Sometimes we receive a message from an unknown number through WhatsApp. Since we don't have it recorded in our contact list, we can only look at the numbers. And sometimes we come across strange prefixes. To help you in these cases, we have prepared a list of international prefixes which will allow us to know from which country they are writing to us.
To check the number, you just have to click on the top bar of the chat. This shows all the contact information. Knowing this information goes beyond a simple matter of curiosity: it is also a very effective weapon to prevent scams and fraud.
What are international prefixes?
In the field of telecommunications, a prefix is the numerical sequence that is dialed in front of the user number when a telephone call is made. Thanks to this prefix it is possible to select the territorial demarcation to which the recipient of the call belongs.
Although each country, within its own borders, organizes the distribution and naming of its territorial prefixes, there is a list of codes regulated by the International Telecommunication Union. This is what we know as a list of international prefixes.
These are classified by geographical areas and They can consist of two or three numbers. It is a standard accepted by all states in the world. According to WhatsApp's own support website, phone numbers in international format are preceded by the plus symbol (+) followed by the country code.
List of international prefixes
Have you received a message from an unknown contact on WhatsApp and want to know where they are writing to us from? Look for it in the following list and you will clear your doubts. To facilitate the search, we have ordered them numerically, not by geographical areas or continents:
Prefix +1
The prefix +1 corresponds to United States and Canada. Other peripheral US territories are included such as the Virgin Islands (+1-340), the Northern Mariana Islands (+1-670), Guam (+1-671), American Samoa (+1-684) and Puerto Rico (+ 1-787 and +1-939).
We also find +1 as the prefix of numerous states and territories in the Caribbean region:
- Bahamas (+1-242).
- Barbados (+1-246).
- Eel (+1-264).
- Antigua and Barbuda (+1-268).
- British Virgin Islands (+1-284).
- Cayman Islands (+1-345).
- Bermuda (+1-441).
- Grenade (+1-473).
- Turks and Caicos Islands (+1-649).
- Montserrat (+1-664).
- San Martín (+1-721).
- Saint Lucia (+1-758).
- Dominica (+1-767).
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (+1-784).
- Dominican Republic (+1-809, +1-829 and +1-849).
- Trinidad and Tobago (+1-868).
- Saint Kitts and Nevis (+1-869).
- Jamaica (+1-876 and +1-658).
Prefix +2
Most of African countries They use the prefix +2. The list is very extensive:
- Egypt (+20).
- South Sudan (+211).
- Morocco (+212).
- Algeria (+213).
- Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (+214)*
- Tunisia (+216).
- Libya (+218).
- Gambia (+220).
- Senegal (+221).
- Mauritania (+222).
- Mali (+223).
- Guinea (+224).
- Ivory Coast (+225).
- Burkina Faso (+226).
- Niger (+227).
- Togo (+228).
- Benin (+229).
- Mauricio (+230).
- Liberia (+231).
- Sierra Leone (+232).
- Ghana (+233).
- Nigeria (+234).
- Chad (+235).
- Central African Republic (+236).
- Cameroon (+237).
- Cape Verde (+238).
- São Tomé and Príncipe (+239).
- Equatorial Guinea (+240).
- Gabon (+241).
- Republic of the Congo (+242).
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (+243).
- Angola (+244).
- Guinea-Bissau (+245).
- British Indian Ocean Territory (+246).
- Ascension Island (+247).
- Seychelles (+248).
- Sudan (+249).
- Rwanda (+250).
- Ethiopia (+251).
- Somalia (+252).
- Djibouti (+253).
- Kenya (+254).
- Tanzania (+255).
- Uganda (+256).
- Burundi (+257).
- Mozambique (+258).
- Zambia (+260).
- Madagascar (+261).
- Meeting (+262).
- Zimbabwe (+263).
- Namibia (+264).
- Malawi (+265).
- Lesotho (+266).
- Botswana (+267).
- Swaziland (+268).
- Comoros (+269).
- South Africa (+27).
- Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan de Cunha (+290).
- Eritrea (+291).
(*) Despite being a state not recognized internationally.
Additionally, there are some non-African states that also use this prefix: the Caribbean island of Aruba (+297), the archipelago of the Faroe Islands (+298), in the North Sea, and Greenland (+299).
Prefix +3
In the list of international prefixes, +3 is preferentially located in the old continent. It is that of many European countries, including ours. They are the following:
- Greece (+30).
- Netherlands (+31).
- Belgium (+32).
- France (+33).
- Spain (+34).
