How to Call Germany from the USA

A tutorial on the different ways to call Germany from the USA

Last Updated: January 31, 2023

To place a call to Germany from the U.S., you just need to dial the U.S. exit code, Germany’s country code, and the number in Germany you wish to call. If you’re calling from a landline or cell phone, you’ll need to pay international calling rates. You can also make a call using a VoIP service like Skype or Google Voice, which may be significantly cheaper than using your regular phone service.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Calling from a Landline or Cell Phone

1
Dial 011. In order to place any international call from a U.S. landline, start by dialing this number combination. 011 is the “exit number” for phone calls from North America.^{[1]
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- This is also the first step to dialing any international number (outside of North America) from Canada.
- If you are calling from a cell phone, you may be able to dial + (the same as the 0 key on your number pad) instead of 011.
2
Enter 49. This is the country code for Germany. You will need to dial it after the exit number and before the actual phone number.^{[2]
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- The country code is necessary for making the call go through correctly, so don’t leave it out!
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3
Punch in the area code if you’re calling a landline. If you’re dialing a landline, you’ll need to enter an area code after the country code and before the main number. The area code may be anywhere from 2 to 5 digits long.^{[3]
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- If you see a leading 0 on the area code, leave it off—the 0 is only used when making calls within Germany.
- Don’t enter an area code if you are calling a cell phone number.
- You can find a full list of German area codes here: http://www.deutschland-adressen.de/vorwahlen-a.php.
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Dial the phone number. After dialing the area code (if applicable), you can enter the main phone number. German landline numbers can be 5-12 digits long, including the area code. German cell phone numbers are 10 or 11 digits long.^{[4]
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- If you’re calling a landline, you might dial something like 011-49-480-123456789.
- For a cell phone, you might dial something like 011-49-12345678910.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using VoIP Software

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Make a direct call to another user of the same VoIP software. VoIP services such as Skype, Google Hangouts, and Facebook Messenger allow you to make free online voice and video calls to other users anywhere in the world.
- Simply select the name of the person you would like to call from your list of contacts (or send a request to connect if they are not already in your contacts) and select the voice or video call option to connect.
- Make sure the person you are trying to call has the same software downloaded and set up, so that the call will be free for both of you.
2
Use Skype Credit to call a German landline or cellphone via Skype. If the person you are trying to call doesn’t have Skype or an equivalent VoIP service, you can call their phone directly over Skype. To dial a German phone number over Skype:^{[5]
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- Open Skype on your computer or mobile device. Log in and click the “calls” button.
- Select the dial pad button. Some versions of Skype may already have “+1” (the U.S. exit number and country code) automatically filled in. If so, simply erase the “1” and replace it with “49.” If not, hold down the “0” key for 2 seconds to get the “+” to appear, then add “49.”
- Enter the German phone number you wish to call and hit the call button. If you don’t have enough Skype Credit funds, you’ll be offered the option to add more.
- Pay-as-you-go calling rates for Germany range from around 2.3¢ to 29.5¢/minute, although you can get cheaper rates with one of Skype’s international subscription packages.^{[6]
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Place a call to a German phone number using Google Voice. If you have a Google Voice account, you can use it to call German numbers from your phone or computer. You will need to add some money to your Google Voice account before you call, which you can do by navigating to “Payments” in the dropdown menu at voice.google.com or in your Google Voice app. To place the call:^{[7]
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- If you’re using a phone or other mobile device, open your Google Voice app and click the “Calls” button at the bottom. Open the keypad and dial “+49” followed by the number you wish to call, then hit the call button.
- To call from your computer, go to voice.google.com. Open the “Calls” tab and select “Make a Call.” Enter “+49” followed by the number you wish to call, then hit the “call” button.
- Once you initiate the call, you’ll hear or see a message confirming that your call is being routed through Google Voice and telling you how much the call will cost. You can view rates for calling Germany here: https://www.google.com/voice/rates.

Community Q&A

Question

How do you call German emergency ambulance or fire from the US?

Community Answer

For security reasons you cannot call any emergency service outside of Germany but even if you could, the fees would be really expensiv,e so it wouldn't worth it.
Question

How do you check if the number is spam?

Anurag Pant

Community Answer

You can use Truecaller, if it's available in your country and if your smartphone operating system version supports it.