Making International Calls from France: A Step-by-Step Guide

Through a phone call is the easiest way to communicate with others. If you are among the millions of tourists visiting France and want to know how to make international calls, we will briefly explain how to do so. 

You can call landline and mobile numbers in France, even without using extra phone apps like WhatsApp or Skype. You must dial the correct phone number and have a data plan with international minutes to avoid roaming charges.

How to call a landline number or a mobile number within France

To call abroad from France, you must dial the exit code of the European Union; it is “00” but if you have a cellphone, you can replace it with “+”. Then you enter the area code of the country you want to call, this varies according to destinations, and we will leave a table below for you to use. Finally, you must enter the phone number that you intend to call, the number of digits also varies by destination, but it is expected to be at least nine digits.

To see an example, if you call the USA from France, you will have a number like 00 1 555 555 5555 or +1 555 555 5555. Where 1 is the area code of the country.

But if you call an Australian number from France, it will look more like this 00 61 123 456 789 or +61 123 456 789. Being 61, the Australian Area code.

As you will see, if you make international calls from France, there is no difference if you contact a landline or mobile number. By following these steps and using the correct Area codes, you can call without any problem to any destination. Don’t forget to get a plan with a phone number to be able to call abroad.

Area codes for international calls

It is essential to know the area code of the country you want to call. When people share their contact numbers, they usually don’t add them because they expect to receive mainly local calls only. In the list below, you will find some of the area codes of European countries and the world.

How to call French phone numbers in France

When calling from France domestically, you can choose to use the French Area code. As shown in the table, the extension will be +33. However, as it is a local call, you can leave it out. All French numbers start with zero and are usually arranged in pairs up to ten digits. An example of a local number would be 01 22 33 44 55.

Landline numbers always start with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05; each one distinguishing a zone in the country. Cellular numbers start with 06 or 07; some customer service numbers have 08, and some VOIP 09. Consider that some numbers may have less than ten digits, but these correspond to particular services like emergency numbers.

You may be interested in eSIM with unlimited data for France.

How to make calls to France from abroad

This is very similar to calling abroad from France; the only difference we have to consider is the exit code of the country you are calling from. Generally, this is “00” but some countries like the USA (011) or Australia (0011) have different codes. On the other hand, if you are calling from a mobile phone, you can always use the “+” symbol, which applies to all destinations.

Let’s take an example if you want to call the French number 01 22 33 44 55 from the USA, then you must follow these steps:

• Dial the American exit code. This can be either 011 or +. To dial the +, you do it by holding down the 0 for a few seconds.
• After the exit code, you enter the French Area code (33). 
• Finally, you must enter the phone number, excluding the first zero of the number.
• When you have dialed the whole number, you should have something similar to this 011 331 22 33 44 55 or +331 22 33 44 55.

How can I use international calls on my trip to France?

In most cases, you can call international numbers through mobile data and using apps such as WhatsApp and Skype. However, if the person or number does not have access to data and you do not have minutes for international calls, you will not be able to contact them. Remember that many service numbers, such as hotels, flights, airlines, and even international agencies, only have analog calls. 

For this reason, it is best to have a service that offers data and calls simultaneously so that you can communicate in either case without any inconvenience. For this, you can count on Holafly’s eSIM for France, which has unlimited data for the country and 120 minutes to receive and make calls at many destinations.