How to Make an International Call from the US
The exit code, the country code, and the leading zero that trips up most people — plus step-by-step guides for the 47 destinations we cover in depth. Kinvo dials 220+ countries from your browser — see rates for every destination.
To make an international call from the United States, dial 011 (the US exit code), then the country code, then the local number with any leading zero removed. Calling +44 20 7946 0018 in London means dialing 011 44 20 7946 0018. From a mobile you can dial + in place of 011 — hold the 0 key — and the same number then works from any country you happen to be in.
The three parts of the number
| Part | Example | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Exit code | 011 | Tells your US carrier the call is leaving the country. Europe mostly uses 00, Australia 0011 — it is a property of where you are calling from. |
| Country code | 44 | Identifies the destination country. Full country code list. |
| Local number | 20 7946 0018 | The number as dialed inside that country, with the leading trunk zero dropped. |
Kinvo dials the whole thing for you — paste or type the number in international format and the browser places the call, so the exit code never comes into it.
The two mistakes that cause most failed calls
Leaving the leading zero on
Numbers written for domestic use in the UK, Germany, Italy, Egypt and much of Africa and Europe start with a trunk zero — 020 7946 0018 in London. From outside the country that zero is dropped: 011 44 20 7946 0018, not 011 44 020. Keeping it is the single most common reason an international call fails to connect. Italy is the well-known exception, where the zero is kept.
Using 011 from a mobile
It works, but + is better. Typing + (hold the 0 key) tells the network to insert whatever exit code applies where you are standing, so the same saved contact dials correctly from the US, from a layover in Frankfurt, and from a hotel in Cairo. Saving numbers in +country-code format once is the fix for every future trip.
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Dialing guides by country
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Common questions
How do I make an international call from the US?
Dial 011, then the country code, then the local number with any leading zero removed. To reach +44 20 7946 0018 in London you dial 011 44 20 7946 0018. From a mobile you can dial + instead of 011, which works from any country without changing the number.
What is the US exit code?
It is 011, shared with Canada and the rest of the North American Numbering Plan. The exit code tells your carrier the call is leaving the country; most of Europe uses 00 and Australia uses 0011, which is why a number written for a caller in London does not work unchanged from the US.
Do I dial the + sign or 011?
Either reaches the same place from a US mobile. + is more portable: it resolves to the correct exit code wherever you are, so a contact saved as +20 100 123 4567 dials correctly from the US and from abroad. Landlines and desk phones generally cannot dial +, so use 011 there.
Why does my international call fail even though the number looks right?
Usually one of three things: the leading zero was left on the local number, the line has no international calling enabled by the carrier, or the destination is on a carrier block list. A browser-based service like Kinvo sidesteps the middle one entirely, since the call does not go through your mobile carrier.
How much does an international call cost from the US?
From a US carrier without an add-on, typically $1-$3 a minute. Over the internet it is a fraction of that — Kinvo is $0.05/min to a UK or Mexican landline and $0.21 to India. Rates vary by destination and by whether you are calling a landline or a mobile, which is often the bigger difference.
Related: country dialing codes, international calling apps, carrier calling plans, and per-country rates.