If you’re planning on traveling to France, you’re surely going to be using your phone here on a daily basis. But how does the French phone system work? To prepare you for everything you need, from giving someone your French phone number to using the France country code, we’ve created this post with all the details on making calls and using your phone in France.

We break this post down into three main sections and a bunch of subsections, providing short explanations of each topic along the way. Feel free to scroll down, as we’re sure you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for

French phone service

Let’s start off with an overview of the French phone system, so you can plan how to connect your phone when you come to France.

Can I use my overseas phone in France?

If you’re coming from abroad, you should still be able to use your existing phone in France.

Before you travel, it’s a good idea to check whether your existing mobile phone provider offers international roaming options for travel to France. Depending on the price, this may be a convenient option if you only need to use your phone occasionally. You may be able to get by mostly on wi-fi in hotels and restaurants!

Either way, it’s a good idea to turn data roaming off before you arrive in France. You can still receive text messages, and your network provider may send you one when you arrive to let you know what your additional charges may be.

Note that Europeans don’t use the term “cellular phone” or “cell phone.” Instead, just get into the habit of referring to your mobile phone in France.

Can I use my European phone in France?

If you’re visiting France from another EU country, you can just use your existing phone plan.

This is thanks to the European “roaming like at home” law, which was introduced in 2017 to eliminate roaming charges within the EU: mobile phone subscribers within the European Union can make calls to and from any other EU country at the same rate as within their home country.

Under this rule, when you travel to another EU country, you can use your mobile phone to make calls, send texts, and use data at no extra cost, as long as you have a mobile phone plan from an EU-based provider. This means that you can use your phone to call or message people in your home country, as well as in the country you are visiting, without incurring additional charges.

Don’t worry, you’ll probably receive a text message from your mobile operator when you get to France that tells you what the charges are.

Is it free to use my French SIM card in other EU countries?

As we saw above with the European Union’s “roaming like at home” law, if you have a contract with a French phone network, you should be able to continue using your French phone while in other EU countries without incurring extra roaming costs.

Be careful though, because not all European countries are members of the European Union! This is particularly important if you’re traveling near the border with Switzerland or Andorra, since neither one of these countries is a member of the “roaming like at home” agreement.

Since roaming costs for these neighboring countries can be quite significant, it’s a good idea to just turn off your phone’s international roaming if you’re near the borders of Switzerland or Andorra, even if you’re staying within France. This should help avoid your phone connecting to their network and triggering extra costs!

Is it easy to obtain a French SIM card?

If your home country’s phone plan is expensive while abroad, an easy option is to get a French SIM card for your trip. In general, you can expect to pay less than €15 per month for unlimited calls and at least 50 GB of data.

There are several mobile phone providers in France, such as Free, Orange, SFR, and Bouygues, and a handful of smaller carriers. These companies and offer prepaid and postpaid SIM cards that you can purchase either in their physical stores or online. It’s a good idea to compare the offers from different mobile phone providers to find the best option for your needs and budget.

To obtain a SIM card, you will typically need to provide some identification, such as a passport or driver’s license, and you may also need to provide proof of address in France. Prepaid SIM cards are available for purchase without a long-term contract and are a good option if you are only in France for a short period of time. With a prepaid SIM card, you can add credit to your account as needed to make calls, send texts, and use data.

Postpaid SIM cards require a longer-term contract and may require a credit check or deposit, but they can offer better rates and more flexibility in terms of the amount of data, voice minutes, and texts included in the plan. These are usually billed by direct debit, so you’ll need to provide your bank account details to activate the plan.

How fast are French phone networks?

France has embraced 5G, though you’ll often find yourself on 4G networks if you travel a lot in the country. The 5G network is being rolled out where there’s the highest demand, and currently covers most of the big cities. The 4G network is very widespread and covers nearly all of the country’s towns and villages.

Some rural areas are still on the 3G network, while some remote areas are without coverage altogether. If you’ll be trekking in some of the many mountainous regions of the country, there may be no service until you approach a town.

Note that some SIM cards are for smaller providers which don’t have such widespread coverage. If you’ll be staying in big cities they may be fine, but if you’ll be traveling extensively we recommend you stick with the big carriers we mentioned in the last section so you can rely on their networks.

French phone numbers

Now that you know how to connect your phone to the French network, let’s talk about how the French refer to their phone numbers. Here we’ll see how to say and write French phone numbers, and how to make calls to and from France both internationally and within France.

What’s your number in French?

In France, a phone number is typically referred to as un numéro de téléphone. If the context is clear, then this can be shortened to numéro, just like in English. A slang expression for your telephone number in French is ton zéro-six, which refers to the traditional area code for mobile phones: 06.

It is also common to use the phrase numéro de portable or simply portable to refer specifically to a mobile phone number. The equivalent for a landline number is un numéro de ligne fixe.

• Can I have your phone number? – Je peux avoir ton numéro de téléphone ?

• What’s your [phone] number? – C’est quoi ton numéro [de téléphone] ?

