+44 Country Code: Complete Guide to Calling the UK

The 44 country code is the United Kingdom. That includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. To call the UK from the US, dial 011-44, then the UK number (minus the leading zero). Whether you're calling a London office, a Manchester mobile, or a friend in Edinburgh, here's everything you need to know.

What Country is +44?

+44 is the international dialing code for the United Kingdom. It's assigned by the International Telecommunication Union and covers all of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

When you see a phone number starting with +44, you're looking at a UK number. The plus sign represents your country's exit code (011 from the US), and 44 tells the phone network to route your call to the UK.

How to Dial the UK from the US

To call the UK from the US, dial 011 + 44 + the UK number without the leading zero.

Here's the breakdown:

011 - The US exit code (or use + on a mobile phone)
44 - The UK country code
UK number - Drop the first zero

Example: A London number like 020 7946 0000 becomes 011-44-20-7946-0000 from a US phone.

From a mobile: Just use the + sign. That London number becomes +44 20 7946 0000.

The Most Common Mistake

Don't include the zero after +44.

Wrong: +44 020 7946 0000
Right: +44 20 7946 0000

That extra zero creates an invalid number. Your call won't connect.

UK Area Codes

London uses 020 (or +44 20 internationally). Other major UK cities have their own area codes. Here's a quick reference:

City	Domestic Code	International Format
London	020	+44 20
Birmingham	0121	+44 121
Manchester	0161	+44 161
Glasgow	0141	+44 141
Edinburgh	0131	+44 131
Liverpool	0151	+44 151
Leeds	0113	+44 113
Bristol	0117	+44 117
Cardiff	029	+44 29
Belfast	028	+44 28

Notice the pattern: domestic UK numbers start with 0, but you drop it for international calls.

UK Mobile Numbers

All UK mobile numbers start with 07 domestically, or +44 7 when calling from abroad.

UK mobiles are 11 digits in domestic format. When you see a number like 07700 900123, you'd dial it internationally as +44 7700 900123 (dropping the leading zero, same as landlines).

Mobile prefixes include 071, 072, 073, 074, 075, 077, 078, and 079. If a UK number starts with any of these, it's a mobile.

Quick Reference: Dialing the UK

Here's how to call the UK from different countries:

Calling From	Exit Code	Example (London number)
United States	011	011-44-20-XXXX-XXXX
Canada	011	011-44-20-XXXX-XXXX
Australia	0011	0011-44-20-XXXX-XXXX
Most of Europe	00	00-44-20-XXXX-XXXX
Any mobile phone	+	+44-20-XXXX-XXXX

The + method works from any mobile phone worldwide. It's the simplest approach.

Need to Call the US from the UK?

If you're looking at this from the opposite direction---you're in the UK and need to call US numbers---the process reverses. The US country code is +1. From the UK, dial 00-1 (or just +1 from a mobile), then the US number.

Looking to call US numbers from the UK regularly? World Dialer offers $0.04/minute to US landlines. No subscription required, no app download---just browser-based calls when you need them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to put 0 after 44 when dialing internationally?

No, drop the 0. The leading 0 is a UK domestic trunk prefix used only when dialing within the UK; for international calls it's replaced by the country code 44. So a London number written as 020 7946 0000 domestically becomes +44 20 7946 0000 internationally — without that first 0. If you dial +44 0 20 7946 0000, the call won't connect. Same rule for UK mobiles: 07700 900123 becomes +44 7700 900123. This is the single most common dialing mistake when calling UK numbers from outside the UK.

Is +44 the same as 0 in a UK phone number?

Yes, +44 replaces the leading 0 when calling from outside the UK. Within the UK you'd dial 020 7946 0000; from anywhere else you dial +44 20 7946 0000. The leading 0 is a domestic trunk prefix that tells the UK network "this is a non-local number"; the country code 44 tells the international network "route to the UK." You use one or the other, never both. The same pattern applies in most countries — Germany's leading 0 drops for +49, France's for +33, Australia's for +61.

What's the country code for the US (if +44 is the UK)?

The US country code is +1, shared with Canada and most Caribbean nations under the North American Numbering Plan. From the UK, dial 00 1 + area code + 7-digit number on a landline, or +1 + area code + number on a mobile. So a US number like 212 555 1234 becomes 00 1 212 555 1234 or +1 212 555 1234. UK carriers (BT, O2, EE, Vodafone, Three) all charge roughly £0.50-£1.50 per minute for calls to the US unless you've added an international plan. A browser-based service like WorldDialer runs $0.04/minute from anywhere.

Where is the +44 20 area code located?

+44 20 is London — Greater London including the City of London, Westminster, and most of the surrounding boroughs. It's the only UK area code that uses just 2 digits after the country code (most are 3 or 4 digits). The full London number is 8 digits after the +44 20 prefix, often written grouped as +44 20 XXXX XXXX. Numbers starting with +44 20 7 are typically older Inner London assignments; +44 20 8 are Outer London. Newer mobile-style allocations in London use the +44 20 3 range, which is why you'll see all three formats in the wild.

How do I dial a UK 0800 toll-free number from the US?

You can't reliably dial UK 0800, 0808, or 0500 toll-free numbers from the US — they're funded inside the UK telecom tariff and don't accept international calls. Some UK companies publish a separate +44 geographic number specifically for international callers; look on the "contact us" page for an "outside the UK" line. If only the 0800 is published, try replacing it with +44 followed by the rest of the digits (drop the leading 0), though success varies. A browser-based service can bridge to the UK toll-free network for the rare cases where no +44 alternative exists.