Telephone numbers in Peru

Phone numbers formats

Telephone numbers in Peru are made of:

Mobile telephony

• Nine digits for mobile numbers across the country. The first digit is always the number nine: 9xx xxx xxx

Fixed (land) lines

• Seven digits in the Metropolitan Area of Lima and Callao
• Six digits in the rest of the country

Area codes

Peruvian area codes for each region (national subdivision) are 2 digits long except for Lima and Callao. On 1 March 2003 new codes were established.

The following is a list of the area codes in Peru:^[1]

Mobile phone calls within Peru (Mobile Virtual Area)

From September 4, 2010, a national Mobile Virtual Area^[2] was created meaning that all mobile numbers in Peru are non-geographical (not attached to any geographical region but instead to the new MVA). In addition to that all mobile numbers across the country turned to nine digits long: 9xx xxx xxx.^[3]

The following instructions are valid across the country:^[4]

Calls from mobile to mobile

 9xx xxx xxx (just dial the 9-digit number) 

Calls from mobile to landline

 0 + area code + phone number Example on how to call to Piura: 0 + 73 + 388351 

Calls from fixed line to mobile

 9xx xxx xxx (just dial the 9-digit number) 

Domestic calls within Peru

Calls from fixed line to landline

 Call to a number in the same area: just dial the phone number 

 Call to a number in another area (domestic long distance): 0 + area code + phone number. 

International long distance

Calling Peru from abroad

Calling a fixed line

 +51 + area code + phone number 

Where the plus sign (+) represents the international access code of the country you are calling from.

From North America: 011 + 51 + area code + phone number

Example:

• Calling a fixed line in Lima: 011 51 1 1234567
• Calling a fixed line in Cusco: 011 51 84 123456

• Calling a fixed line in Machu Picchu: 011 51 84 123456

From Europe or most APAC countries: 00 + 51 + area code + phone number

Calling a mobile number

In Peru, a cell-phone number starts with a 9.

 +51 9XX XXX XXX (9-digit mobile number) 

The mobile virtual area eliminates the use of area code for mobile numbers.

Calling abroad from Peru

In Peru, when making an international call you may choose a carrier for international calls different from your usual carrier/provider according to the rates carriers offer to attract callers. This system is known as "call by call" (in Spanish "Llamada por llamada") as each call can be made with a different carrier and is available to both fixed lines and mobile phones. Each carrier uses a 4-digit prefix (format 19XX).

International dialing format

This is the standard format in Peru for making calls abroad from fixed lines and mobile phones:

 19XX + 00 + country code + area code + phone number 

Carriers:

• Americatel: 1977^[5]
• Claro: 1912^[6]
• IDT: 1914^[7]
• Convergia: 1960
• Movistar: 1911^[8]
• Nextel: 1990 (valid only for Nextel customers)
• Viettel : 2014

It is mandatory to choose a 19XX carrier when calling internationally from a fixed line.

If you are calling internationally from a mobile phone you have the option not to use the 19XX prefix. You may dial starting with the "+" symbol

 +country code + area code + phone number 

and the international call will go through your provider's network.

Example calls

From Peru to USA/Canada:

• From fixed line or mobile phone: 19XX + 00 + 1 + area code + phone number
• From mobile phone (2° alternative): +1 + area code + phone number (your call will go through your usual provider's network)

Special numbers

• 103 is the telephone information number
• 105 is the Police Emergency Number
• 117 is the Ambulance number
• 116 is the Fire number

References