• Do you want my mobile phone number? – Veux-tu mon numéro de portable ?

• I don’t have a landline. – Je n’ai pas de ligne fixe.

• Here’s my number: – Voici mon numéro:

• He gave me his digits. – Il m’a donné son zéro-six.

Lots of French people also just use the WhatsApp messaging app to communicate with friends, or even Instagram or other social media apps. For anything official, though, we just use our numéro de téléphone or numéro de portable.

Is there a specific French text-message language?

Just like in English and Spanish, there are specific French text message abbreviations that we cover in our dedicated post.

In addition, the French 🇫🇷 are very adept 💪 at using emojis 😆.

What do French phone numbers look like?

A French phone number typically consists of 10 digits, with the first two digits indicating the geographic area code. For example, the area code for Paris is 01, so a phone number in Paris might be written as 01 23 45 67 89. For Lyon and Marseille the area code is 04, for example, while for Bordeaux and Toulouse the area code is 05.

Standard 10-digit French phone numbers always begin with a 0. (As we’ll see below, though, this 0 is omitted when dialing the number from abroad.)

It’s worth noting that some geographic area codes have been merged or reorganized over time, so there are more and more exceptions to these general patterns. And anyway, these are just the general rules for landlines. Mobile phone numbers in France all start with the same area code, which is either 06 or 07. French area codes are never written in parentheses like in North America.

When giving out a phone number in French, it is common to group the digits in sets of two, and to separate the groups with spaces, periods, or hyphens. For example, the same phone number above might be given as 01 23 45 67 89, 01.23.45.67.89, or 01-23-45-67-89. Sometimes the 10 digits are also spaced out in a 4-3-3 pattern, like 0123 456 789. Nonetheless, it remains common to just write out French phone numbers in a single block, like 012345678.

How do we pronounce French phone numbers?

We just start the phrase with c’est le, and then recite the French phone number. Unlike in English, however, where it’s common to pronounce each digit of a phone number separately, in France we always group them into pairs and recite their two-digit numbers. For our sample number from above, here’s how we would tell it to someone in person or over the phone:

• My number, it’s 01 23 45 67 89 – Mon numéro, c’est le zéro un, vingt-trois, quarante-cinq, soixante-sept, quatre-vingt-neuf.

We know what you’re thinking! The answer is yes, it can get confusing and you do really need to pay attention whenever listing any French numbers that are composed of multiple other numbers, which include most of the teens, the seventies, the eighties, and the nineties. To see what we mean, try reading this French phone number out loud:

• It’s 07 17 78 89 97 – C’est le zéro sept, dix-sept, soixante-dix-huit, quatre-vingt-neuf, quatre-vingt-dix-sept.

For a refresher on French numbers, we have an easy guide on how to count to 100 in French.

How do I dial a French number from within France?

If you’re in France and you’re calling another French number, you just dial the 10 digits that we saw above. This will probably also work if you’re using your foreign SIM card while you’re in France, but in some cases you’ll need to add the country code.

How do I dial a French number from outside France?

If you’re calling a French number from abroad, even from a neighboring EU country, you’ll need to start by dialing the international country code for France: +33. In this case, you’ll dial the +33 and then omit the 0 before dialing the remaining nine digits. For this reason, the initial 0 of French numbers is often written within parentheses in international contexts, since it needs to be dropped when dialed from another country.

Here’s how we would write our same French phone number if we were giving it to someone who’s not in France: +33(0)1.23.45.67.89. Just remember that when calling France from anywhere outside of France, you don’t actually dial the 0 that’s in parentheses!

What’s the France country code?

If you’re making an international call, you’ll need the international dialing code for whatever country you’re calling. As we just saw above, France has the +33 country code.

Depending on the dialing system wherever you’re making the call, the + may be expressed in different ways. From the United States, for example, you’ll dial 0033 from a landline, and then the next nine digits of the French number. Mobile phones generally have the + as an option on the keypad for triggering an international country code rather than a local number.

It’s a good idea to include the +33 country code for any French numbers saved in your contacts. Your phone will probably put the initial 0 in parentheses for you. You should include the country code for other apps like WhatsApp and Skype as well.

What are the country codes for other French-speaking countries?

If you’re calling another French-speaking country than France, you’ll need to first enter its unique country code. Belgium’s country code is +32, for example, while Switzerland’s is +41.

For reference, we’ve included a comprehensive list of international country codes for French-speaking countries at the end of this post. Scroll down to refer to that list, covering a wide range of countries from the Caribbean, to Africa, to the Pacific.

Special phone numbers in France

Now that we’ve seen how to connect to the French phone network, and how to manage normal French phone numbers, let’s look at the various special numbers you’ll come across in France. These include toll-free and added-charge numbers, French emergency numbers, and other short numbers with only 4 digits.

What are the French emergency numbers?

In France, there are three primary emergency numbers that have just two digits each. Ideally, you call the right one to begin with, though in practice if you need one of the other services they should still be able to connect you.

