South Africa Calling Code
Republic of South Africa
- Last reviewed
- Last reviewed:
- Reviewed by
- Reviewed by countrycalling.codes editorial team
Key Facts
- International Calling Code
- +27
- Country Name
- South Africa
- Official Name
- Republic of South Africa
- Capital City
- Pretoria
- Region
- Africa
- Subregion
- Southern Africa
- ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2
- ZA
- ISO 3166-1 Alpha-3
- ZAF
- Trunk Prefix
- 0
- International Exit Prefix
- 00
South Africa Calling Code FAQ
- What is the country calling code for South Africa?
- +27. From abroad, dial your network’s exit code (or +), then 27, then the South African number with the leading 0 removed.
- Is it +27 or 27?
- Same code. +27 is the portable form for contacts and mobiles; 27 is what follows an origin exit prefix (for example 011 27… from the US). South Africa outbound exit is commonly 00 when digits are required instead of +.
- Do I drop the leading 0?
- Yes for South African numbers after +27. Domestic 082… → +27 82…; domestic 011… → +27 11…. Do not store +27 (0)… or +27 082….
- How do I dial a South Africa mobile from abroad?
- From 082 XXX XXXX, drop the first 0, then dial or save +27 82 XXX XXXX (or exit code + 27 82 XXX XXXX). After number portability, do not infer the current carrier from the mobile prefix alone.
- What about Johannesburg and other landlines?
- Keep the geographic area digits after dropping the trunk 0 — e.g. Johannesburg 011… → +27 11…. Dropping the geographic area code from a landline is a common mistake.
Related dialing guides
How to Dial South Africa
Saving the number in contacts
Start with +27, then use the reviewed national significant number. Remove the leading domestic 0 before adding +27.
Calling from abroad
On a mobile, use the + form. If a network requires digits instead, replace + with that origin network's international prefix. South Africa's own standard exit prefix for outbound calls is 00.
Calling a South Africa mobile
Remove the first 0 from 082, then add +27.
- Domestic display
- 082 XXX XXXX
- International display
- +27 82 XXX XXXX
- +27Country code: South Africa
- 82Mobile prefix: Domestic prefix without the trunk 0
- XXX XXXXSubscriber digits: Placeholder digits
Calling a South Africa landline
Remove the first 0 from 011, then add +27.
- Domestic display
- 011 XXX XXXX
- International display
- +27 11 XXX XXXX
- +27Country code: South Africa
- 11Area code: Johannesburg code without the trunk 0
- XXX XXXXSubscriber digits: Placeholder digits
Calling South Africa from the US or UK
- From the US: dial 011 (the US exit code), then 27, then the number without its leading 0. A mobile is
011 27 82 XXX XXXX; a Johannesburg landline is011 27 11 XXX XXXX. - From the UK: dial 00, then 27, then the number without its 0:
00 27 82 XXX XXXXor00 27 11 XXX XXXX.
The first 011 in the US example is the exit code, not Johannesburg's area code: Johannesburg's 011 loses its 0 and appears as 11 after 27. On a mobile, + replaces either exit code, so +27 82 XXX XXXX works from both countries. Don't save 011 or 00 in the contact.
Exceptions and Routing Notes
Common South Africa Formatting Mistakes
- Keeping the leading 0 after +27.
- Dropping the geographic area code from a landline.
- Inferring the current carrier from a mobile prefix alone.
Number Portability and Carrier Data
Mobile number portability means a prefix may not identify the current carrier. Treat carrier data as a timestamped lookup result, not a permanent property of the number.
Primary sources
- National numbering plan: South AfricaInternational Telecommunication Union. Verified 2026-07-19.
- ITU-T E.164: The international public telecommunication numbering planInternational Telecommunication Union. Verified 2026-07-19.
See our editorial and sourcing methodology.
