What are country and exit codes? Why do we need them?

What is a Telephone Exit Code?

An exit code is a country-specific dial code that anyone can enter before inputting a number to inform their provider that the call should be routed internationally. Exit codes are entered when dialling out to another international country.

Though exit codes vary by country, there’s a lot of overlap. Usually, an exit code is a two- or three-digit code consisting of 0s and 1s. Used by over 200 countries, 00 is the most common exit code, and is used when dialling an international number from countries such as the UK, France and Germany for example. There are a few exceptions though, for example, Russia’s exit code is 810 and the exit code for the United States is 011.

No matter where you are in the world, the ‘+’ symbol can be used to instruct the service provider that this is an international call and they should prepend the appropriate exit code to the phone number. By combining the + symbol with a country code we have a simple, memorable system for telling service providers that a call is intended for a foreign destination.

How Do Exit Codes Differ From Country Codes?

Country codes are short dial codes that tell the provider which country to route the call to. These come after the exit code or, in most instances, after the + symbol (since a + symbol is typically used in place of the exit code).

Unlike exit codes, each country code is unique. Every country has its own country code and international calls will be routed to this country when the country code is specified before the phone number.

Typically, country codes will take the place of the leading 0 in the phone number that would occur when placing a call intra-nationally.

Without country codes and exit codes, we’d need to come up with a different system for telling providers where calls should be routed. The current format, with the + followed by the country code, seems to work sufficiently well. This way, people only have to find the country code they need to call their intended destination, rather than remember a combination of codes.

International Country Codes and World Zones

To provide a bit more background about country codes, this international phone number system was first introduced by the International Telecoms Union (ITU) in the 1960s, with the ITU consisting of representatives of every country's network provider.

Country dialling codes are part of the Telephone Numbering Plan, and were originally allocated by roughly splitting the world into 9 zones. So each world zone received its own number prefix, with some countries receiving three or two digit codes to offset longer domestic numbers.

Zone 1 (+1) is assigned to North American Numbering Plan (NANP) members: Eg. United States (+1) and Canada (+1).
Zone 2 (+2) is assigned to Africa and additional neighbouring regions: Eg. Egypt (+20) and Kenya (+254).
Zone 3 and 4 (+3 and +4) are assigned to Europe: Eg. the Netherlands (+30) and the UK (+44).
Zone 5 (+5) is assigned to the South and Central Americas: Eg. Mexico (+52) and Uruguay (+598).
Zone 6 (+6) is assigned to Southeast Asia and Oceania: Eg. Malaysia (+60) and Australia (+61).
Zone 7 (+7) is assigned to Russia and neighbouring regions: Eg. Russia (+7) and Kazakhstan (+7).
Zone 8 (+8) is assigned to East Asia: Eg. Japan (+81) and China (+86).
Zone 9 (+9) is assigned to the Middle East, Central Asia and Southern Asia: Eg. Turkey (+90) and India (+91).

International Phone Numbers

Of course, if you conduct business internationally, it may be a step too far to expect your customers to make international calls to you. This is costly for your customers and could be the barrier preventing you from breaking through into a new overseas market.

An international phone number can help you here. If you’re a business that is conducting business abroad, an international phone number will give you a local presence at your target location, making it easier and more affordable for customers there to contact you. Look through our range of international business phone numbers now to get yours.

A List of Popular Country Codes

This list of most common telephone country codes will ensure that no matter where you are in the world, you’ll be able to dial the following country codes to inform the telephone service provider that the call is intended for the respective country. View our guide to UK STD phone numbers for an in-depth look at UK area codes.

+1 - US

+7 - Russia

+20 - Egypt

+30 - Greece

+31 - Netherlands

+33 - France

+34 - Spain

+39 - Italy

+41 - Switzerland

+44 - UK

+45 - Denmark

+46 - Sweden