How to Make International Calls on iPhone: Dialing, Contacts, Costs

To make an international call on an iPhone, open the Phone app, tap Keypad, then touch and hold the 0 key until a plus sign (+) appears. Type the country code, then the local number without its leading zero, and tap the green call button. The plus sign replaces the exit code (011 from the US), so the same number works from any country you are in.

The rest of this guide covers the number formats that trip people up, how to save contacts so they dial correctly from anywhere, and what the call costs on a US plan.

The pattern: + country code + number

Every international number on an iPhone follows one pattern:

+ then country code then area code and number, minus the first 0

Apple's iPhone User Guide gives the plus step: touch and hold the 0 key until + appears. If you copied the number from an email or a website, tap the number field above the keypad and tap Paste instead. On a Dual SIM iPhone, tap the line shown at the top of the keypad to choose which line the call goes out on.

The step people get wrong is the leading zero. Many countries write their numbers with a 0 at the front for calls inside the country. That 0 is a trunk prefix, and you drop it when you add the country code.

How the number changes: country by country

The numbers below use x in place of real digits. The left column is how someone in that country would write their number. The right column is what you type on your iPhone.

Country	Written locally	Type on your iPhone	Rule
United Kingdom (+44)	07xxx xxxxxx	+44 7xxx xxxxxx	Drop the 0
Germany (+49)	030 xxxxxxx	+49 30 xxxxxxx	Drop the 0
France (+33)	06 xx xx xx xx	+33 6 xx xx xx xx	Drop the 0
Japan (+81)	090-xxxx-xxxx	+81 90 xxxx xxxx	Drop the 0
India (+91)	098xxx xxxxx or 98xxx xxxxx	+91 98xxx xxxxx	Drop the 0 if there is one
Philippines (+63)	0917 xxx xxxx	+63 917 xxx xxxx	Drop the 0
Mexico (+52)	55 xxxx xxxx	+52 55 xxxx xxxx	All 10 digits, nothing to drop
Italy (+39)	06 xxxx xxxx	+39 06 xxxx xxxx	Keep the 0 on landlines
Canada (+1)	(416) xxx-xxxx	+1 416 xxx xxxx	Same as a US number

Two exceptions catch people out. Italy keeps the 0 on landline numbers after +39. And Canada, plus many Caribbean countries such as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, use +1 like the US, so a call there looks domestic but may not be priced like one. Verizon, for example, lists these as "direct dial countries" where international voice rates still apply on its international calling page.

Do I need to dial 011 on an iPhone?

No. 011 is the US exit code, and it only works when you are calling from the US or Canada. The + does the same job and works everywhere, so it is the better habit. If you are reading an old instruction that says "dial 011 44...", type +44 instead.

Save contacts in + format so they work everywhere

If you store a foreign number the way it is written locally (07xxx...), your iPhone will treat it as a US number and the call fails. Store it once in full international format and it works from the US, from abroad, through FaceTime and in WhatsApp.

1. Open Contacts (or the Contacts tab in the Phone app) and choose the person.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Tap the phone number and retype it with + and the country code, without the leading 0. On the number pad, the +*# key brings up the plus sign.
4. Tap Done.

Do the same for your US contacts before you travel. A number saved as +1 212 xxx xxxx dials correctly from Paris. One saved as 212 xxx xxxx may not, because a foreign network has no way of knowing it is a US number.

Calling home while you travel

When you are abroad with your US iPhone, you dial the same way: + and the country code. What changes is the cost, which depends on whether the call goes over a foreign mobile network (roaming) or over Wi-Fi.

Turn on Wi-Fi Calling before you leave. Apple's Wi-Fi Calling article gives the path: open Settings, tap Cellular, tap Wi-Fi Calling and turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone. You will see "Wi-Fi" in the status bar in Control Center when it is active.

On most US plans, a Wi-Fi call from abroad to a US number is treated like a domestic call. A Wi-Fi call to a foreign number is still billed as an international call from the US, even if you are standing in that country. The details by carrier are in our guide to whether Wi-Fi calling is free internationally.

