How to Make an International Telephone Call
Calling Overseas is Simple Once You Understand Country Codes and IDD
Oct 31, 2009
The basic format for dialing an international call is International Direct Dialing (IDD) prefix + country code + the phone number. This formula is usually written like this: IDD + country code + area code + local number. The local number can be a land line or a mobile telephone.
To use this formula the caller must first know the IDD prefix of the country where she is. For example, Sarah, who lives in Seattle, wants to call her friend Heinz in Bamberg, Germany. She must know the country code of the country where Heinz lives (Germany). Also, she must know his area code and local number.
International Direct Dial Prefix (IDD)
International Direct Dial prefixes are unique to each country. In calling Germany, Sarah must first dial the IDD of the country she is in (United States). She must dial this number to let the telephone system know which country she is dialing FROM. Think of it as reaching an international telephone line when she dials. For example, the IDD prefix for the United States is 011.
International Country Codes
The country code is also unique to each country. Sarah must dial this number to let the telephone system know which country she is dialing TO. Think of it as reaching the border of the country where the person is she is trying to reach. For example, the country code of Germany is 49.
Area Codes
The area code is unique to each region within a country. Sarah must dial Heinz’s area code to let the telephone system know which region of the country she is trying to reach. Area codes vary in length depending on the local telephone system. Think of area codes as reaching a subdivision of the country she is calling. For example, the area code for Bamberg, Germany, is 951.
Local Telephone Numbers
A local number is someone’s personal telephone number. Local numbers also vary in length according to the telephone system established locally. In this example, Heinz’s local telephone number will be represented as xxxxx.
How to Call Europe from the United States
So, since Sarah lives in the United States and wants to call Heinz in Bamberg, Germany, she would dial the US IDD + Germany’s country code + Heinz’s area code + Heinz’s local number. In actual numbers, she would dial 011+49+951+xxxxx.
How to Call the United States from Europe
Now, say Heinz wants to call Sarah. Germany’s IDD is 00; the country code for the US is 1; Seattle’s area code is 206; Sarah’s local number xxx-xxxx. Heinz would dial 00 + 1 + 206 + xxx-xxxx.
How Telephone Numbers are Written
Of course, because it is relatively rare to dial internationally, telephone numbers are usually written without the IDD and country codes. Often, the telephone number is preceded by a national long distance code. To call the number from another country, callers must drop the national long distance code and substitute the IDD and country code.
For example, to call long distance within the United States, callers must first dial a 1 before the area code and local number. Sarah would write her number in Seattle as 1-206-xxx-xxxx. If she gave Heinz this phone number, he would drop the 1 and substitute his IDD plus the country code for the US.
Likewise in Germany, the national long distance code is 0. So, Heinz would write his number as 0951-xxxxx. To call him, Sarah would drop the 0 and substitute her IDD plus the country code for Germany.
If the telephone number is written for an international audience, they are usually written as +country code area code local number. For example, Heinz would write his number as +49 951 xxxxx. Sarah would now know to drop the + and add her IDD to call him, as described above.
Text Messaging Internationally
Since texting uses the same dialing procedure as dialing a phone number to speak to someone, callers would simply follow the same rules for international dialing outlined above to send an international text message.
Toll-Free Numbers
In the United States, most toll-free numbers, those beginning in 800, 866, and so on, will not work if callers dial them from outside the country. In this case, callers must find a local number to dial, which will result in charges for the call. However, there are some toll-free numbers that will work, but they are usually designated as “International toll-free” numbers.
Summary of How to Make an International Phone Call
To make international phone calls, a caller must know the IDD of the country from which she is calling and the country code of the country to which she is calling. Dial the IDD, then the country code, then the area code and local number of the person being called. This rule applies to both land lines and mobile telephones, as well as to sending text messages. Note that toll-free numbers usually do not work from outside the United States.
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