Country code Qatar, +974 or 00974?
There are two spellings for the Qatar area code, namely +974 and 00974. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for Qatar and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Qatar that starts with a “+” (i.e. +974) is the so-called international code (international spelling). It is primarily used in the mobile communications sector. Most cell phones can make an international call to Qatar using the +974 area code. This applies to almost every country in the world.
Unfortunately, there are phones (especially older models) that do not support the international spelling. The Qatar area code with leading zeros (00974) is then used on these phones. The leading zeros are also referred to as the so-called traffic elimination number. When you call, they indicate that it is an international call.
Problem: Access code and area code 00974
In fact, the 00974 variant is used for calls to Qatar, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 00974 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to Qatar start with 011. An international call here starts with the area code 011974.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to Qatar you can always use the country code 00974. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code for Qatar (+974) works in all countries in the world. However, it is not supported in all networks and by all telephone devices.
Example of phone calls to Qatar
To illustrate the use of the Qatar dialing codes (+974 or 00974), here is another example:
You want to call the number 456789 with the area code 0123 in Qatar. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
00974 123 456789
If you use a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+974 123 456789