What a US carrier charges for an international call

Dialing is free. The call is not. Unless your plan includes the country, or you pay for an add-on, US carriers bill international calls by the minute.

• Verizon charges pay-per-minute rates "starting from $0.49/min", and says domestic airtime may also apply, as of October 2026 (Verizon pay per minute). Its Global Choice add-on is $10 a month per line for up to 300 minutes to one country you pick. More in our Verizon international calling guide.
• T-Mobile sells Stateside International Talk for $15 a month, with unlimited calls to landlines in 70+ countries and mobiles in 30+ (as of September 2026). Without it, pay-per-use rates apply by country. See our T-Mobile international calling guide.
• AT&T offers AT&T International Calling for $15 a month per line, with unlimited calls from the US to 85+ countries and discounted rates to 140+ more, as of October 2026. It needs a postpaid plan with unlimited talk, and AT&T says most of its plans already include unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada. See our AT&T international calling guide.

Here is what that means in practice. On Verizon's pay-per-minute option, a 10-minute call costs at least $4.90, even to the cheapest country. Ten such calls a month is $49 or more, which is why someone who calls one country every week should buy an add-on. Someone who calls abroad a few times a year pays $10 to $15 every month for an add-on they barely use.

A cheaper route for occasional calls

You do not have to use the Phone app at all. A web calling service runs in Safari on the same iPhone, over Wi-Fi or mobile data, and charges a few cents a minute to many countries with no monthly fee.

BoraPhone works this way: open it in Safari, allow the microphone, type the number in + format and the rate shows before you call. Credit is pay-as-you-go from $5, billing is per minute (rounded up to the next minute), and the first call is free. Because it does not use your carrier line, it also works on a travel eSIM or on hotel Wi-Fi. At the time of writing (October 2026):

10-minute call to	BoraPhone landline	BoraPhone mobile
Mexico	$0.40	$1.10
United Kingdom	$0.40	$0.70
Germany	$0.70	$1.00
India	$1.11	$1.11
Japan	$1.71	$4.10

Rates change, so check the country page for the live price, or compare countries on the international calling rate index. Some routes are expensive: a 10-minute call to a Philippine mobile is about $6.50, and Vietnam or Nigeria cost about $4 to $5 for 10 minutes. If you call those countries often, a carrier add-on or an app call to someone who has the app will usually be cheaper.

Why can't I make international calls on my iPhone?

If the call does not connect, work through these in order:

1. Check the format. Most failures are a missing country code or a leftover 0. Compare the number against the table above.
2. Check your carrier allows it. Some plans and new accounts block international calls. Verizon, for example, says some destinations need extra permission and that your account must be active for 34 days and in good standing. Call your carrier or check its app.
3. Check for a calling block. If you or a parent set up a restriction on the line, or a prepaid plan has no international credit, the call stops before it rings.
4. Try Wi-Fi Calling off, then on. If you are abroad and calls over Wi-Fi fail, Apple suggests trying a different Wi-Fi network, as not all networks work with Wi-Fi Calling.
5. Try another method. If the number is right and the carrier still blocks it, a browser or app calling service does not depend on your carrier's international settings.

Frequently asked questions

How do you dial +44 on an iPhone?

Open the Phone app, tap Keypad, then touch and hold the 0 key until + appears. Type 44, then the UK number without its first 0. A UK mobile written 07xxx xxxxxx becomes +44 7xxx xxxxxx.

Why can't I make international calls on my phone?

The usual causes are a wrong format (a missing country code or an extra 0), a carrier block on international calling, or a new account that has not been open long enough. Check the number first, then ask your carrier whether international calls are allowed on your line.

Do I need an international plan to call abroad from my iPhone?

No. Without a plan, your carrier bills the call per minute at its international rate, which can be high. An add-on lowers the cost if you call often, and a pay-per-minute web calling service is usually cheaper for occasional calls.

Is it free to call internationally over Wi-Fi on an iPhone?

Not with the Phone app. Wi-Fi Calling changes how the call travels, not how it is priced: calls to foreign numbers are billed at international rates. FaceTime Audio and WhatsApp calls are free over Wi-Fi, but only when the other person uses the same app.