Need to make and receive calls from customers in Canada? The good news is, it’s not that complicated.
This guide explains everything you should know about the Canadian phone number format, including how to call Canada from a mobile phone and landline (plus the best time to call so customers pick up).
Having some trouble reaching customers in Canada? We’ll walk through some reasons why your call isn’t connecting. And if you’re looking for the fastest and easiest way to call contacts in Canada, we’ll provide a cost-effective solution at the end of the guide.
What is the Canadian phone number format?
The Canadian phone number format consists of 11 digits:
- The country’s exit code (+1) or 011, depending on your device and location (keep reading in the next section to find out which applies to you)
- The three-digit Canadian area code (like ‘416’ in Toronto)
- The seven-digit local number (usually formatted as 123-4567)
- The first three digits are the central office code, which identifies the specific network exchange of the number
- The last four digits are the specific line number, which sends your call to the telephone network you’re trying to reach
How to call Canada
It takes just a few steps to call a phone number in Canada.
If you’re calling someone in Canada from a non-Canadian mobile number, follow these steps:
1. Dial Canada’s country code: ‘+1’. With an OpenPhone account, you just have to dial (+).
2. Dial the three-digit area code and seven-digit telephone number.
That’s all it takes to reach customers in Canada.
Are you calling a Canadian phone number from outside the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) group of countries and using a landline or desk phone?
If so, you’ll need to include the international access code:1. Dial ‘011,’ the international access code.
2. Dial ‘1,’ Canada’s country code.
3. Dial the 10-digit phone number (area code plus seven-digit number).
Here are several examples of calling Canadian numbers:
- Calling Toronto from a mobile number: +1 (416) 948-6623
- Dialing Edmonton from a cell number: +1 (825) 326-6814
- Calling Vancouver from a landline number outside the NANP: 011 (778) 098-7654
What are Canada’s area codes?
Canada has 62 area codes as of July 2024.
Keep in mind that provinces with high populations may have multiple area codes.
We broke it down in this comprehensive chart:
| Province | Major Cities | Area Code |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Banff, Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat | 403/ 587/ 825/ 368 |
| Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Jasper, Peace River | 780/ 587/ 825/ 368 | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | St. John’s | 709/ 879 |
| Saskatchewan | Regina, Saskatoon | 306/ 474/ 639 |
| Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown | 902/ 782 |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax, Truro, Bridgewater, Amherst | 902/ 782 |
| Manitoba | Winnipeg, Brandon, Steinbach, Winkler | 204/ 431/ 584 |
| New Brunswick | Moncton, Saint John | 506/ 428 |
| British Columbia | Vancouver, Chilliwack, Hope | 236/ 604/ 778 |
| Port Hardy, Comox, Nanaimo, Sidney, Victoria, Merritt | 236/ 250/ 778 | |
| Ontario | Toronto | 416/ 437/ 647 |
| Hamilton, St. Catharines | 289/ 365/ 905 | |
| Kitchener, Brantford | 226/ 519 /548 | |
| Barrie, Peterborough | 249/ 705 | |
| Belleville, Kingston, Ottawa | 343/ 613 | |
| Quebec | Montreal | 514/ 438 |
| Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Drummondville, Trois-Rivières | 819/ 873 | |
| Laval, Longueuil | 450/ 579 | |
| Quebec City, Thetford Mines | 418/ 581 |
What is the best time to call Canada?
There are six different time zones spanning across Canada, so it’s easy to catch customers at awkward or inappropriate times.
Below are the best times to make long-distance calls to Canada and avoid calling your customers outside standard business hours.
1. Calling Canada from the US
Canada shares four time zones with the US, which makes it easy to book a call.
