Dial Germany directly through your phone carrier using country code 49 — convenient, but international rates can add up fast.
Prepaid calling cards let you reach Germany at lower rates, though you'll juggle access numbers and PINs each time.
MeraTalk connects you to Germany over the internet with HD-clear audio, low rates, and no hardware to set up.
Dial 011, then 49, then the number, dropping the leading 0.
On a mobile you can replace the exit code with a + sign and dial +49 directly, which works from any country without knowing the local exit code.
Full dialing sequence
Start by dialing your own country's international access code. From the US or Canada this is 011; from most of Europe it's 00. This tells your network you're making an international call.
Immediately follow with Germany's country code — no spaces or dashes. This routes your call to Germany's telephone network. On smartphones, replace the exit code with a + sign.
Add the city or regional code for your destination in Germany. If the local number starts with a 0 (trunk prefix), drop it — the country code replaces it when dialing internationally.
Enter all remaining digits of the local number exactly as written. For mobile numbers, include every digit — no abbreviations. Press call and your carrier does the rest.
A strong, stable internet connection is the foundation of every clear call — use Wi-Fi or solid data whenever you can.
A quality headset sharpens both ends of the conversation, making your calls to Germany clearer and more comfortable.
Keep the time difference in mind — UTC+1 to UTC+2 — so you reach people at a reasonable hour and not in the middle of the night.
The price of calling Germany swings widely depending on whether you use a carrier, a calling card, or VoIP — and VoIP usually wins.
How to get started with MeraTalk
Phone numbers in Germany follow set ranges after the 49 country code, distinguishing mobiles, landlines, and special services.
German mobile numbers are non-geographic. They begin 01 and fall into three ranges:
Common prefixes include 0151, 0152, 0160, 0162, 0170, 0176 and 0177. The full domestic form is the prefix plus seven or eight digits.
From abroad, drop the leading 0: a mobile written 0176 1234 5678 is dialled +49 176 1234 5678.
These prefixes no longer identify the network. They were originally allocated to specific operators — 0151 to Telekom, 0152 to Vodafone and so on — but number portability means a subscriber keeps their number when switching. A 0176 number today may sit on any German network.
There is no single answer, and this is the most common source of confusion with German numbers.
Germany uses around 5,200 geographic area codes ranging from two to five digits. Broadly, the larger the city, the shorter its code:
The subscriber number absorbs the difference, so a complete German number is usually ten or eleven digits including the area code — but this is a convention rather than a rule, and lengths do vary.
Practical consequence: you cannot reliably tell where a German area code ends by looking at the number. If you are dialling a number written in international form, +49 followed by everything else works without needing to know the split.
Every major German city's Vorwahl, with the full number as you dial it from abroad.
The leading 0 is a domestic trunk prefix and is dropped when dialling from abroad — a Berlin number written 030 902694000 is dialled +49 30 902694000.
Find international dialing codes for every country. Click any country to get the full calling guide & tips.
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