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How to call a number in Switzerland from Canadian cell phone

Nottechgirl
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

I have Fido roaming and I am in Switzerland. I tried to call a phone number in Switzerland with no success. The phone number I was trying to call is 41 81 837 0404. Here is what I tried:

1. 011 041 81 837 0404 - recording said number was not valid

2. 41 81 837 0404 - call would not connect

3. 041 81 837 0404 - got a different business than the hotel I was trying to call.

 

How can I successfully call a European phone number when I am in the country I am trying to call? Thank you!!

2 REPLIES 2

Cawtau
Senior MVP Senior MVP
Senior MVP

Hello Nottechgirl,

 

  Welcome to the community!

 

  Firstly, calling a different Country from Canada is slightly different than calling within said Country.

 

  When calling from Canada:

 

  When dialling or texting international numbers, we must first include the International dialling prefix (IDP), followed by the Country calling code, followed by the phone number. The IDP is varies by country (see here). In Canada, the IDP is 011. On the other hand, the IDP for Switzerland is 00 (which is likely why your #1 attempt was not valid). Since the IDPs vary by country, the International dialling prefix can be replaced by the plus symbol, +.

 

  So the proper international dialling/texting format is + followed by Country Calling Code followed by Area Code followed by phone number.

 

OR

 

011 followed by Country Calling Code followed by Area Code followed by phone number.

 

When calling Switzerland from within Switzerland:

 

  Since you are already in-Country, the Country calling code (41 for Switzerland) is not required. However, a zero preceeding the area code is required (see here).

 

  So the proper dialling format within Switzerland is 0 followed by Area Code followed by phone number.

 

  For simplicity's sake, I tend to use the International dialling format for all of my contacts. It saves having to remember which Countries require preceeding zeros for area codes or other quirky formats when in-Country. It works for calls from abroad and usually from within a Country as well.

 

Hope this helps 😀

 

Cheers

 


Nottechgirl
I'm a participant level 2
I'm a participant level 2

Thank you very much, you have clarified beautifully!