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Calling to and from Mexico - How to Dial
COMPLICATED CONNECTIONS: How to dial phone numbers when in Baja / Mexico.
By Jose Angel Sanchez and Melanie Lamaga
Cedros Outdoor Adventures
Have you had the need to change an airplane ticket, call relatives, or report a lost credit card from the U.S. while traveling in Mexico?
Sometimes, our whale watching and sport fishing clients, as well as foreigners living in Mexico, get puzzled and frustrated when trying to manage phone calls between cell phones and land lines. Add to that equation a different area code or nation code and you may find yourself frantically dialing one combination after another, only to be denied. Rest assured, it’s not just you. The variations can be confusing, even for locals.
This is why we will like to offer this simple guide that you can cut and stick on the fridge or in your wallet. It will save you from that dark place where you find yourself muttering obscenities at the message in Spanish from the phone that lets you know that you are dialing something wrong for the tenth time.
From your Mexican land phone:
- To dial to a Mexican local number (same area code):
Dial 7 digits (no area code necessary)
- To dial to a Mexican long distance number:
Dial 01 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits).
- To dial to a Mexican cell phone number:
Dial 044 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits) (when in same area code)
Dial 045 if the cell phone is a different area code than where you are (LD cell phone)
- To dial to a U.S. phone number:
Dial 00 + 1 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
- To dial to a 1-800 U.S. number: (international rates apply)
Dial 00 + 1 + 880 + phone number (usually 7 digits)
- To dial to a Mexican 01-800 number:
Dial 01 + 800 + phone number (usually 7 digits)
- To dial to other countries:
Dial 00 + country code (1, 2 or 3 digits) + phone number (usually 7 digits)
From your Mexican cell phone:
- To dial to a Mexican local number:
Dial directly the área code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
- To dial to a Mexican long distance number:
Dial area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
- To dial to a Mexican cell phone number
Dial area code (3 digits) + phone number
- To dial to a US phone number:
Dial 00 + 1 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
- To dial to a 1-800 U.S. number: (international rates apply)
00 + 1 + 880 + phone number (usually 7 digits)
- To dial to a Mexican 01-800 number:
Dial 01 + 800 + phone number (usually 7 digits)
- To dial to other countries:
Dial 00 + country code (1, 2, or 3 digits) + phone number (usually 7 digits)
From your US cell phone:
You can make calls from your U.S. cell phone to Mexican numbers while you are in Mexico. The most confusing thing about this is that some US companies have arrangements with local Mexican carriers (TELNOR or TELMEX). In this case, the Mexican carrier takes over and your cell phone becomes “Mexican,” so you will use the “from Mexico” option below. Other carriers have no arrangement with any Mexican company, so you’ll use the “from the U.S.” option below. Unless you have an international plan, it is not cheap to use your U.S. cell phone in Mexico, but some times it is necessary. Contact your cell phone company before leaving the U.S, or try to dial the following ways:
- To dial to a Mexican local or long distance landline number:
From the U.S: 011 52 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
From Mexico: 01 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
- To dial to a Mexican cell phone number:
From the U.S: Dial 011 52 + 1 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
From Mexico: Dial 01 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
- To dial to a U.S. phone number:
Dial 00 + 1 + area code (3 digits) + phone number (7 digits)
- To dial to a 1-800 U.S. number: (be aware: international rates will apply)
Dial 00 + 1 + 880 + phone number
Last, we tried to find out from the Baja California phone company (TELNOR) how to dial from the U.S. into a Mexican 800 number. They don’t know. If you already know this, please, let us know at info@cedrosoutdooradventures.com
If interested in testing these numbers while whalewatching, or fishing at Cedros island visit our website www.cedrosoutdooradventures.com or call (from the U.S.) 1 619 793 5419
For more information and rates contact Cedros OutdoorAdventures at (1) 619.793.5419 (from US) or (01) 646.193.2031 (from Mexico), or to visit thier website click here.
