Country Code 33: Which Country Uses +33 and How to Dial It

Introduction

Country code 33 belongs to France. Every phone number in metropolitan France, from Paris and Lyon to Marseille and Corsica, is reached from abroad by dialing +33 followed by nine digits.

People search for this code in several forms: +33, 0033, 033 or just "33 code." They are not all the same thing, and one of them isn't France at all. This guide explains which country uses 33, how to dial French numbers from the US, the UK and India, how the 01 to 09 prefixes work, and which French territories use codes of their own.

Which Country Uses Country Code 33?

France. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) gives each country or numbering zone a calling code of one to three digits, and 33 is France's. Codes starting with 3 or 4 are used across Europe, so France sits next to neighbors that also have two-digit codes.

A calling code is not an area code. US and Canadian area codes have three digits and sit inside a +1 number, so there is no "33 area code" in North America. If a call or text arrived showing +33, it was placed from a French number, although caller ID can be spoofed, so the prefix alone doesn't prove where the caller really is.

How to Dial France From the US, UK and India

Every international call has three parts: the exit code of the country you are calling from, the calling code of the country you want, and the national number without its leading trunk 0. French numbers are written with a 0 in front for calls inside France only, so that 0 is dropped when you call from abroad.

The example is a fictional number. France's regulator ARCEP reserved six blocks of numbers for use in audiovisual works such as films in its 2018 numbering decision, including 01 99 00 xx xx for landlines and 06 39 98 xx xx for mobiles. Those numbers can neither call nor be called, which makes them safe to use in examples.

Calling France From a Mobile Phone

1. 1Start with +. On most phones, press and hold 0 on the dial pad to type a plus sign. It stands in for the exit code, so it works from any country.
2. 2Add 33. That is France's calling code.
3. 3Drop the leading 0. The national number 01 99 00 12 34 becomes 1 99 00 12 34.
4. 4Dial the remaining nine digits. The full number reads +33 1 99 00 12 34, or +33199001234 with no spaces.

Saving French contacts in this form means they work from any country and while roaming. The reverse case, reaching an American number from abroad, follows the same pattern with +1, as covered in our guide to the US phone number format.

How French Phone Numbers Are Structured

France has used a closed ten-digit numbering plan since 18 October 1996. Numbers are written as five pairs, 0X XX XX XX XX, and the leading 0 is only dialed inside France. From abroad, +33 replaces it and nine digits follow.

A French mobile follows the same rule as a landline. The mobile number 06 39 98 12 34 is dialed as +33 6 39 98 12 34 from abroad, which is +33639981234 without spaces.

Do 01 to 05 Still Show Where a Number Is?

Not reliably. Until the end of 2022, every fixed number began with 01 to 05 and belonged to one of five regions: 01 for Île-de-France (Paris and its surroundings), 02 for the north-west, 03 for the north-east, 04 for the south-east and 05 for the south-west.

Since 1 January 2023, ARCEP has lifted that geographic requirement. As its consumer guidance notes, a resident who moves from Lyon to Rennes can keep the same fixed number. A number starting 01 is therefore still likely to come from the Paris region, but it is no longer certain.

0033, 033 and 33: What Each One Means

+33 and 0033 reach the same place: one uses a plus sign for the exit code, the other spells out 00. From the US, neither 0033 nor 00 works as an exit code, so dial 011 33 or use +33.

Many searches for 033 come from India, where 033 is the STD (subscriber trunk dialing) code for Kolkata. A Kolkata landline is dialed with 033 from elsewhere in India and as +91 33 from abroad. It has nothing to do with France, so if you meant to reach a French number, use +33 or 00 33 instead.

French Territories With Their Own Country Codes

France's overseas departments and territories are French, but callers abroad reach most of them with calling codes of their own.

A number that looks French can belong to one of these places. A Guadeloupe landline written 0590 xx xx xx inside France is dialed +590 590 xx xx xx from abroad, and a French Guiana mobile written 0694 xx xx xx becomes +594 694 xx xx xx. Dialing them with +33 will not reach the territory.

When Is a Good Time to Call France?

France runs on Central European Time, one hour ahead of UTC, and moves to summer time in spring. Callers in the US Eastern time zone are usually six hours behind. The gap narrows to five hours for a few weeks in March and around late October and early November, because the US and Europe change their clocks on different dates.

Because France is six hours ahead, a call placed after about noon on the US East Coast reaches France in the evening, so mornings are the practical window for US business calls. Our France best time to call page shows overlapping business hours, and the France country page summarizes the dialing steps.

Common Mistakes When Dialing +33 Numbers

• Keeping the leading 0. +33 01 99 00 12 34 usually fails to connect. Use +33 1 99 00 12 34. Numbers printed as +33 (0)1 show the 0 only as a reminder to drop it.
• Using both + and 011. Pick one: 011 33 1 99 00 12 34 or +33 1 99 00 12 34.
• Typing 0033 from a US phone. The US exit code is 011. Use 011 33 or a plus sign.
• Treating 033 as France. It is Kolkata's STD code, not a country code.
• Assuming a prefix marks a region. Since 2023, numbers starting 01 to 05 can be used anywhere in metropolitan France.
• Forgetting the territories. Numbers beginning 0590, 0694 and similar belong to Guadeloupe or French Guiana and use +590 or +594.
• Saving contacts without the country code. A number stored as 01 99 00 12 34 only dials correctly from inside France. Store the +33 form so it works from any country, CRM or softphone.

Calling France for Business

For a sales or support team, most failed international calls come down to how numbers are stored. Keeping every French contact in E.164 form, +33 followed by nine digits with no leading 0, means anyone on the team can call from any office or device without remembering exit codes.

Business calling apps let a team place calls from a single business number on mobile and desktop, and per-minute rates to France vary by provider and plan, so confirm them before a campaign. Ringflow's cloud phone system is one option, and our guide to international phone numbers explains how cross-border numbers work.

Conclusion

Country code 33 is France's, written +33 on mobile phones, 00 33 from countries with a 00 exit code and 011 33 from the US. Drop the leading 0 from the ten-digit French number and dial the nine digits that follow.

Keep 033 apart from all of this, since it is Kolkata's STD code, and remember that Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and other French territories have their own calling codes. Storing numbers in the +33 form avoids most dialing errors.

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