French Phone Number: How To Call In And From France?

Updated :
| By : Christine
Christine Robert
I’m a retired 65 years old and I live in western Paris. Born in Alsace, I have always lived in this beautiful region of eastern France. Passionate about travel, culture and literature. Find me on Linkedin.

Bonjour les amis,

When I travel abroad, I’m always struggling to find tips on how to use my phone.

So for those of you arriving in France, I wondered:

What is a French phone number?

How can my family call me in France?

How do I call my friends back home to tell them about my most recent visits?

I hope you will find this mini-guide useful and that the French telephone numbers will no longer hold any secrets for you.

Have a nice day!

— Christine

method of dialing phone numbers in france with a fixed telephone

1. General informations

In France, telephone numbers are structured as follows:

  1. Country code: +33
  2. Area code: 1 to 5 digits (starting with a “0”) – special area code for mobile: 6 or 7
  3. Local number: 8 digits

2. From within France

Let’s take the following example:

You are in a hotel and you are going to use the landline phone in your room to call me at home.

  1. You dial the area code (including the initial “0”): “01” because I live near Paris.
  2. You dial the 8-digit local number: “4*6*52**”

So to call me at home, you have to type 10 digits on the dial of your hotel room phone: “014*6*52**”.

You were dreaming to have my phone number? it’s failed for this time!

3. From outside France

Let’s take another example:

Your friends call you from their home to the hotel in France, on your landline:

  1. They dial their country’s international access code: “011” because they live in New-York (“00” in most European countries)
  2. They dial France’s country code: “33”
  3. They dial the area code without the initial “0“: “4” because you are staying in the French Riviera
  4. They dial the 8-digit local number of your hotel: “7**5*41*”

So to call you in France, they have to type 14 digits on the dial of your hotel room phone: “0113314*6*52**”.

4. Call a mobile phone with A fixed telephone

It’s easy, you just change the area code. For the french mobiles, it is “06” or “07”.

method of dialing phone numbers in france with Mobile

1. From whithin and outside France

Let’s take these examples:

You have searched on the internet for the address and telephone number of the hairdresser closest to your hotel. He can only be reached by cell phone:

  1. You dial the international code on cell phone: “+”.
  2. You dial France’s country code: “33”
  3. You dial the area code without the initial “0“: “6” or “7”
  4. You dial the 8-digit phone number of the hairdresser: “*9**07**3”

Second example: You want to call your friends who are in France at the same time as you:

  1. You dial the international code on cell phone: “+”.
  2. You dial France’s country code: “33”
  3. You dial the 9-digit phone number (USA) of your friends: “148**79*3”

2. Emergency phone numbers with your mobile

Here are the principal emergency phone numbers in France:

  1. European Emergency Number: 112 (general emergency number for all services)
  2. Medical Emergencies (SAMU): 15
  3. Police: 17
  4. Firefighters (Pompiers): 18

These emergency numbers can be called from any phone, including mobile phones, and the calls are free. As an American visiting France, you can simply dial the emergency number without any prefixes or additional codes.

Visiting France :

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