Country code Italy, +39 or 0039?
There are two spellings for the Italy area code, namely +39 and 0039. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for Italy and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Italy that starts with a “+” (i.e. +39) 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 Italy using the +39 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 prefix Italy with leading zeros (0039) 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 0039
In fact, the 0039 variant applies to calls to Italy, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 0039 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to Italy begin with 011. An international call here begins with the area code 01139.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to Italy you can always use the country code 0039. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international variant (+39) of the country code Italy 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 Italy
To illustrate the use of the country codes Italy (+39 or 0039) here is an example again:
In Italy you want to call the number 456789 with the area code 0123. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
0039 123 456789
If you are using a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+39 123 456789