15 – SAMU (Service d’Aide Médicale Urgente): This number is used for medical emergencies, such as sudden illness, accidents, or other medical crises.

17 – Police: This number is used to contact the police in case of an emergency, such as a crime in progress, an accident, or other dangerous situation.

18 – Firefighters: This number is used to contact the fire department in case of a fire, as well as for other emergency situations, such as a gas leak or other hazardous conditions.

112 – European emergency number: This three-digit emergency number can be used in any EU member state, including France. This is a general dispatch number for emergencies that should be able to dispatch you to the right service from the specialized numbers above, including medical, police, or fire.

Since 112 is the Europe-wide emergency number, this is the number where it’s most likely to reach someone who speaks other languages than French. For the three France-specific numbers above, however, it’s generally best to have a basic understanding of French since there’s no guarantee that the operator will speak English.

911 – The American emergency number: This is the standard emergency number in the United States and Canada. 911 has therefore become well-known worldwide as an emergency number thanks to the internationalization of pop culture, even in countries like France where our emergency numbers are different. In reaction to people frequently dialing 911 in response to emergencies in France, some French regions have started connecting French 911 calls to the standard emergency dispatchers. So in some cases 911 works in France, but this is not yet standardized across the country.

What are the toll-free numbers in France?

In France, toll-free numbers are known as numéros verts or numéros gratuits, which translate literally to green numbers or free numbers.

Commercial toll-free numbers in France start with 0800. These numbers are free to call from landlines and from mobile phones within France. French toll-free numbers are much less common than the equivalent 1-800 numbers in the United States and Canada, since France doesn’t have the same history of long-distance calling within the country that the toll-free numbers were designed to eliminate.

There are also other toll-free numbers in France that have specific prefixes:

0805: Customer service numbers.

0809: Government services and information hotlines.

It’s important to note that while these toll-free numbers are free to call within France, they may not be free to call from outside the country. If you are calling a French toll-free number from abroad, you may still be charged international rates or additional fees by your foreign phone provider.

Which French phone numbers have added charges?

It’s fairly common for French customer assistance lines to charge a fee to callers. These added-charge phone numbers in France might be for various reasons, like voting for game show contestants, asking for assistance, or even just requesting customer service. The additional cost triggered by these numbers is directly charged to your phone bill.

In general, the cost for these calls will be noted next to the phone number that you see in a pamphlet, on a poster, or on TV. In some cases a recorded message even plays before connecting your call, giving you a chance to hang up before incurring the charge.

Fortunately, an easy cue to the likelihood of being charged extra for a call is the first three digits. Here are the prefixes of the main French phone numbers that cost extra:

081 – Shared-cost services: These are common added-fee numbers where the caller pays a nominal rate to be connected to the business or organization being called. This is common among commercial entities like banks or consumer goods companies which use this added fee as a deterrent, since they prefer that you submit a service ticket through their online forms instead.

0811 – Directory assistance services: These numbers are a subset of the previous 081 numbers.

082, 089 – Premium-rate services: These are used for various types of services, such as games, contests, or adult content. The cost of calling a premium-rate number can be significantly higher than a standard phone call, and the cost may be per minute or per call. The price of these calls is usually clearly indicated when you call the number, but it’s important to be aware of the potential cost before making the call.

What are the 4-digit phone numbers in France?

In France, there are several short phone numbers that are used for specific purposes, such as calling radio stations or mobile phone hotlines. These numbers typically consist of four digits, and are called numéros courts or numéros spéciaux.

Here are the main categories of French 4-digit phone numbers, with Xs in place of the variable digits:

1XXX: These numbers are used for various types of services, such as weather reports, traffic information, or movie showtimes. Each service has its own four-digit number.

3XXX: These numbers are used for calling radio stations. Each station has its own four-digit number, which is often advertised on the air or on other media.

3XXX, 6XXX, 7XXX: These numbers are used for mobile phone hotlines. Each mobile phone operator has its own set of four-digit numbers that are used for various purposes, such as checking your account balance, activating or deactivating services, or reporting a problem.

32XX: These numbers are used for calling directory assistance services. Each directory service provider has its own set of four-digit numbers.

36XX, 39XX: These are some of the French government hotlines for reaching services like income tax, health insurance, unemployment insurance, or pension accounts.

It’s worth noting that while these short phone numbers can be convenient to use, they may not always be free to call. Some services may charge a fee for using their short phone number. Just as we saw in the previous section on extra-charge French phone numbers, be sure to check the terms and conditions of the service before calling a 4-digit French phone number.

Conclusion: French phone numbers

This has been a pretty comprehensive post introducing everything you need to know about phone numbers in France. From getting connected to the French phone network, to making calls, to giving someone your French phone number, to making international calls, we covered it all here!

List of country codes for French-speaking countries

As promised when we introduced the +33 dialing code for France, we’ll leave you with this list of country codes for French-speaking countries.

We’ve organized the countries by region, starting in the Americas and moving east around the globe.

For completeness, we include the country codes for a few other countries where some of our readers might be calling from: