How to Call Costa Rica

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 28, 2021

Keeping in touch with international family, friends, and business contacts is important. Making international telephone calls to Costa Rica requires you to dial your country’s exit code, followed by the Costa Rica country code, and finally, the recipient’s telephone number. Additionally, it is a good idea to check the local time before you call!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Gathering Information

1
Decide what method you'll use to call. To call Costa Rica, you can use a landline, cellular phone, or an internet service like Skype. All of these methods cost money. If you are using a landline or cell phone, you can purchase an international calling card or specialty international service plan through your phone provider. Otherwise, a call from the US to Costa Rica will generally cost:
- By cellphone - $0.20 per minute
- By landline - $0.27 per minute
- By Skype - $0.095 per minute
2
Determine your country’s exit code. To begin, you must know the exit code from the country you wish to place the call. You can visit http://www.howtocallabroad.com/ to figure out the exit code for your specific country.
- For the USA, the exit code is 011
- For the UK, the exit code is 00
- For Australia, the exit code is 0011
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3
Find out the local time. Before you place a call to Costa Rica, you should determine the local time. You don’t want to phone your friends or relatives during the middle of the night! Visit http://www.howtocallabroad.com/ to check the local time.^{[1]
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4
Make sure you have the local phone number. Naturally, before you can place a call to Costa Rica, you must have local phone number. This number should be 7 digits long.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Placing the Call

1
Dial the “exit code.” To begin, you will dial the exit code of the country where you are calling. The number of digits in this exit code varies from country to country.^{[2]
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2
Dial the “country code” for Costa Rica. Next you will dial the three-digit country code for Costa Rica. Regardless of where you are dialing from, this country code is 506.^{[3]
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3
Include the 7-digit telephone number. Finally, you will dial the seven digits of the local Costa Rican individual (or business) you are trying to reach. Double check that you have the correct number before you waste money on a call.^{[4]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Trouble-Shooting

1
Skip the “area code.” To make a call to Costa Rica, there is no area code required! Once you enter the country code (506), you only need the 7-digit telephone number.^{[5]
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Try using a “plus sign.” In some cases, you can substitute a plus sign or “+” for your country’s exit code. If you are having trouble connecting, try skipping the exit code and entering a plus sign instead.^{[6]
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Research source} In this case, you would enter:
- +506-xxx-xxxx
3
Contact the operator. If you are still having trouble connecting, dial 00 to reach an international operator. The operator can try to verify your number and/or dialing pattern, and help you to connect effectively.^{[7]
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