What is the South Africa country code?

Everything you need to dial a South Africa number correctly from a UK phone.

+27

The South Africa country code is +27. Dialling from the UK? Use 0027 instead of the + — they do exactly the same thing.

How to dial a South Africa number from the UK

Dial 0027 + area code + local number for landlines, dropping the leading zero. For mobiles, dial 0027 + the 9-digit number, dropping the leading 0.

Example: Johannesburg landline: 0027 11 + 7-digit number. Mobile starting 082: dial 0027 82 + remaining digits.

00 or +? Either works

Typing +27 (hold the 0 key on most phone keypads to get a +) is the international standard and works automatically wherever you're calling from. 0027 is the UK's own way of dialling out internationally — both reach exactly the same number.

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Common questions

What is the South Africa country code?

The South Africa country code is +27. When dialling from a UK phone, replace the + with 0027 instead.

Do I dial 00 or + to call South Africa from the UK?

Either works on most modern phones — typing "+" (hold 0 on most keypads) and the country code is the international standard and works automatically. The 00 prefix is the UK-specific way of dialling out internationally and does exactly the same thing.

Does this work for mobiles as well as landlines?

Dial 0027 + area code + local number for landlines, dropping the leading zero. For mobiles, dial 0027 + the 9-digit number, dropping the leading 0.

Is there a free way to call South Africa that doesn't need a dialling code at all?

Yes — WhatsApp, FaceTime and similar apps call over data instead of the phone network, so there's no country code to dial at all. They're free if the person you're calling also has internet, but aren't a substitute for reaching a landline or someone without a smartphone.

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