Call the United States From France
Whether you're an American traveling abroad or a French national conducting business with an United States colleague, calling the United States from France boils down to the same process as placing any other international call: dialling an exit code, country code, area code and then phone number.
Steps
- Dial 00. This is the exit code that signals to your telephone provider that you're about to make an international call.
- Not all countries have the same exit code, but 00 applies in most of Europe and quite a few other countries as well. For example, if you were calling from the United States, Canada or any other country that participates in the North American Numbering Plan, the exit code would be 011 instead.
- Dial 1. This is the United States country code. This number is universal, meaning you would be dialling this number to call the United States from any other country in the world.
- The country code 1 also applies to any country in the North American Numbering Plan.
- Dial the 3-digit area code. All US area codes are three digits long and are most likely included when phone numbers are displayed or given. If an area code is not provided, you will need to look up the ZIP code of the person you are calling. There are many online resources that will help you calculate possible area codes for each US ZIP code.
- US mobile phones may be assigned to any area code. Usually a mobile phone's area code indicates the area in which service was first established. But an individual can keep the same cell phone number, including area code when he or she relocates. So the cell phone's area code doesn't always match the geographical location of the user.
- If the 3-digit prefix is 800, 877, 866 or 888, this indicates that you're calling a toll-free number. The phone receiving a toll-free call could be anywhere in the country, or the call could even be routed to a call center in another country.
- Dial the remaining 7 digits. In total, all United States phone numbers are exactly 10 digits long, including the area code.
- Check the world times to ensure that whoever you are calling in the United States is available to take your call.
Tips
- Check with your local telephone provider about the costs of placing an international call. You may be charged a fee or be billed by the minute.
- You can purchase telephone cards that allow you to place international calls at a flat rate.
- All public telephone booths in France have a "How-To" that explains how to make a phone call.
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