South Africa Area Codes
5 city area codes for South Africa (+27). Click any city for dialing details.
| City | Area Code | Full Dial (from US) |
|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg | 11 | 011 27 11 ... |
| Cape Town | 21 | 011 27 21 ... |
| Durban | 31 | 011 27 31 ... |
| Pretoria | 12 | 011 27 12 ... |
| Port Elizabeth | 41 | 011 27 41 ... |
How to read a South Africa phone number
A South Africa number is +27 followed by 9 digits. Knowing which of those digits mark a mobile is what tells you what the call will cost before you place it.
Inside South Africa, numbers are dialled with a leading 0. Drop it when calling from abroad — keeping it is the single most common reason an international call fails.
Mobile prefixes
Landline prefixes
Prefix ranges still identify a line as mobile or fixed even where a number has been ported between operators, because the mobile and fixed blocks are separate and numbers do not move between them. Operator identification from a prefix, by contrast, stopped being reliable once portability arrived.
When to call South Africa
What the clock reads in South Africa when it is mid-morning, early afternoon and evening where you are. Highlighted cells fall between 9:00 and 21:00 local time at the other end.
| Calling from | Offset | 09:00 | 13:00 | 19:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | +7:00 | 16:00 | 20:00 | 02:00 |
| Los Angeles | +10:00 | 19:00 | 23:00 | 05:00 |
| London | +2:00 | 11:00 | 15:00 | 21:00 |
| Dubai | −2:00 | 07:00 | 11:00 | 17:00 |
| Sydney | −9:00 | 00:00 | 04:00 | 10:00 |
Offsets calculated for mid-January. Countries that observe daylight saving shift by an hour for part of the year — the planner works out today's offset from your own device.
Other African destinations, cheapest first
Rates vary by more than a factor of ten inside a single region, because each one is set by what the operator at the far end charges to accept the call. Algeria is currently the cheapest place we publish a rate for near South Africa.
Free tools
All toolsFrequently asked questions
What is the country code for South Africa?
The country code for South Africa is +27. Dial this after the exit code (or use + on a mobile).
What are the area codes for South Africa?
South Africa has 5 city area codes listed on this page, including Johannesburg 11, Cape Town 21, Durban 31. Dial the country code first, then the area code without its trunk prefix, then the local number. The table above gives the full dial string for every city.
What does a South Africa phone number look like?
A South Africa number is written as +27 11 234 5678: the country code +27 followed by 9 digits. That total is fixed by the national numbering plan, so a number with one digit missing is a typo rather than a shorter valid number.
How can I tell if a South Africa number is a mobile?
By its leading digits. In South Africa, a national number of 9 digits beginning with 6, 7, 8 is a mobile. That still works after a number has been ported between operators, because mobile and fixed-line blocks are separate ranges and numbers do not move between them.
Do I need to drop the leading 0 when calling South Africa?
Yes. South Africa uses 0 as a trunk prefix for domestic calls. When dialing internationally, drop the leading 0 from the local number.
How much does it cost to call South Africa?
Telvio charges $0.49/min to South Africa landlines and $0.49/min to mobiles. Billing is per second with no connection fees, so you pay only for the seconds you talk.
