What the plus symbol means in phone numbers and how to dial it
Not sure how to dial a telephone number beginning with digits like +44, +7, +353 or +1? Find out what that plus symbol means and how it works below…
Meaning of the + symbol
The plus (+) symbol is used to represent the outbound, international access code when writing international telephone numbers.
Essentially, the symbol means that the caller needs to insert the code used to begin an outbound international call from the country they are calling from.
This ‘international access code’ varies around the world and may also be known as an ‘international call prefix’ or an ‘international dial out code’.
» List of international access codes (Wikipedia)
How do I dial the plus symbol?
From a landline phone, you don’t. Instead, you dial the international access code used by the country you are calling from.
Example using a British number
The number +44 20 7946 0018 is a British phone number shown in full international format. It would be dialled as follows:
| From Australia | 0011 | 44 20 7946 0018 |
| From Canada | 011 | 44 20 7946 0018 |
| From France | 00 | 44 20 7946 0018 |
| From Russia | 8 [pause] 10 | 44 20 7946 0018 |
From mobile phones / cells
Most mobile or celluar phones allow you to store and dial the + symbol directly, instead of having to find out the relevant access code.
If you travel overseas, it is a good idea to store numbers in your phonebook in the full international format beginning with +, as you will then not need to edit them if a country you visit uses a different international access code.
To enter ‘+’ on a mobile usually involves either holding down or multiple presses of the *, 0 or # key, depending on your model of phone.
What about brackets?
Brackets in a phone number usually indicate a part of the number that may be ignored in certain circumstances.
In an international number, you will often see reference to (0). This is usually an indication that the 0 is part of the full national phone number, but is not dialled when calling internationally from overseas.
Example using a British number
| Commonly-used format | +44 (0)20 7946 0018 |
| Correct international number | +44 20 7946 0018 |
| Number dialled within Britain | 020 7946 0018 |
It is usually less confusing to write out the national and international numbers in full alongside each other, where space allows. For example:
Tel.: 020 7946 0018
International tel.: +44 20 7946 0018
Why not just use numbers?
The symbol + is used because the numbers dialled to start an international call vary from country to country. Most European countries use ’00’ to start an outbound international call, whereas all of North America uses ‘011’. Other countries use different codes entirely.
As an example, if a British business displayed its phone number as 0044 20 7946 0018, somebody dialling from Germany would be correctly connected because Germany uses ’00’ for making international calls. However, somebody dialling from Australia would not get through, as Australia uses 0011 for outbound international calls instead.
Links
- International call prefixes on Wikipedia
Complete list of outbound international access codes. - World dialling guide
Instructions on how to call between the UK and other countries.