+91 Country Code: India Dialing Guide

+91 is the country code for India. To call an Indian phone number from abroad, dial +91 followed by the 10-digit number. Mobile numbers start with 6, 7, 8, or 9. Landlines use area codes like 11 for Delhi and 22 for Mumbai. Here's everything you need to dial India correctly.

What Country Uses the +91 Code?

+91 is India's country code. Every phone number in India—mobile or landline—uses this code for international calls. When you see +91 at the start of a number, you're calling India.

All Indian phone numbers total 10 digits after the country code. That's it. No exceptions.

How to Dial India from the US

To call India from the US, dial +91 plus the 10-digit phone number. Skip any leading zeros you might see in locally-formatted numbers.

From a mobile phone: 1. Dial + (hold 0 on most phones) 2. Dial 91 (India's country code) 3. Dial the 10-digit number

From a landline: 1. Dial 011 (US exit code) 2. Dial 91 (India's country code) 3. Dial the 10-digit number

Example: Calling a Delhi landline

Local format: 011-2345-6789
International format: +91 11 2345 6789

Example: Calling an Indian mobile

Local format: 098765 43210
International format: +91 98765 43210

The most common mistake? Mixing +91 with the leading 0. If a number looks like 011-2345-6789 in India, drop the first 0 and dial +91 11 2345 6789.

India Area Codes by City

India's major cities use 2-digit area codes: Delhi is 11, Mumbai is 22, Bangalore is 80, and Chennai is 44. When dialing internationally, always drop the leading 0.

City	Area Code	International Format
Delhi	11	+91 11 XXXX XXXX
Mumbai	22	+91 22 XXXX XXXX
Bangalore	80	+91 80 XXXX XXXX
Chennai	44	+91 44 XXXX XXXX
Hyderabad	40	+91 40 XXXX XXXX
Kolkata	33	+91 33 XXXX XXXX

The area code plus local number always equals 10 digits total. Delhi uses 11 + 8 digits. Mumbai uses 22 + 8 digits. The math works the same for every city.

Calling India Mobile Numbers

Indian mobile numbers are 10 digits starting with 6, 7, 8, or 9. No area code needed—just the country code and the number.

Format: +91 [10-digit mobile number]

Example:

Mobile: 98765 43210
Dial: +91 98765 43210

If someone gives you an Indian mobile number starting with 6, 7, 8, or 9, it's a mobile. Dial +91 plus all 10 digits. Done.

India Time Zone for Calling

India is 10.5 to 13.5 hours ahead of the US, depending on your time zone.

US Time Zone	Hours Behind India
Eastern (EST)	10.5 hours
Central (CST)	11.5 hours
Mountain (MST)	12.5 hours
Pacific (PST)	13.5 hours

India uses a single time zone (IST, UTC+5:30) with no daylight saving. When it's 9 AM in New York, it's 7:30 PM in India. When it's 9 AM in Los Angeles, it's 10:30 PM in India.

Best times to call India from the US: Early morning US time (6-9 AM Eastern) catches evening hours in India (4:30-7:30 PM IST).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is +91 the US country code?

No, +91 is India's country code. The US country code is +1, shared with Canada and several Caribbean nations under the North American Numbering Plan. People sometimes mistake +91 for a US-area number because both are commonly seen on phones in immigrant households. If a number starts with +91, the call routes to India. If a number starts with +1, the call routes to the US, Canada, or a NANP territory. The 91 is followed by 10 digits for any Indian phone, mobile or landline.

Why does every Indian phone number start with 91?

Indian phone numbers start with 91 only when written in international format. Domestically, Indians dial just the 10-digit number without 91, and landline numbers include a leading 0 plus the area code. The 91 prefix is the country code assigned by the International Telecommunication Union to identify India in international routing. Other countries have their own codes: 1 for the US and Canada, 44 for the UK, 86 for China, 81 for Japan. The plus sign before 91 is the universal indicator that the next digits are a country code.

How do I tell if a +91 number is a mobile or a landline?

Indian mobile numbers start with 6, 7, 8, or 9 after the +91, so the number looks like +91 98765 43210. Landline numbers start with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 8 used as an area code followed by the local number, like +91 11 plus 8 digits for Delhi or +91 22 plus 8 digits for Mumbai. The leading digit after the +91 tells you immediately: 6 through 9 alone means mobile, 1 through 5 means landline area code. The 8 prefix is ambiguous because it appears in both mobile ranges and certain landline areas.

Do Indian landlines and mobiles cost different amounts to call from the US?

Often yes. US carriers and VoIP services typically charge slightly more to dial Indian mobiles than landlines because mobile termination fees in India run higher. Google Voice charges $0.02 per minute to Indian landlines and similar for mobiles. Most VoIP services list the rates separately, so check the destination breakdown. Browser-based services charge a flat rate to India regardless of mobile or landline. From a US mobile carrier without an international plan, calls to India can cost $1 to $3 per minute, with no meaningful difference between mobile and landline destinations.

What is the cheapest time to call India from the US Pacific time zone?

Call between 6 PM and 8 PM Pacific, which lines up with 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM IST. That window catches Indian recipients before they leave for work and avoids late-night calls on either side. Pacific is 13.5 hours behind India, so 9 AM Pacific is 10:30 PM IST and 5 PM Pacific is 6:30 AM IST. India does not observe daylight saving, so the gap shifts by an hour twice a year when US clocks change. Business calls to Bangalore IT firms work well at 9 PM Pacific, which is 9:30 AM IST.