Copy, paste, send. People who live abroad, travelers and anyone with relatives overseas get asked the same question, how do I call you from there, and the wrong answers are all around us. Below is wording you can use as written, with a note on when each piece fits. The numbers in the examples are made up, so swap in your own.
The message that gives your number
Use this the first time you share a US number with someone who will call from another country.
My number from abroad is +1 415 555 0100. That is a plus sign, then 1, then the three-digit area code, then seven digits. Please save it exactly like that so it works from any country.
Why it works: the plus is the exit code from wherever the caller is, the 1 is the country code of the North American plan, and the next three digits are the area code. There are no other pieces. The caller should not add a 1 of their own, for the reason given in when to dial 1: from abroad the 1 is the country code, not an optional prefix.
The format cheat line
Paste this under the message when you know the other person is likely to guess. It shows the good form and the usual wrong ones in one glance.
Works: +1 415 555 0100 Works: [your exit code] 1 415 555 0100 Fails: 415 555 0100 (no country code) Fails: 011 1 415 555 0100 (011 means nothing from most countries) Fails: 555 0100 (no area code, cannot be guessed from abroad)
Use it when the person is on a landline or a hotel phone. Those cannot take a plus, so they dial their own country's exit code, often 00, and then 1.
The text to save it properly
Quick favour: save my number with the plus and the 1 at the front, not the way it is written on the old card. If it starts with 011 or leaves out the area code, delete that and use the plus form.
Send it after the first message, or whenever you learn that a relative saved your number in a way that fails. The longer explanation, for whoever is doing the saving, is the story in saving contacts in international format.
A line for the hotel front desk
Hello, I would like to call the United States from my room phone. Which digits do I dial first for an international call, and is there a digit for an outside line before that?
Say it when a plus will not work on a room phone. Write the answer down once, since the same prefix serves every call from that phone. The how and why of exit codes is in the checklist on dialing out.
An email when a business lists only a toll-free number
Hello, I am calling from outside North America and I cannot reach your 800 number from here. Could you send me a number with an ordinary area code, or tell me how to reach you by chat or this email address?
Toll-free numbers beginning 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888 are set up for callers inside North America. Many carriers abroad do not connect them, or connect them as ordinary international calls with a charge, so do not assume the line is free when you dial it from another country. Look on the business's website first for a number with a normal area code or a contact form.
A text before a call that might be flagged
Heads-up, I will call you from a foreign number in about ten minutes. It may show up as unknown. If it goes to voicemail, I will leave a message and text again.
An unfamiliar foreign code may be treated as spam by a phone's filter, so the call can go to voicemail or pick up a label from the carrier or app. Labels such as "Scam Likely" and "Spam Risk" are guesses, not verdicts, and a genuine international call can attract one. The FTC explains the usual patterns at consumer.ftc.gov. A text before the call turns a mystery into an expected call.
A voicemail greeting for people calling from abroad
Hi, you have reached my phone. If you are calling from another country, please leave your name and a number that starts with a plus and your country code, and I will call back.
If you are the one waiting for an international call and your phone silences unknown callers, remember that the call goes to voicemail, so check your voicemail and your texts, or switch the setting off while you expect the call. The number left in the plus form saves everyone from guessing the format later.
A message about time zones
What time is it where you are? I am in the Pacific time zone, and I would like to call when it is evening for you and still afternoon here.
The US spans several zones, from Eastern to Pacific on the mainland, with Alaska and Hawaii further west, and a call from Europe at the end of the afternoon can land in the middle of the night on the west coast. The prefix reader shows the time zone for a geographic US area code, which settles it when you only have a number.
A note for a business that will phone an overseas customer
Contact number (please include the country code): +1 415 555 0100
Texts to a US number follow the same format as calls, and many messaging apps expect the full plus form, so the same line works for both. A form that asks for exactly ten digits will often accept the plus form too. If it does not, ask the business how it wants the number written, because those small questions prevent a surprising number of failed deliveries and missed calls. Sending a standard text from a foreign carrier may incur a charge depending on the plan, and some apps avoid it by using a data connection.
What it will cost, in one sentence for the caller
Please check your plan's rate for calls to the United States before a long call, or use a messaging app over wifi, which can be cheaper.
The price depends on the caller's carrier and plan, not on the US side, and I would be wary of anyone who quotes one without naming the plan. Receiving the call is normally billed as it would be for any call you receive on your plan, and the caller pays for the international leg. How apps and cards place calls, and what number they show on your screen, is the subject of calling cards and calling apps.
Next in the book011, 00 and the plus sign: a checklist for how other countries dial out