Here’s a quick guide to the best times you might try calling Canada from the US:
| US Time Zone | Canadian Time Zone | Example Best Times to Call Canada from US (Standard Time) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Time: UTC -5 | Newfoundland: UTC -3:30 (1.5 hours ahead of ET) | US ET: 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM |
| Atlantic Standard: UTC -4 (1 hour ahead of ET) | US ET: 11 AM – 3 PM | |
| Eastern Standard: UTC -5 | US ET: 12 PM – 4 PM | |
| Central Standard: UTC -6 (1 hour behind ET) | US ET: 1 PM – 5 PM | |
| Mountain Standard: UTC -7 (2 hours behind ET) | US ET: 2 PM – 6 PM | |
| Pacific Standard: UTC -8 (3 hours behind ET) | US ET: 3 PM – 7 PM | |
| Central Time: UTC -6 | Newfoundland: UTC -3:30 (2.5 hours ahead of CT) | US CT: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM |
| Atlantic Standard: UTC -4 (2 hours ahead of CT) | US CT: 9 AM – 1 PM | |
| Eastern Standard: UTC -5 (1 hour ahead of CT) | US CT: 10 AM – 2 PM | |
| Central Standard: UTC -6 | US CT: 11 AM – 3 PM | |
| Mountain Standard: UTC -7 | US CT: 12 PM – 4 PM | |
| Pacific Standard: UTC -8 | US CT: 1 PM – 5 PM | |
| Mountain Time: UTC -7 | Newfoundland: UTC -3:30 | MT: 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM |
| Atlantic Standard: UTC -4 | MT: 9 AM – 1 PM | |
| Eastern Standard: UTC -5 | MT: 10 AM – 2 PM | |
| Central Standard: UTC -6 | MT: 11 AM – 3 PM | |
| Mountain Standard: UTC -7 | MT: 12 PM – 4 PM | |
| Pacific Standard: UTC -8 | MT: 1 PM – 5 PM | |
| Pacific Time: UTC -8 | Newfoundland: UTC -3:30 | PT: 7:30 AM – 11:30 AM |
| Atlantic Standard: UTC -4 | PT: 8 AM – 12 PM | |
| Eastern Standard: UTC -5 | PT: 9 AM – 1 PM | |
| Central Standard: UTC -6 | PT: 10 AM – 2 PM | |
| Mountain Standard: UTC -7 | PT: 11 AM – 3 PM | |
| Pacific Standard: UTC -8 | PT: 12 PM – 4 PM |
2. Calling Canada from the UK
The best time to call Canada from the UK is usually in the afternoon.
Assuming you’re on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during Daylight Saving time:
- You can reach customers in Alert, Nunavut (Eastern Time) between 9 AM and 1 PM if you call between 2 PM and 6 PM your time.
- You can reach customers in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Central Time) between 9 AM and 12 PM if you call between 3 PM and 6 PM your time.
- You can reach customers in Calgary, Alberta (Mountain Time) between 9 AM and 11 AM if you call between 4 PM and 6 PM your time.
- You can reach customers in Vancouver, British Columbia (Pacific Time) between 9 AM and 10 AM if you call between 5 PM and 6 PM your time.
3. Calling Canada from Australia
Trying to reach Canada from the Land Down Under?
Here’s how both country’s time zones compare:
| Australian Time Zone | Canadian Time Zone | Example Best Times to Call Canada from Australia (Standard Time) |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) (UTC +10) (Canadian time zones are behind Australian time zones. For example, Canadian Eastern time is 14 hours behind Australian Eastern time) | Newfoundland: UTC -3:30 | |
| Atlantic Standard: UTC -4 | AEST 11 PM – 3: AM | |
| Eastern Standard: UTC -5 | AEST: 12 AM – 4 AM | |
| Central Standard: UTC -6 | AEST: 1 AM – 5 AM | |
| Mountain Standard: UTC -7 | AEST: 2 AM – 6 AM | |
| Pacific Standard: UTC -8 | AEST: 3 AM – 7 AM | |
| Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) (UTC +9.5) | Newfoundland: UTC -3:30 | ACST: 10 PM – 2 AM |
| Atlantic Standard: UTC -4 | ACST: 10.30 PM – 2:30 AM | |
| Eastern Standard: UTC -5 | ACST: 11:30 PM – 3:30 AM | |
| Central Standard: UTC -6 | ACST: 12:30 AM – 4:30 AM | |
| Mountain Standard: UTC -7 | ACST: 1:30 AM – 5:30 AM | |
| Pacific Standard: UTC -8 | ACST: 2:30 AM – 6:30 AM | |
| Australian Western Standard Time (AWST) (UTC +8) | Newfoundland: UTC -3:30 | AWST: 9:30 PM – 1:30 AM |
| Atlantic Standard: UTC -4 | AWST: 10 PM – 2 AM | |
| Eastern Standard: UTC -5 | AWST: 11 PM – 3 AM | |
| Central Standard: UTC -6 | AWST: 12 AM – 4 AM | |
| Mountain Standard: UTC -7 | AWST: 1 AM – 5 AM | |
| Pacific Standard: UTC -8 | AWST: 2 AM – 6 AM |
4. Calling Canada from India
India Standard Time is nearly half a day ahead of most Canadian time zones. Unless you’re willing to call later at night, it may be difficult to catch customers at a good time.
You might try calling at 10 PM to reach:
- Eastern Standard Time customers at 12:30 AM
- Central Standard Time customers at 11:30 AM
- Mountain Standard Time customers at 9:30 AM
- Pacific Standard Time customers at 9:30 AM
Reasons why your calls to Canada don’t connect
Are your calls to Canada not going through? It might be because:
- You’re entering the wrong country code or dialing format: Using the wrong exit code, country code, area code, and local number can prevent your call from connecting to your recipient.
- There are problems with your network connection: Problems can happen with your (or your recipient’s) service provider, such as the strength of the signal or technical difficulties.
