Country code Kyrgyzstan, +996 or 00996?
There are two spellings for the area code Kyrgyzstan, namely +996 and 00996. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for Kyrgyzstan and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Kyrgyzstan that starts with a “+” (i.e. +996) 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 Kyrgyzstan using the +996 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 area code Kyrgyzstan with leading zeros (00996) 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 00996
In fact, the 00996 variant is used for calls to Kyrgyzstan, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 00996 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to Kyrgyzstan start with 011. An international call here starts with the area code 011996.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to Kyrgyzstan you can always use the country code 00996. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code for Kyrgyzstan (+996) 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 Kyrgyzstan
To illustrate the use of the international dialing code Kyrgyzstan (+996 or 00996) here is another example:
You want to call 456789 with the area code 0123 in Kyrgyzstan. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
00996 123 456789
If you use a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+996 123 456789