Calling to Zimbabwe
- Do not include a leading ‘0’ in the international call sequence – it is only used in Zimbabwe 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 ’71’, ’73’, ’77’, and ’78’.
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 begin with ’86’.
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
Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe (domestic dialing)
‘0’ is used as a trunk prefix for calling to a different area code within Zimbabwe.
Local calling (within the same area code)
To call within the same area code in Zimbabwe dial only the local six-digit local number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| ”three |
| ”local |
Long distance calling (to a different area code, or from a mobile phone)
To call to a different area code within Zimbabwe dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the two digit area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | one to four digits | three to seven digits |
| trunk prefix | area code | local phone number |
Mobile calling (to a mobile phone)
To call a mobile phone within Zimbabwe dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the two digit area code/carrier code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | two digits | seven digits |
| trunk prefix | area code / carrier code | local phone number |
Zimbabwean phone numbers explained
Number details
Zimbabwean numbers are six to ten digits (seven to eleven digits including a leading ‘0’ that is not dialed when calling from outside the country).
The first one to four digits area an area code that represents a geographic region of Zimbabwe.
The local phone number (after the area code) is three to seven digits.
Mobile phone numbers start with ‘7’. The first two digits are a carrier code that designates the mobile phone provider. The subscriber number is seven digits (for a total of nine digits).
An example of a Zimbabwean phone number
The Bronte Hotel lists its phone number in Harare as +263 4 707522.
Number explanation
| 263 | 4 | 707522 |
| country code for Zimbabwe | area (geographic) code for Harare | local phone number in Harare |
Local example – calling from another location in Harare, Zimbabwe
To call within the same area code dial only the local phone number. Do not dial the trunk prefix ‘0’ or the area code.
| 707522 |
| local phone number in Harare |
Long distance example – calling from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (on the other side of the country)
To call to a different area code in Zimbabwe dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | 4 | 707522 |
| trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for Harare | local phone number in Harare |
Mobile phone example – calling from a mobile phone (including a foreign mobile roaming in Zimbabwe)
To call from a mobile phone dial the trunk prefix ‘0’, then the area code, then the local phone number.
| 0 | 4 | 707522 |
| trunk prefix | area (geographic) code for Harare | local phone number in Harare |
International example – calling from outside Zimbabwe
To call from outside Zimbabwe, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by Zimbabwe’s country code of ‘263’, followed by the local phone number.
Do not dial any leading ‘0’ listed in the Zimbabwe phone number.
| exit code | 263 | 4 | 707522 |
| exit code of the country the call is dialed from | country code for Zimbabwe | area (geographic) code for Harare | local phone number in Harare |
Calling from Zimbabwe
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from Zimbabwe.
Sources and more resources
- Postal & Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ)– Zimbabwe’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 – Zimbabwe (country code +263) National Numbering Plan – Details of Zimbabwe’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in Zimbabwe – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Zimbabwe. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Zimbabwe – Entry for Zimbabwe in the British Telecom international directory.