Country code Philippines, +63 or 0063?
There are two spellings for the Philippines area code, namely +63 and 0063. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for the Philippines and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Philippines that begins with a “+” (i.e. +63) 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 Philippines using the +63 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 Philippines with leading zeros (0063) 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 0063
In fact, the 0063 variant is used for calls to the Philippines, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 0063 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to the Philippines begin with 011. An international call here begins with the area code 01163.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to the Philippines you can always use the country code 0063. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code (+63) for the Philippines 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 Philippines
To illustrate the use of the international dialing code for the Philippines (+63 or 0063), here is an example again:
You want to call the number 456789 with the area code 0123 in the Philippines. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
0063 123 456789
If you use a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+63 123 456789