ACE Money Transfer
ACE Money Transfer
09 Sep 2025
Whether you're reaching out to family, coordinating with business contacts, or staying connected with friends across the Atlantic, knowing the correct country code is the first step to making international calls to England. This step by step guide covers everything you need to dial an English landline or mobile number from anywhere in the world.
England does not have its own unique code for telephony. It shares the United Kingdom country code +44 with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is a constituent country of the United Kingdom, and when you call the UK from abroad, you always use the same international dialing code regardless of which nation within the UK you're trying to reach.
To place an international call to any English city - London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool - you dial +44 after your exit code, then the area code and local phone number. The "+" sign represents whatever international exit code your country uses.
The UK country code +44 identifies calls to the United Kingdom, including England.
There is no separate calling code for England alone.
+44 must precede the local phone number when dialing internationally.
The "+44" applies to landline, mobile, and VoIP calls alike.
A country code is a numeric prefix that identifies a destination country in global communication. When you're making calls across borders, country codes ensure calls are routed to the correct destination. Code 44 is the international dialing code for the United Kingdom - it is not an area code, and it sits before any English phone number in the dialing sequence.
Country codes are part of the international dialing system managed by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) under the E.164 standard. The +44 code replaces the leading 0 in UK phone numbers when you dial from abroad. Every other nation in the world has its own unique code assigned under the same system.
Here's how the structure works at a high level: exit code + country code (44) + area code + local number.
With "+": +44 20 7946 0958 (a London number)
From a US landline phone: 011 44 20 7946 0958
The prefix "0044" or "011 44" means the same thing as "+44" - the difference depends on the caller's home country and whether they're using a cell phone or a landline.
The exit code changes depending on where you are calling from, but the United Kingdom country code remains 44 in every case. Below are concrete examples for making international calls from three major regions.
From the US or Canada: dial 011 (exit code) + 44 (country code) + 20 (London area code, without the leading 0) + 7946 0958 (local number). Full sequence: 011 44 20 7946 0958.
From Australia: dial 0011 (exit code) + 44 + area code + phone number. For example, to call an English mobile number 07123 456789, dial 0011 44 7123 456789.
From an EU country like Germany or France: dial 00 (exit code) + 44 + area code + number. A Manchester landline would be 00 44 161 XXX XXXX.
On mobile phones, you can replace the exit code with "+" and simply dial +44 followed by the rest. Most smartphones interpret the "+" correctly and route calls through your network provider.
Always remove the initial domestic trunk code "0" from the English area code or UK mobile number when dialing internationally. This is the single most important rule for international dialing.
The generic pattern for any international call to England is:
Exit code (or +) ? 44 ? area code (no leading 0) ? local phone number
A London number example from the US:
011 (exit code) + 44 (UK country code) + 20 (London area code) + 7946 0958 (local number)
An English mobile number example from abroad:
+44 7123 456789 - where the domestic format 07123 456789 drops its leading 0
To call a UK landline from the US, dial 011 44 followed by the area code and subscriber number. This same format also applies when you call the UK via VoIP services or an international calling service that requires full international formatting.
After the country code 44, you need a specific area code to reach landlines in different parts of England. UK area codes route calls to specific geographical regions, telling the telephone network which city or town the call should reach.
English area codes begin with 0 domestically (for example, 020 for London), but you drop that leading 0 for international calls. Area codes in the UK can vary from two to five digits long, depending on the specific area and population density.
Here are the major English area codes:
London: 020 (dial as +44 20 from abroad)
Manchester: 0161 (dial as +44 161)
Birmingham: 0121 (dial as +44 121)
Liverpool: 0151 (dial as +44 151)
Leeds: 0113 (dial as +44 113)
Sheffield: 0114 (dial as +44 114)
Smaller towns and rural areas across England have their own UK area codes, sometimes with four- or five-digit prefixes. London's area code is 020 when dialed domestically, while Birmingham's area code is 0121 when dialed domestically.
A full London number from abroad looks like: +44 20 7946 0958. A full Manchester number: +44 161 496 0123.
English mobile numbers start with 07 when dialed inside the UK. For international calls, UK mobile numbers start with +44 7 when calling from abroad - you remove the initial 0 just as you would with a landline.
