number
The National Museums Board lists its phone number in Livingstone as +260 213 324429.
Number explanation
| 260 | 213 | 324429 |
| country code for Zambia | geographic (area) code for the Southern Province | local phone number |
Local example – calling from another location in Livingstone
To call within the same area code, dial only the local phone number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| 324429 |
| local phone number |
Long distance example – calling from Mbala, Zambia (on the other side of the country)
To call to a different area code, dial the turnk prefix’ 0′, then the three digit area code, then the six digit local phone number.
| 0 | 213 | 324429 |
| trunk prefix | geographic (area) code for the Southern Province | local phone number |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in Zambia)
To call from a mobile phone, dial the turnk prefix’ 0′, then the three digit area code, then the six digit local phone number.
| 0 | 213 | 324429 |
| trunk prefix | geographic (area) code for the Southern Province | local phone number |
International example – calling from outside Zambia
To call from outside Zambia, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by Zambia’s country code of ‘260’, followed by the local phone number.
Do not dial any leading ‘0’ listed in the Zambian phone number.
| exit code | 260 | 213 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for Zambia | geographic (area) code for the Southern Province |
Calling from Zambia
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from Zambia.
Sources and more resources
- Zambia Information & Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) – Zambia’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 – Zambia (country code +260) National Numbering Plan – Details of Zambia’a telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in Zambia – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Zambia. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Zambia – Entry for Zambia in the British Telecom international directory.