- Gibraltar (+350).
- Portugal (+351).
- Luxembourg (+352).
- Ireland (+353).
- Iceland (+354).
- Albania (+355).
- Malta (+356).
- Cyprus (+357).
- Finland (+358).
- Bulgaria (+359).
- Hungary (+36).
- Lithuania (+370).
- Latvia (+371).
- Estonia (+372).
- Moldova (+373).
- Armenia (+374).
- Belarus (+375).
- Andorra (+376).
- Monaco (+377).
- San Marino (+378).
- Vatican City (+379).
- Ukraine (+380).
- Serbia (+381).
- Montenegro (+382).
- Kosovo (+383).
- Croatia (+385).
- Slovenia (+386).
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (+387).
- North Macedonia (+389).
- Italy (+39).
Prefix +4
This category includes European telephone prefixes that do not belong to the +3 prefix group:
- Romania (+40).
- Swiss (+41).
- Czech Republic (+420).
- Slovakia (+421).
- Liechtenstein (+423).
- Austria (+43).
- United Kingdom (+44).
- Denmark (+45).
- Sweden (+46).
- Norway (+47).
- Poland (+48).
- Germany (+49).
Prefix +5
In the list of international prefixes, +5 corresponds to the geographic region of Central and South America. These are their country codes:
- Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and South Georgia (+500).
- Belize (+501).
- Guatemala (+502).
- El Salvador (+503).
- Honduras (+504).
- Nicaragua (+505).
- Costa Rica (+506).
- Panama (+507).
- Haiti (+509).
- Peru (+51).
- Mexico (+52).
- Cuba (+53).
- Argentina (+54).
- Brazil (+55).
- Chili (+56).
- Colombia (+57).
- Venezuela (+58).
- Guadalupe (+590).
- Bolivia (+591).
- Guyana (+592).
- Ecuador (+593).
- French Guiana (+594).
- Paraguay (+595).
- Martinique (+596).
- Surinam (+597).
- Uruguay (+598).
- Curaçao (+599).
Prefix +6
To call any country or territory in Oceania, as well as some countries in the Southeast Asia region, it is essential to dial +6. This is the list of international prefixes referring to this part of the world:
- Malaysia (+60).
- Australia (+61).
- Indonesia (+62).
- Philippines (+63).
- New Zealand (+64).
- Singapore (+65).
- Thailand (+66).
- East Timor (+670).
- Brunei (+673).
- Nauru (+674).
- Papua New Guinea (+675).
- Tonga (+676).
- Solomon Islands (+677).
- Vanuatu (+678)-
- Fiji (+679).
- Palau (+680).
- Wallis and Futuna (+681).
- Cook Islands (+682).
- Niue (+683).
- Samoa (+685).
- Kiribati (+686).
- New Caledonia (+687).
- Tuvalu (+688).
- French Polynesia (+689).
- Tokelau (+690).
- Federated States of Micronesia (+691)
- Marshall Islands (+692).
Before continuing with the list, we mention that the prefix +7 corresponds to the following countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Prefix +8
A good part of the countries of the Asian continent, specifically those that we include in the Far East region, they make serve prefixes starting with +8:
- Japan (+81).
- South Korea (+82).
- Vietnam (+84).
- North Korea (+850).
- Hong Kong (+852).
- Macau (+853).
- Cambodia (+855).
- Laos (+856).
- China (+86).
- Bangladesh (+880).
- Taiwan (+886).
+8 is also the prefix used by some international organizations, such as maritime mobile services. However, they are not usually included in the list of international prefixes.
Prefix +9
Finally, we close the list of international prefixes with the countries that use the prefix +9, which corresponds to the Asia and Middle East area:
- Türkiye (+90).
- India (+91).
- Pakistan (+92).
- Afghanistan (+93).
- Sri Lanka (+94).
- Burma (+95).
- Maldives (960).
- Lebanon (+961).
- Jordan (+962).
- Syria (+963).
- Iraq (+964).
- Kuwait (+965).
- Saudi Arabia (+966).
- Yemen (+967).
- Oman (+968).
- Palestine (+970).
- United Arab Emirates (+971).
- Israel (+972).
- Bahrain (+973).
- Taste (+974).
- Bhutan (+975).
- Mongolia (+976).
- Nepal (+977).
- Iran (+98).
- Tajikistan (+992).
- Turkmenistan (+993).
- Azerbaijan (+994).
- Georgia (+995).
- Kyrgyzstan (+996).
- Uzbekistan (+998).
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