Domestic format: 07123 456789
International format: +44 7123 456789
You do not use a geographic area code for mobiles. The "7" after +44 already indicates a UK mobile phone number, so there's no city-specific code involved.
The same +44 7 format is used whether you are sending an SMS, making a voice call, or using messaging apps that rely on phone number verification. Whether you're reaching a person on their UK mobile number or sending a text, just use the full international format and you'll connect.
Telephony country codes like +44 are different from ISO country codes used in data, websites, and government records. It's worth understanding both if you work with international communication, databases, or forms.
England does not have its own separate dialing country code, but it does have distinct identifiers under the ISO standard. The code for the United Kingdom including England under ISO 3166-1 is:
Alpha-2: GB (used in international databases as the alpha-2 code, and documents and forms should typically use the United Kingdom or GB for country identification)
Alpha-3: GBR
Numeric: 826
For subdivisions, ISO codes can be used to distinguish England from other parts of the UK such as Scotland and Wales:
England: GB-ENG
Scotland: GB-SCT
Wales: GB-WLS
Northern Ireland: GB-NIR
England is represented under the ISO 3166-2 standard as GB-ENG. In international football governed by FIFA, England competes under the code ENG - one of several alternative names and identifiers the country uses across different contexts. The internet country-code top-level domain for England and the wider UK is .uk, with .co.uk commonly used for commercial sites.
Many failed international calls come down to small formatting errors in the country code, area code, or trunk code. Double check your number before dialing to avoid common issues.
Forgetting the exit code or "+": Dialing 44 alone without an exit code won't work. Always start with your country's exit code (like 011, 00, or 0011) or use "+" on a cell phone.
Leaving the leading 0: Writing +44 020 instead of +44 20 is one of the most frequent errors. Remove the 0 from every UK number when adding the country code.
Treating 44 as an area code: Some people dial 44 and then skip the real area code entirely. Remember that 44 is the country code - you still need the London, Manchester, or other area code after it.
Wrong digit count: UK area codes vary in length, and mixing up digits by adding or removing numbers from the phone number format leads to failed calls. Verify the complete number with your contact.
If an international call or text won't connect, recheck: exit code ? country code 44 ? area code (no leading 0) ? full local number. Consider time differences as well - calling during business hours in England increases your chances of reaching someone.
International calls to England don't have to go through traditional phone networks. Internet-based services can provide free or low-cost UK calls, and they're often the smartest way to save money on international communication.
VoIP (voice over internet protocol) and calling apps use data from your internet connection instead of standard voice minutes to connect calls. With a stable Wi-Fi connection or an international data plan, these services can significantly reduce or eliminate per-minute costs.
WhatsApp and FaceTime enable free voice and video calls to anyone with the app and an internet connection.
Talk360 offers affordable rates for calls to the UK, even to numbers without apps installed.
Using an eSIM can reduce roaming charges for international calls when you're traveling abroad.
VoIP apps allow free calls to the UK with internet access, making them ideal for staying connected with family or business contacts.
Many of these services still rely on the full +44 format for verification and seamless communication, so save English contacts in international format.
Save every UK number in your phone as +44 followed by the area code and local number. This ensures your contacts work from any location in the world.
Is there a different country code for England and for the rest of the UK? No. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all share the same calling code: +44. No other nation within Great Britain has a separate telephony code.
What is the difference between +44 and 0044 or 011 44? They represent the same UK country code. The prefix before 44 depends on your country's exit code or device. On mobile phones, "+" works universally.
Can I text an English UK number using +44? Yes. Use +44 then the mobile number without the leading 0. For example, 07123 456789 becomes +44 7123 456789.
Is 44 a country code or an area code? It is the country calling code for the United Kingdom. Area codes (like 20 for London or 161 for Manchester) come after 44.
What are the emergency numbers in England? The main emergency number in the UK is 999. The alternative emergency number in Europe is 112, which also works across the UK. For non-emergency police matters, call 101 in the UK. Note that these are domestic-only numbers - you cannot dial them with +44 from abroad.
Once you know your exit code plus the UK calling code 44, making calls to any English landline or mobile number from anywhere in the world becomes as simple as following the format. Save your contacts in +44 format, and you'll stay connected no matter where you are.
