Great Britain (UK) country code, +44 or 0044?
There are two spellings for the Great Britain (UK) area code, namely +44 and 0044. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two Great Britain (UK) country codes and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Great Britain (UK) that starts with a “+” (i.e. +44) is the so-called international code (international spelling). It is primarily used in the mobile communications sector. Most mobile phones can make an international call to the Great Britain (UK) using the +44 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 Great Britain (UK) area code with leading zeros (0044) 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 0044
In fact, the 0044 variant applies to calls to Great Britain (UK), especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 0044 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to Great Britain (UK) start with 011. An international call here starts with the area code 01144.
Conclusion
For calls to Great Britain (UK) you can always use the country code 0044. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code (+44) of the Great Britain (UK) international dialing code 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 the Great Britain (UK)
To illustrate the use of the international prefixes Great Britain (UK) (+44 or 0044), here is an example again:
You want to call 456789 in the Great Britain (UK) with the area code 0123. In this case you can use the following numbers:
0044 123 456789
If you use a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+44 123 456789