How to Dial Other Countries in the North American Numbering Plan

To make an international telephone call to any country that's part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), please follow the dialing procedure shown below.

NANP is an integrated telephone numbering scheme that has been adopted by 19 countries in North America and the Caribbean. All countries who participate in NANP utilize the same telephone numbering formats.

The inbound international dialing procedure to reach any NANP country is the same. However, your dialing procedure may be affected if you are calling using a calling card or VoIP phone service.

Click for further information below:

Phone Number Formats to Call Any NANP Country

Dial NANP countries

Countries that participate in the North American Numbering Plan use a highly standardized 11-digit telephone phone format.

Key features of the NANP numbering plan are:

  • All NANP countries share the same country code of '1'
  • All NANP countries utilize area codes and all area codes are 3-digits long*
  • All NANP countries have local subscriber numbers that are 7-digits long
  • All NANP countries utilize the same phone number format for both landline and mobile phones.

Because all NANP countries use the same country code, the NANP numbering scheme differentiates specific locations - whether a country like Jamaica, or a city like Los Angeles, by using distinct area codes.

To make an international phone call to a NANP country, you need to dial a phone number formatted as follows:

NANP Landline Phone Numbers

ddd  1   aaa  nnn nnnn
international
access code
country
code
3-digit
area code
7-digit
landline number

NANP Mobile Phone Numbers

ddd  1   aaa  nnn nnnn
international
access code
country
code
3-digit
area code
7-digit
mobile number

If the NANP phone number you have does not contain the full 10-digit phone number (not including country code), then you'll need to double check to find the correct number.

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Dialing Steps to Call a NANP Country

To call a NANP landline or mobile phone number from any country in the world, follow this dialing procedure.

1. Dial your int'l access code / IDD:  ddd

Dial your country's international access code (aka international direct dial code or IDD) to initiate a phone call to a NANP country. Your IDD is typically a 2-4 digit number.

Lookup international access codes here.

Some mobile operators may not require dialing an IDD and/or may allow use of substitute characters (such as '+').

2. Dial NANP country code: + 1 

All NANP countries utilize the same country code. If your NANP destination phone number starts with a ' 1 ' - e.g., 1 204 454 8180, then this serves as the country code. Don't dial ' 1 ' twice.

3. Dial a 10-digit NANP phone number

To reach a NANP landline number or a NANP mobile phone, dial a 10-digit number as follows:

a. Dial a 3-digit area code:  aaa 

b. Dial a 7-digit local subscriber number: nnn nnnn

Find NANP area codes

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Countries in the NANP

There are 19 countries that have adopted the North American Numbering Plan. These include the United States (and it's territories), Canada, and many Caribbean nations.

Here's a complete list:

NANP Countries

  • United States
  • Canada
  • Anguilla
  • Antigua & Barbuda
  • the Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Bermuda
  • the British Virgin Islands
  • the Cayman Islands
  • Dominica
  • the Dominican Republic
  • Grenada
  • Jamaica
  • Montserrat
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • St. Lucia
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Turks & Caicos

NANP also includes all US territories, such as:

US Territories in NANP

  • Puerto Rico
  • Guam
  • the US Virgin Islands
  • Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
  • American Samoa

For more information on NANP, please visit the NANP official website.

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Dialing Tips

  • If you are in an office or building with a main switchboard or PBX, make sure you have a live outside line by dialing '9' or similar
  • Some mobile carriers provide shortcuts for making international calls - generally, by changing if or how an IDD is dialed. E.g., In Canada, t-mobile allows you to dial a '+' instead of an IDD when calling international numbers.
  • Most calling cards do not require an IDD - but generally do require dialing of additional access numbers and identifying codes
  • Most VoIP services do not require an IDD - but VoIP dialing procedures vary widely, so check dialing for your service carefully
  • Make sure you don't have an extra '1' in your number (see step #2)

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