Sorting Out the Philippine Phone System

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What you need to know about
Philippine Telephone Numbers »

Ask remithome: Recipient Contact Telephone Number »

Telephone numbers in the Philippines can be confusing, especially if you are used to the simpler U.S. system.

In the U.S.

Area Codes are always 3 digits
There is no distinction between Land Line numbers and Cell Phone numbers

In the Philippines

Area Codes can be 1 digit, 2 digits, or 3 digits
Land Line numbers have different formats and rules than Cell Phone numbers

And if you are calling the Philippine telephone number from the U.S., you will have to make other adjustments.

The article below on “What you need to know about Philippines Telephone Numbers” explains how telephone numbers work in the Philippines. We hope that this clarifies a subject that seems to have caused much confusion.

The Ask remithome article focuses on how to enter the contact telephone number for your recipient in the Philippines.

What you need to know about Philippine Telephone Numbers

The Basics:

Subscriber Numbers (the regular phone number without an Area Code) are 7 digits (same as in U.S.).
For Land Lines, Area Codes (sometimes called city codes) are 1 or 2 digits.

Examples of these types of Area Codes are “2” for Metro Manila and Rizal, “32” for Cebu, “33” for Iloilo, “45” for Pampanga, “53” for Leyte, “65” for Zamboanga del Norte, “77” for Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, and “82” for Davao del Sur.
For Cell Phones, Area Codes (also called a provider prefix, because they differ by cell phone provider: Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, etc.) are always 3 digits, beginning with “9”.

Examples are “905” for Globe, “907” for Smart, and “922” for Sun.

When Calling from the Philippines:

To a Land Line within an Area Code – just dial the Subscriber Number.
To a Land Line outside an Area Code – dial “0” + Area Code + Subscriber Number.
To any Cell Phone Number – dial “0” + Area Code + Subscriber Number. (Since Cell Phones do not have a geographical location, they are always considered to be “long distance”.)

When Calling from U.S.:

Dial “011” (U.S. Exit Code) + “63” (Country Code for the Philippines) + Area Code + Subscriber Number.

It’s important to note that you do NOT add “0” (the Philippines Local Long Distance Prefix) before the Area Code when dialing from the U.S. Instead, “011” + “63” is added before the Area Code. The table below summarizes how to call Philippine Land Lines and Cell Phones from within the Philippines and from the U.S. At the bottom of the article, there is another table describing the components of a Philippine telephone number.

Calling Philippine Land Lines and Cell Phones

	Calling from Philippines (within Area Code)	Calling from Philippines (outside of Area Code)	Calling from U.S.
Land Line (Metro Manila & Rizal Province)	xxx-xxxx (7-digit Subscriber Number)	0-2-xxx-xxxx (“0” + “2” + Subscriber Number)	011-63-2-xxx-xxxx (“011” + “63” + “2” + Subscriber Number)
Land Line (Other Provinces)	xxx-xxxx (7-digit Subscriber Number)	0-xx-xxx-xxxx (“0” + 2-digit Area Code + Subscriber Number)	011-63-xx-xxx-xxxx (“011” + “63” + 2-digit Area Code + Subscriber Number)
Cell Phone (Anywhere in the Philippines)	0-9xx-xxx-xxxx (“0” + 3-digit Area Code starting with “9” + Subscriber Number)	0-9xx-xxx-xxxx (“0” + 3-digit Area Code starting with “9” + Subscriber Number)	011-63-9xx-xxx-xxxx (“011” + “63” + 3-digit Area Code starting with “9” + Subscriber Number)

Components of a Philippine Telephone Number

U.S. Exit Code

011

Used to dial out of the U.S.

Philippines Country Code

Used to dial the Philippines from outside the country

Philippines Domestic Long Distance Prefix

Used in the Philippines when dialing a Land Line from outside the Area Code

Always used when dialing a Cell Phone

Not used when dialing from the U.S.

Area Code

2	Land Line (Metro Manila or Rizal Province)
xx	Land Line (Other Provinces) – 2 digits, beginning with “3”, “4”, “5”, “6”, “7”, or “8”
9xx	Cell Phone – 3 digits, beginning with “9”

Used when dialing a Land Line from outside the Area Code

Always used when dialing a Cell Phone

Subscriber Number

xxx-xxxx

7 digits

Ask remithome: Recipient Contact Telephone Number

Question: When I set up a recipient profile using the Add Recipient feature, it asks for a contact telephone number. My recipient has given me her phone number, but I’m not sure which numbers to enter. Also, I’d like to know what this telephone number will be used for and whether it should be a cell phone or a land line.

Answer: The contact telephone number will be used by our Philippine processing banks or our Manila office if they need to contact your recipient. For example, if you choose Cash Pick-Up as the delivery method, your recipient must be contacted by the bank before she can pick up the money. The contact telephone number can be either a cell phone or a land line, but a cell phone number is preferred because it allows the bank to send an SMS text message to your recipient.

How to Enter a Recipient Contact Telephone Number

The Contact Phone Number requested on the Add Recipient page is in the format needed for calling from the U.S.: “011” + “63” + Area Code + Subscriber Number.

Since “011” (U.S. Exit Code) and “63” (Country Code for the Philippines) are already provided, just enter the Area Code (1-3 digits) and the Subscriber Number (7 digits). Do NOT enter “0” before the Area Code (“0” is a domestic long-distance prefix used for calls within the Philippines).

If your recipient gives you a phone number in this format ...	... enter the phone number in this format
02-1234567	011-63 2 - 1234567 (drop the zero, so “02” becomes “2”)
0-905-1234567	011-63 905 - 1234567 (drop the zero before the 905 Area Code)

The reason your recipients will often give you phone numbers in a different format is that when dialing to another area code or to a cell phone within the Philippines, they need to use the domestic long-distance prefix “0”, but when dialing from overseas, the domestic long distance prefix “0” is NOT used.

If you have any questions about Philippine telephone numbers or how to add a recipient, please call remithome Customer Service at 1-800-919-0787 during California business hours, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM, Pacific Time, or email us at customerservice@remithome.com.