How To Understand & Dial German Phone Numbers [Detailed Guide] (2024)

The format of a German phone number is somewhat different from other countries. In this article, we explain:

  • the formats of German landline and mobile phone numbers
  • which toll numbers to watch out for so you don’t get accidentally charged
  • how to find and get a German phone number

🖌️ Table of Contents

How do you write and dial a German phone number?

German phone numbers consist of three parts:

  1. The international country code for Germany +49 (Ländervorwahl)
  2. The local area code, for example, Dusseldorf (0)211 (Vorwahl)
  3. The individual number 5684962

In this example, the German phone number is written like this:

  • From outside of Germany: +49 211 5684962
  • From within Germany: 0211 5684962

The +49 is only necessary if you are calling a German number from abroad. The ‘+’ equals ‘00’, so if you cannot enter a ‘+’, just dial ‘00’. The ‘0’ at the beginning of the area code gets dropped when adding the +49 or 0049 beforehand.

German landline phone number format

Here is a German landline phone number example: +49 211 1234567. The area code of German landline numbers is arranged by geography. Below you can find the area codes of the biggest German expat cities and a map for all of Germany.

030 – Berlin
089 – Munich
040 – Hamburg
069 – Frankfurt
0211 – Dusseldorf
0711 – Stuttgart

How To Understand & Dial German Phone Numbers [Detailed Guide] (1)

If you are calling a landline phone number (Festnetz) in a city from another landline based in the same city, you can also drop the area code and only dial the individual phone number, such as 5684962. That is why you sometimes see these very short phone numbers advertised on the windows of local shops. The shop owners believe you know the area code of the city you are in.

German mobile phone number format

Here is an example of a German mobile phone number: +49 171 1234567. The area code of German mobile phone numbers has nothing to do with geography, so it is not really an area code per se. It used to be a network provider code, such as 0171 for Telekom, 0162 for Vodafone, and 0176 for O2, however since mobile phone numbers in Germany are portable from one provider to another, this is no longer accurate.

Read Our Related Guide

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Mobile phone numbers can have a 4 or 5 digit prefix and look like this: 0171 6895430 or like this 01513 6895430. When you want to call a German mobile phone number from abroad, the same rules as with landline numbers apply. You have to add the +49 or 0049 and drop the first 0 of the prefix: +49 171 6895430.

When calling from a mobile phone number in Germany, you can’t drop the area code or prefix.

Simple Germany’s Hot Tip

Always save all phone numbers to your mobile phone directory with the international country code, so you can also call them from abroad.

Special prefix phone numbers in Germany

There are many special prefix phone numbers in Germany (Sonderrufnummer), which are quite costly to call, even if you have aflat rate phone plan. Here are the most common ones:

0190 or 0900: These are most known as ‘erotic entertainment’ numbers; however, some customer hotlines also use these numbers. They are particularly expensive, withup to 25 euros per minutefrom landline numbers and even higher costs from mobile numbers.So call numbers starting with 0190 or 0900 with a lot of care and caution.

0180: Mostly used as service numbers from companies. The wait loop needs to be free of charge, and once you talk to an employee, you paymax. 20 cents from a landlineand 42 cents from a mobile number.

0137: Mostly used by TV shows for telephone voting (e.g., Voice of Germany). One callusually costs 50 cents.

0800: These are toll-free service phone numbers at no cost to you.

Emergency phone numbers in Germany

Germany distinguishes between two emergency numbers:

  • 110 for emergencies requiring the police only
  • 112 for emergencies requiring medical assistance or firefighters

Never call any of these numbers if there is no real emergency. Operators on both numbers speak German and English. 112 is also the universal emergency number all over Europe. It is also the preset number when you enable an emergency SOS call from your cell phone.

How to find a phone number in Germany?

Do you remember the old days, when you had this massive phone directory book (Telefonbuch) to search for phone numbers within your country? Guess what, they still exist in Germany, but luckily they have also been digitalized. You can search for the phone number of any person or business atdastelefonbuch.de, provided the person or business is registered. That is if you don’t prefer Google to find the phone number of German businesses, which might be faster.

How to get a German phone number?

To get a German mobile phone number, you simply have to get aprepaid SIM cardor sign up for amobile phone contract. For a German landline phone number, you need tosign up for a home internet contract; it usually brings a landline phone number (Festnetz) with it.

