Mexico Drops Telephone Service Codes
Dialing Mexican telephone numbers is going to become simpler.
Beginning 3 August 2019, will be making changes to simplify the way in which Mexican cell phones and land lines are dialed. It will bring Mexico’s dialing rules into accordance with the protocols that are used in the US and Canada.
Service Codes are no longer required
The most fundamental changes are that…
- It will no longer be necessary to dial the service code, i.e., 044 and 045 that have been used for cell phones and land lines respectfully
- It will no longer be required to dial 01 when calling domestic long distance numbers.
- Also, eliminated is the necessity to dial “1” after Mexico’s Country Code (52), when calling a Mexican cell phone from outside of Mexico
Calling from/to Mexican land lines
The following rules will go into place as of 3 August 2019. Also, let’s assume that the local Mexican phone number is a seven digit number “777.555.1234” for our example. Note that in some towns and cities there are numbers that are eight digits in length.
Calling a Mexican land line from a Mexican land line in the same area: Simply dial the local number (7 or 8 digits, depending on the town/city). That would be dialed as 555.1234.
Calling a Mexican land line from a Mexican land line in a different area. Dial the area code and the number. Omit the 01 (long distance) prefix. That would be dialed as 777.555.1234.
Calling a Mexican land line from a Mexican cell phone: Dial the area code and the number directly from your cellphone. Omit the 01 (long distance) prefix. That would be dialed as 777.555.1234.
Calling a Mexican cell phone from a Mexican land line: Dial the cell phone’s area code and number directly. Omit the 044 or 045 prefix. Again, that would be dialed as 777.555.1234
Calling to/from Mexican cell phones
Calling a Mexican cell phone from another Mexican cell phone while in Mexico: Dial the other cell phone’s area code and number. Omit 044 or 045 in the code. That would be dialed as 777.555.1234.
Calling a Mexican cell phone from outside of Mexico: Dial Mexico’s country code (+52) then the area code, and then the number. Omit the ‘1’ after the +52, as was previously required.
Calling any number in Mexico from a Mexican cell phone outside of Mexico (roaming): Dial Mexico’s international code +52, then the area code, and then the number. Omit the ‘1’ after the +52. That would be dialed as 52.777.555.1234.
Calling Mexican toll-free (800) and premium toll (900) numbers
Beginning 3 August 2019, whether you are calling from a Mexican land line or from a Mexican cell phone, omit the 01. Thus 01.800.555.1234 becomes 800.555.1234. and 01.900.555.1234 becomes 900.555.1234.
Storing numbers in your Mexican cell phone
If you travel back and forth between Mexico and the US and Canada, you should change your numbering system on the contacts in your telephone after 3 August 2019.
By using the international dialing format: [country code] [area code] [number], it will make the dialing easier. Your Mexican contacts will be recorded with the +52 prefix before the area code and number, i.e., 777.555.1212 would become 52.777.555.1212. Your US and Canada contacts should begin with a 1 in lieu of the 52. For example, a US number that is 123.456.7890 would become 1-123.456.7890. Making these changes will assure that you will be connected to the correct country and phone number, regardless of whether you are using your phone in Mexico, the US, or Canada.