- Your carrier has international calling restrictions: Certain carriers have international calling restrictions for high-risk countries with above-average fraud rates. While Canada is generally not considered high-risk, you should still check with your provider to make sure your current plan lets you call Canada.
- You have an inactive phone plan or an inaccurate number: You might need to double-check with your client via email or another channel to make sure their Canadian phone number is correct and active.
- There are challenges in aligning business hours across time zones: You may be calling at a time when your customers are away from their phones. Read the section above to get the best times to call customers in Canada.
How to get a Canadian phone number with OpenPhone
Getting a Canadian phone number with a VoIP provider like OpenPhone will ensure seamless communication between your customers and your business. Each plan comes with free calling and texting to the US and Canada. Plus, with a local Canadian phone number, your customers are much more likely to pick up the phone.
If you choose OpenPhone as your virtual phone number provider, follow these three steps to get a local Canadian phone number:
- Create an OpenPhone account. When you sign up, you can try OpenPhone free for seven days.
- During signup, select a city or area code in Canada to pick a local phone number. OpenPhone offers local area codes in 10 Canadian provinces.
- Complete the signup process, and the Canadian business phone number you selected is yours.
OpenPhone doesn’t just provide numbers to your team — we provide dozens of ways to provide a better customer experience and take more work off your plate:
- Split responsibility for incoming calls and messages using shared numbers
- Call the US and Canada for free with any plan and without paying extra in long distance charges — plus affordable international calling rates
- Send free SMS and MMS messages to Canadian numbers
- Automatically route calls to the right teammates and forward calls to an external number as needed
- Save time following up after any conversation with AI-powered call summaries and transcriptions
- Automatically log calls and texts to HubSpot or missed calls and voicemail notifications to any Slack channel using our integrations
How much does it cost to call a Canadian number?
The cost of calling a Canadian number changes based on location and provider. For example:
- If you live in North America, most service providers allow you to call Canadian numbers at no extra charge.
- If you live outside North America, you likely need to pay a per-minute rate that ranges from a few cents to a few dollars per minute.
- Some VoIP systems offer international calling packages so you can unlock unlimited calls at a flat rate per month.
The cheapest way to call a Canadian number is to sign up for a Canadian VoIP provider. OpenPhone starts at $15 per user per month to make unlimited free calls to any number in the US and Canada.
How to call Canada with OpenPhone
First, you need to make sure international calling is enabled for your account (if you’re outside the US or Canada). There are two ways to call an international number: the web or the desktop app.
When making a call, type ‘+’ followed by the country code and number you wish to call. If you have already saved that number as a contact, you can just type the contact’s name and call.
You can make calls within an active conversation with an international number by clicking the call icon in the top right corner.
OpenPhone: The best way to call a Canadian phone number
The Canadian phone number format isn’t difficult to dial, and it can be easier, cheaper, and more business-friendly.
With OpenPhone, you can make unlimited calls to any USA or Canadian phone number. You can also purchase Canadian numbers — which gives you a local presence that makes your business seem trustworthy. You could also use toll-free numbers to help callers reach offices in different countries.
You don’t need to purchase expensive equipment to get started. All you need is your phone, laptop, or tablet to make or receive calls through any WiFi connection. And with dozens of features that help scale your business, you can spend less time remembering the details and more time building better relationships with your customers.
Sign up for a seven-day free trial of OpenPhone and start dialing Canadian phone numbers in 15 minutes or less.
FAQs
Yes, you can call Canada for free with an OpenPhone account. Each plan comes with unlimited calls and texts to the US and Canada, which means you can make and receive calls anywhere with a WiFi connection.
The +1 in front of a Canadian phone number identifies the country code. All phone numbers on the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) require a +1 to route your international call correctly.
You can dial a Canadian phone number from the US by following the Canada phone number format:
Country code (+1), area code (123), and local phone number (456-7890).
If you’re calling a customer in Toronto, for example, you would dial +1 (416) 948-6623.
A Canadian phone number is 11 digits long and looks like +1 (XXX-XXX-XXXX). This includes the country code, three-digit area code, and seven-digit local phone number.
If you’re calling from a landline to Canada from the US or other countries in the NANP:
1. Dial the country code, which is ‘1.’
2. Enter the 3-digit area code (such as 514 for Montreal).
3. Dial the 7-digit local phone number.
Here’s a step-by-step process of how to call Canada from a landline outside the US, Canada, or other countries in the NANP:
1. Dial the exit code specific to your country. For example, the US and Canadian exit code is ‘011.’
2. Dial the country code, which is ‘1.’
3. Enter the 3-digit area code (such as 514 for Montreal).
4. Dial the 7-digit local phone number.
For example, if you’re calling a customer in Montreal, you would dial 011 1 514 123 4567.
