What is Trunk Prefix or Long Distance Call Prefix?

A trunk prefix is a digit sequence to be dialed before a telephone number that is not in same area code as your phone number. The purpose of dialing the trunk prefix is to selecting appropriate circuit trunk to connect your call to phone lines outside your area code.

Trunk prefix is also called national prefix, because it is needed to make a phone from one area code to another area code, which is considered as a nation call, not an international call.

Trunk prefix is also called long distance prefix, because it is needed to make a phone from one area code to another area code, which is considered as a long distance call, not a local call within the same area code.

Some countries and regions are small and they do not need to provide long distance call services. So they do not use long distance prefixes. For example, Mali not use long distance prefix. If you live in Mali with a phone number like "2020 4162", you can dial any other phone number like "7640 6758" in Mali without any prefix.

Some countries and regions are using more intelligent telephone systems and they are able connect long distance calls by detecting area codes you are dialing without using long distance prefixes. For example, United States does not use long distance prefix. If you live in Mali with a phone number like "305 020-8339", you can dial any other phone number like "800 409-4666" in United States without any prefix.

However many countries and regions are still using trunk prefixes. For example, Australia uses 0 as the long distance prefix. If you live in Australia with a phone number like "2 5295 4623" and want dial a phone number in another calling area like "7 1929 0032", you need to dial the long distance prefix first like "0 7 1929 0032".

The table below lists trunk or long distance prefix requirements and options for different countries and regions:

Trunk Prefix  Country/Region
------------  --------------
0             Afghanistan
0             Albania
0             Algeria
1             American Samoa
              Andorra
              Angola
1             Anguilla
1             Antigua and Barbuda
0             Argentina
0             Armenia
              Aruba
              Ascension
0             Australia
0             Austria
0             Azerbaijan
1             Bahamas
              Bahrain
0             Bangladesh
1             Barbados
80            Belarus
0             Belgium
              Belize
              Benin
1             Bermuda
              Bhutan
0             Bolivia
0             Bosnia and Herzegovina
              Botswana
0             Brazil
1             British Virgin Islands
              Brunei
0             Bulgaria
              Burkina Faso
              Burundi
0             Cambodia
              Cameroon
1             Canada
              Cape Verde
1             Cayman Islands
              Central African Republic
              Chad
              Chile
0             China
0             Colombia
              Comoros
              Congo
              Cook Islands
              Costa Rica
0             Croatia
0             Cuba
0             Curacao
              Cyprus
              Czech Republic
0             Democratic Republic of Congo
              Denmark
              Diego Garcia
              Djibouti
1             Dominica
1             Dominican Republic
              East Timor
0             Ecuador
0             Egypt
              El Salvador
              Equatorial Guinea
0             Eritrea
              Estonia
0             Ethiopia
              Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
              Faroe Islands
              Fiji
0             Finland
0             France
0             French Guiana
              French Polynesia
              Gabon
              Gambia
0             Georgia
0             Germany
0             Ghana
              Gibraltar
              Greece
              Greenland
1             Grenada
0             Guadeloupe
1             Guam
              Guatemala
              Guinea
              Guinea-Bissau
              Guyana
              Haiti
              Honduras
              Hong Kong
6             Hungary
              Iceland
0             India
0             Indonesia
              Inmarsat Satellite
0             Iran
              Iraq
0             Ireland
              Iridium Satellite
0             Israel
              Italy
              Ivory Coast
1             Jamaica
0             Japan
0             Jordan
8             Kazakhstan
0             Kenya
              Kiribati
              Kuwait
0             Kyrgyzstan
0             Laos
              Latvia
0             Lebanon
              Lesotho
              Liberia
0             Libya
              Liechtenstein
8             Lithuania
              Luxembourg
              Macau
0             Macedonia
0             Madagascar
              Malawi
0             Malaysia
              Maldives
              Mali
              Malta
1             Marshall Islands
0             Martinique
              Mauritania
              Mauritius
0             Mayotte
01            Mexico
1             Micronesia
0             Moldova
              Monaco
0             Mongolia
0             Montenegro
1             Montserrat
0             Morocco
              Mozambique
0             Myanmar
0             Namibia
              Nauru
0             Nepal
0             Netherlands
0             Netherlands Antilles
              New Caledonia
0             New Zealand
              Nicaragua
              Niger
0             Nigeria
              Niue
              Norfolk Island
              North Korea
1             Northern Marianas
              Norway
              Oman
0             Pakistan
              Palau
0             Palestine
              Panama
              Papua New Guinea
0             Paraguay
0             Peru
0             Philippines
              Poland
              Portugal
1             Puerto Rico
              Qatar
0             Reunion
0             Romania
8             Russian Federation
              Rwanda
              Saint Helena
1             Saint Kitts and Nevis
1             Saint Lucia
0             Saint Barthelemy
0             Saint Martin (French part)
              Saint Pierre and Miquelon
1             Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
              Samoa
              San Marino
              Sao Tome and Principe
0             Saudi Arabia
              Senegal
0             Serbia
              Seychelles
0             Sierra Leone
              Singapore
1             Sint Maarten
0             Slovakia
0             Slovenia
              Solomon Islands
              Somalia
0             South Africa
0             South Korea
              South Sudan
              Spain
0             Sri Lanka
0             Sudan
0             Suriname
              Swaziland
0             Sweden
0             Switzerland
0             Syria
0             Taiwan
8             Tajikistan
0             Tanzania
0             Thailand
              Thuraya Satellite
              Togo
              Tokelau
              Tonga
1             Trinidad and Tobago
              Tunisia
0             Turkey
8             Turkmenistan
1             Turks and Caicos Islands
              Tuvalu
0             Uganda
0             Ukraine
0             United Arab Emirates
0             United Kingdom
1             United States of America
1             U.S. Virgin Islands
0             Uruguay
0             Uzbekistan
              Vanuatu
              Vatican City
0             Venezuela
0             Vietnam
              Wallis and Futuna
0             Yemen
0             Zambia
0             Zimbabwe

⇒ What Is International Call Prefix?

⇐ Validating Phone Number Formats for a Country/Region

⇑ Phone Number Related Terms and Tools

⇑⇑ Phone Number FAQ