Country code Czech Republic, +420 or 00420?
There are two spellings for the Czech Republic area code, namely +420 and 00420. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for the Czech Republic and what are the different versions for?
The country code of the Czech Republic that starts with a “+” (i.e. +420) 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 the Czech Republic if you use the +420 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 for the Czech Republic with leading zeros (00420) 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 00420
In fact, the 00420 variant is used for calls to the Czech Republic, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 00420 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to the Czech Republic begin with 011. An international call here begins with the area code 011420.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to the Czech Republic you can always use the country code 00420. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international variant (+420) of the country code for the Czech Republic works in all countries in the world. However, it is not supported in all networks and by all telephone devices.
Example of telephone calls to the Czech Republic
To illustrate the use of the Czech Republic’s international dialing codes (+420 or 00420), here is another example:
You want to call the number 456789 with the area code 0123 in the Czech Republic. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
00420 123 456789
If you are using a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+420 123 456789