Country code Ireland, +353 or 00353?
There are two spellings for the Ireland area code, namely +353 and 00353. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for Ireland and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Ireland that starts with a “+” (i.e. +353) 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 Ireland using the +353 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 Ireland area code with leading zeros (00353) 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 00353
In fact, the 00353 variant is used for calls to Ireland, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 00353 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to Ireland begin with 011. An international call here begins with the area code 011353.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to Ireland you can always use the country code 00353. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code (+353) for Ireland 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 Ireland
To illustrate the use of the international prefixes Ireland (+353 or 00353) here is an example again:
You want to call 456789 with the area code 0123 in Ireland. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
00353 123 456789
If you use a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+353 123 456789