Read Our Related Guide

Best Internet Providers In Germany

Happy calling!📞

How To Understand & Dial German Phone Numbers [Detailed Guide] (2024)

FAQs

How To Understand & Dial German Phone Numbers [Detailed Guide]? ›

The country code of Germany is +49. For example, to call Berlin from the USA, dial 011 (USA exit code), 49 (Germany country code), 30 (area code of Berlin), and XXXX XXX (subscriber number). So, to reach the same Berlin landline from the USA, you would dial 011 49 30 1234567.

How to dial a German phone number? ›

What is a common way to answer the telephone in Germany? ›

When answering the phone, always use a formal greeting such as “Guten Tag” or “Guten Morgen”. If it is late in the day, you can use “Guten Abend”. Once you have introduced yourself, the person on the other end will likely do the same.

What is the number format in Germany? ›

+49 (151) 12345678

In this example: “151” is the network prefix, which could belong to a specific mobile network operator. “12345678” is the subscriber number.

How does the German number system work? ›

German numbers are pretty straightforward, but they differ from English in one way. Instead of the tens coming before the ones (ninety-seven), the ones come before the tens (siebenundneunzig, or literally “seven-and-ninety”). The word und in the middle is German for “and,” which comes up a lot in numbers.

What is an example of a German phone number? ›

An example of a German phone number

If you see: 69 1234 5678, you dial +49 69 1234 5678 if you're calling from a mobile phone, or your international calling prefix, then 69 1234 5678 if you're calling from a landline.

What is the slash in German phone number? ›

Germans usually separate the area code from the regular number with a slash like this: Meine Nummer ist 0125/12345678. My number is (0125) – 12345678.

How do you call someone from Germany? ›

A German ; The Germans.

How do you call a +49 number? ›

To call Germany from a mobile, simply dial the international dialing code 00, followed by the Germany country code 49, and then the 8-digit phone number. For example, to dial 49 30 12345678 from a mobile, you would dial 00 49 30 12345678.

What is the phone etiquette in Germany? ›

Telephone etiquette:

The main difference between making and receiving calls between Germany and the U.S. is that Germans do not answer the phone by saying “Hello”. Instead, they offer their last name. Likewise, the caller is also expected to give their last name upon making a connection.

What do Germans say at the end of a phone call? ›

How to say goodbye in German formally
EnglishGermanIPA
Hear you againAuf Wiederhören[aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌhøːʁən]
Have a good nightEinen schönen Abend noch[ˈaɪ̯nən ˈʃøːnən ˈaːbn̩t nɔx]
Have a good dayEinen schönen Tag noch[ˈaɪ̯nən ˈʃøːnən taːk nɔx]
Until tomorrowBis morgen[bɪs ˈmɔʁɡn̩]
9 more rows
Apr 21, 2022

What is the telephone key for Germany? ›

Country code +49 (Ländervorwahl)

The country code for Germany is +49 or 0049. You only need to add the country code if you are calling a German number from abroad. If you are using a country code, then you drop the “0” from the next part of the number, the local area code.

How to dial numbers in Germany? ›

To place a call in the international format, dial the country code, in this case, +49, followed by the prefix or area code with no preceding zero, and then the phone number you want to reach. If you cannot dial “+” on your phone, use a double zero “00” in Germany.

How many digits are in a German phone number? ›

Mobile telephones are assigned to non-geographic codes, making them readily recognizable. A new numbering plan was introduced on 3 May 2010. Since then newly assigned landline telephone numbers have a standard length of eleven digits, including the area code.

How do I text a German cell phone from the US? ›

Sending a text to Germany

The structure is such that the country code (+49) comes first, then the area code, and finally the individual's phone number. As an illustration, a Berlin phone number could be formatted as +49 30 1234567, with "30" representing the area code for Berlin.

Are German phone numbers 12 digits? ›

In other words, a typical German phone number will have a total of around 8 to 11 digits (including the area code), but other lengths are possible. The style of writing telephone numbers is standardized, by the way.

Do German phone numbers start with 0? ›

Geographic area codes start with digits 02 to 09. You can therefore determine from an area code where within Germany a subscriber is located. Because zero is the trunk code preceding area codes, prefixes and service numbers and because emergency numbers begin with 11, subscriber numbers do not start with 0 or 11.

How do you read a European phone number? ›

The format for phone numbers in the United Kingdom is +44 (0) XXXX XXX XXX, where the first four digits after the country code represent the area code. The format for phone numbers in France is +33 X XX XX XX XX, where the first digit after the country code represents the area code.

References

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