Phone numbers

Stay organized with collections Save and categorize content based on your preferences.

Phone numbers in examples

Most phone numbers in our documentation are examples. For information about what phone numbers to use in examples, see Example phone numbers.

Format real phone numbers

In the rare case when you're providing a real phone number to contact a real person, use the following formats, depending on whether the number is in North America or elsewhere.

North American phone numbers

To format phone numbers in the US, Canada, and other NANP (North American Numbering Plan) countries, enclose the area code in parentheses followed by a nonbreaking space, and then hyphenate the three-digit exchange code with the four-digit number.

Recommended: (415) 555-0132

International phone numbers

To format phone numbers in non-NANP countries, include the country and area codes. Separate the groups of digits with nonbreaking spaces. Insert a plus sign immediately before the country code (no space); the plus sign stands in for a prefix known as an exit code, which lets you dial out of a country. Each country has a different exit code.

For more information, see the ITU document about standardized formatting for phone numbers.

Recommended: +1 415 555 0132