+27 is the country code for South Africa.
Every phone number in South Africa starts with +27 when you call it from another country. From the US, dial 011 27, then the number without its first 0.
- Time there
- Johannesburg timeSouth Africa Standard Time, UTC+2, no daylight saving
- From the US or Canada
- 011 27 71 123 4567
- From the UK and most of Europe
- 00 27 71 123 4567
- From Australia
- 0011 27 71 123 4567
- From any mobile phone
- +27 71 123 4567
- Inside South Africa
- 071 123 4567
- Mobile numbers
- 5 to 9 digits after +27, starting 19, 50, 6, 7, 81, 82, 83, 84 or 85
- Landlines
- 9 digits after +27, such as +27 10 XXX XXXX in Johannesburg
- Toll-free numbers
- Start with 080
Check a +27 number to see whether it is a mobile, a landline or VoIP.
Pick the country, enter the number without the +27, and the free check shows whether it is valid and whether it is a mobile, a landline or VoIP.
Mobile numbers in South Africa start with 19, 50, 6, 7, 81, 82, 83, 84 or 85, and this table shows which networks first issued each start.
| At home | From abroad | First issued by |
|---|---|---|
| 019 | +27 19 | Telkom Mobile |
| 050 | +27 50 | Rain |
| 06 | +27 6 | Vodacom, MTN, Cell C |
| 07 | +27 7 | MTN, Vodacom, Cell C |
| 081 | +27 81 | Telkom Mobile, TelAfrica (Wirles Connect), MTN |
| 082 | +27 82 | Vodacom |
| 083 | +27 83 | MTN |
| 084 | +27 84 | Cell C |
People keep their number when they switch networks, so the start shows where a number began. Our free number portability lookup shows the network it is on today.
36 landline areas cover South Africa, from 010 in Johannesburg to 058 in Bethlehem/Eastern Free State.
| At home | From abroad | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 010, 011 | +27 10, +27 11 | Johannesburg |
| 012 | +27 12 | Brits/Tshwane |
| 013 | +27 13 | Bronkhorstspruit/Eastern Gauteng/Middelburg/Nelspruit/Northern and Western Mpumalanga/Witbank |
| 014 | +27 14 | Modimolle/Northern North West and Southwestern Limpopo/Rustenburg |
| 015 | +27 15 | Northern and Eastern Limpopo/Polokwane |
| 016 | +27 16 | Vaal Triangle |
| 017 | +27 17 | Ermelo/Secunda/Southern Mpumalanga |
| 018 | +27 18 | Klerksdorp/Lichtenburg/Potchefstroom |
| 021 | +27 21 | Cape Town/Gordons Bay/Somerset West/Stellenbosch |
| 022 | +27 22 | Boland/Malmesbury/Vredenburg/Western coast of Western Cape |
| 023 | +27 23 | Beaufort West/Karoo/Robertson/Worcester |
| 027 | +27 27 | Alexander Bay/Calvinia/Clanwilliam/Namaqualand/Port Nolloth/Springbok/Vredendal |
| 028 | +27 28 | Caledon/Hermanus/Southern coast of Western Cape/Swellendam |
| 031 | +27 31 | Durban |
| 032 | +27 32 | Ballito/KwaZulu Natal coast/Stanger/Tongaat/Verulam |
| 033 | +27 33 | KwaZulu Natal Midlands/Pietermaritzburg |
| 034 | +27 34 | Newcastle/Northern KwaZulu Natal/Vryheid |
| 035 | +27 35 | Richards Bay/St. Lucia/Ulundi/Zululand |
| 036 | +27 36 | Drakensberg/Ladysmith |
| 039 | +27 39 | Eastern Pondoland/Port Shepstone/Southern coast of KwaZulu Natal |
| 040 | +27 40 | Alice/Bhisho |
| 041 | +27 41 | Port Elizabeth/Uitenhage |
| 042 | +27 42 | Jeffreys Bay/Humansdorp/Southern and central Eastern Cape |
| 043 | +27 43 | East London |
| 044 | +27 44 | Garden Route/George/Knysna/Mossel Bay/Oudtshoorn/Plettenberg Bay |
| 045 | +27 45 | Northern and eastern parts of Eastern Cape/Queenstown |
| 046 | +27 46 | Bathurst/Southern and eastern parts of Eastern Cape/Grahamstown/Kenton-on-Sea/Port Alfred |
| 047 | +27 47 | Butterworth/Eastern part of Eastern Cape/Mthatha |
| 048 | +27 48 | Cradock/Northern part of Eastern Cape/Steynsburg |
| 049 | +27 49 | Graaff-Reinet/Western part of Eastern Cape |
| 051 | +27 51 | Aliwal North/Bloemfontein/Far eastern part of Eastern Cape/Southern and Central Free State |
| 053 | +27 53 | Eastern part of Northern Cape/Far western part of North West/Kimberley/Kuruman |
| 054 | +27 54 | Upington/Gordonia |
| 056 | +27 56 | Kroonstad/Parys/Northern Free State |
| 057 | +27 57 | Northern Free State Goldfields/Welkom |
| 058 | +27 58 | Bethlehem/Eastern Free State |
In South Africa, the phone number format for apps and SMS gateways is +27 followed by the number without its 0.
| Written | Example | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| At home | 071 123 4567 | Business cards, local ads |
| International | +27 71 123 4567 | Websites, email signatures |
| E.164 | +27711234567 | APIs, SMS gateways, CRMs |
A missed call from a +27 number you don't know can be a one-ring scam, so check it before calling back.
One-ring scams call once and hang up, hoping you call back a line that bills you international or premium rates.
- Don't call back an international number you don't know. A real caller leaves a message or sends a text.
- Check the number in the box above. A number that is not a working mobile or landline in South Africa is a warning sign.
- Hang up on anyone who wants gift cards, crypto or a wire transfer, or asks you to read out a code that was just texted to you.
- Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and see the FCC's guide to one-ring scams.
The codes next to +27 belong to other countries, so one wrong digit reaches a different place.
These are the questions people ask most about +27.
Which country uses the +27 country code?
South Africa. Every phone number there starts with +27 when it is dialed from abroad.
How do I call South Africa from the US?
Dial 011, then 27, then the number without its first 0. A mobile number written 071 123 4567 at home is dialed 011 27 71 123 4567 from the US, or +27 71 123 4567 from any mobile phone.
Is +27 the same as 0027?
Yes. 00 is the exit code used in South Africa and most of the world, and the + on a mobile phone stands in for whatever exit code your network uses. From the US and Canada the exit code is 011 instead.
How many digits is a phone number in South Africa?
A mobile number has 5 to 9 digits after +27, written 071 123 4567 at home. A landline has 9 digits, written 010 XXX XXXX at home.
What time is it in South Africa?
South Africa is on South Africa Standard Time, UTC+2, all year. It does not use daylight saving time.
How do I check a +27 number that called me?
Enter it in the box above. The free check shows whether it is a valid number from South Africa and whether it is a mobile, a landline or a VoIP line, which helps you spot a one-ring scam before you call back.
Sources: Google's libphonenumber numbering data for lengths, mobile starts, area code places, first-issuing networks and time zones, as of September 24, 2026; the ITU list of country codes.