International calling is easy enough to do once you learn the basic process. To call Switzerland from another country, you need to dial the exit code of your country, followed by the international prefix of Switzerland. After that, the rest of the number can normally be dialed.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Basic Structure of the Telephone Number
Step 1. Dial your country's exit code
An exit code is a set or series of digits that allows your phone call to "leave" your country. In other words, the numbers allow the telephone operator to know that the rest of the telephone number will be directed to a place outside the country from which the call originates.
- A list of the most common exit codes can be found in the section "Calling Switzerland from specific countries".
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For example, the exit code for the United States is "011". If you live there and want to make a call to Switzerland, you should start dialing "011" before dialing the specific Swiss phone number.
Example: 011-xx-xx-xxx-xxxx
Step 2. Press "41", which is the country code for Switzerland
Each country has its own area code, and "41" is the code used to access Switzerland by telephone. An international prefix indicates to international telephone operators the country in which an international call is to be routed.
Example: 011-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
Step 3. Enter the correct telephone area code when dialing a landline number
Area codes in Switzerland comprise two digits and only apply to landline numbers. They vary depending on the geographic region, so you need to know the region in which the contact person is located in order to know the correct telephone area code.
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The area codes for Switzerland include:
- Aigle: 24
- Ammerswil / Aarau: 62
- Andermatt: 41
- Arosa: 81
- Baden: 56
- Basel: 61
- Bellinzona: 91
- Bern: 31
- Biel / Bienne: 32
- Burgdof: 34
- Noise: 91
- Chur: 81
- Crans-sur-Sierre: 27
- Davos: 81
- Freiburg: 26
- Geneva: 22
- Gryon / Yverdon-les-Bains: 24
- Gstaad: 33
- Interlaken: 33
- Jura: 32
- Klosters: 81
- La Chaux-de-Fonds: 32
- Langnau: 34
- Lenk im Simmental: 33
- Locarno: 91
- Lausanne: 21
- Lucerne: 41
- Lugano: 91
- Montreux: 21
- Neuchatel: 32
- Obewil im Simmental: 33
- Olten: 62
- Rapperswil: 55
- St. Gallen: 71
- Schaffhausen: 52
- Sion: 27
- St. Moritz: 81
- Thun: 33
- Vevey: 21
- Wengen: 33
- Winterthur: 52
- Yverdon: 2
- Zermatt: 27
- Zug: 41
- Zurich: 43
- For example, if you are trying to call a landline number located in Geneva, you can dial: 011-41-22-xxx-xxxx
Step 4. Use the correct mobile prefix when dialing a mobile phone number
If the phone number you are dialing is connected to a mobile phone instead of a landline, you will not need to use the area code. Instead, you will use a mobile prefix which varies by mobile carrier.
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Mobile phone numbers in Switzerland include:
- Sunrise (TDC Switzerland): 76
- Swisscom Used by Migros: 77
- Orange SA Orange: 78
- Swisscom: 79
- Note that an additional Swiss mobile prefix, 74, is used for different mobile operators.
- For example, if you want to call a mobile phone with the service offered by Orange SA Orange, you can dial: 011-41-78-xxx-xxxx
Step 5. Dial the rest of the phone number
Finally, the specific telephone number in the name of the person or company you are trying to reach follows and, by completing the number, you complete the dialing for the call. Regardless of the telephone area code or mobile area code, Swiss telephone numbers consist of seven digits.
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The general structure of a telephone call in Switzerland can be summarized as: CEC-41-AC-xxx-xxxx.
- “CEC” stands for “Country Exit Code” (exit code for the country from which you are calling).
- The number "41" is the international country code for Switzerland.
- "AC" stands for "Area Code" (telephone area code).
- The remaining series of x stands for the telephone number you intend to call.
Part 2 of 2: Part Two: Calling Switzerland from Specific Countries
Call Switzerland Step 6 Step 1. Call from the United States or Canada
The exit code for both countries is "011", so you should dial it before the international country code of Switzerland and the number you intend to call.
- Therefore, the composition from the United States and Canada to Switzerland corresponds to: 011-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
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In addition to the United States and Canada, there are many other countries that use "011" as an exit code. The list includes:
- Antigua
- Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Dominica
- Grenada
- Guam
- Cayman Islands
- Marshall Islands
- US Virgin Islands
- British Virgin Islands
- Jamaica
- Montserrat
- Puerto Rico
- Dominican Republic
- American Samoa
- Trinidad
- Tobago
Call Switzerland Step 7 Step 2. Dial from most countries that use "00"
Many countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa use the exit code "00", so when trying to make outgoing calls to Switzerland from one of these countries, you must enter "00" before the phone number.
- In other words, the composition for Switzerland from these countries corresponds to: from 00-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
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Countries that use the "00" exit code include:
- Bahrain
- Kuwait
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Dubai
- China
- New Zeland
- Philippines
- Malaysia
- Pakistan
- Ireland
- Romania
- Albania
- Algeria
- Aruba
- Bangladesh
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Bosnia
- Central African Republic
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Egypt
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Greenland
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Iceland
- India
- Italy
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Nicaragua
- Norway
- South Africa
- Turkey
- UK
Call Switzerland Step 8 Step 3. Use the exit code "0011" to call outside Australia
To call Switzerland from Australia, the exit code "0011" must be dialed first. Afterwards, you can dial the international prefix of Switzerland and the number as usual.
- Note that Australia is the only country that uses this exit code.
- The dial to call from Australia to Switzerland is therefore: 0011-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
Call Switzerland Step 9 Step 4. Make a call to Switzerland from Israel
Unlike in some countries, the code required for outgoing calls from Israel varies by carrier. You will always need to dial the correct exit code before the phone number.
- The exit code for Kod Gisha users is "00". The dial to call will be: 00-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Smile Tikshoret users is "012". The correct dial to call will then be: 012-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Netvision users is "013". Then, the dial for calling in Switzerland becomes 013-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Bezeq users is "014". Consequently, the composition is: 014-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Xfone users is "018". It means that the dial to use to make phone calls in Switzerland will be: 018-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
Call Switzerland Step 10 Step 5. Call Switzerland from Chile
The exit code required to make calls to Switzerland from Chile depends on the carrier used to make the calls.
- The code for Entel users is "1230". Therefore, the whole dial for dialing is 1230-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Globus users is "1200", so the correct dialing is: 1200-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Manquehue users is "1220", so you must dial: 1220-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Movistar users is "1810". The complete composition, then, corresponds to: 1810-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Netline users is "1690", therefore the dialing is: 1690-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Telmex users is "1710". So, with this operator you should dial: 1710-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
Call Switzerland Step 11 Step 6. Reach Switzerland by phone from Colombia
Colombia is another country that changes its exit code based on the telephone operator used. First of all, determine the correct dialing by finding out which carrier the phone call will pass through.
- The code for UNE EPM users is "005", therefore the complete composition corresponds to: 005-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for ETB users is "007", so the dial to use for Switzerland is: 007-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Movistar users is "009", consequently the dialing to call will be: 009-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Tigo users is "00414". Therefore, they must dial: 00414-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Avantel users is "00468", so the dial for them becomes: 00468-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Claro Fixed users is "00456". To call in Switzerland, they can dial: 00456-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Claro Mobile users is "00444", while the complete composition is: 00444-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
Call Switzerland Step 12 Step 7. Make a call from Brazil
The exit code required to call Switzerland from Brazil depends on the carrier providing the service.
- The code for Brasil Telecom users is "0014", therefore the composition corresponds to: 0014-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Telefonica users is "0015", therefore the dialing becomes: 0015-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Embratel users is "0021". Consequently, the dial for the call is: 0021-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Intelig users is "0023", so the dial for Switzerland will be: 0023-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The code for Telmar users is "0031", so the number to dial will consist of: 0031-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
Call Switzerland Step 13 Step 8. Call Switzerland from some Asian countries with exit code "001" or "002"
Many Asian countries use one of these two exit codes. Note that the appropriate exit code must be dialed before the Swiss number.
- Cambodia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand all use the "001" exit code. The number to dial will therefore be: 001-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- Taiwan and South Korea use the "002" exit code. The basic composition to be used corresponds to: 002-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- Note, among other things, that South Korea uses both "001" and "002" exit codes. Check with your telephone service provider to determine which of the two you will need to use for outgoing calls from South Korea.
Call Switzerland Step 14 Step 9. Dial "010" to call Switzerland from Japan
The exit code for Japan is "010", so you will need to dial these digits before the country code for Switzerland and the phone number you intend to reach.
- Japan is currently the only country that uses this exit code.
- The number used to call Switzerland from Japan will therefore be: 010-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
Call Switzerland Step 15 Step 10. Call Switzerland from Indonesia
The exit code required to call Switzerland from Indonesia varies according to the telephone service provider.
- The exit code for Indosat users is "001" or "008", so the correct dial will be 001-41-xx-xxx-xxxx or 008-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The exit code for Telkom users is "007", therefore they will have to dial: 007-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
- The exit code for Bakrie Telecome users is "009", so dialing in Switzerland is: 009-41-xx-xxx-xxxx
