As there are ads on DoneDeal from Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of Ireland, you may come across country dialling codes from time to time. To make sure you dial the correct phone number it's important to check what country the advertised phone number is for, before making your phone call.
The first step to calling the right number is to check which country the phone number is for. Normally the phone number will correspond with the country (and country code) of the county mentioned in the ad. The following counties have UK phone numbers:
- Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Derry (Londonderry), Tyrone
When you call a number in a different country you must replace the first zero from the area code with the international call prefix and the country code.
The international call prefix is normally 00 (zero zero) or + (plus).
Ireland and the UK have different country codes. The country code is a short code that you put in front of a phone number to show which country the phone number is in:
- Ireland's country code: 353
- Northern Ireland's country code: 44 (this is the UK country code)
Phone number in ad | County of the ad | Calling from Ireland | Calling from Northern Ireland (UK) |
---|---|---|---|
087 123 4567 | Cork (IRE) | 087 123 4567 | 00353 87 123 4567 |
07969 123456 | Antrim (UK) | 0044 7969 123456 | 07969 123456 |
+353 1 234 5678 | Dublin (IRE) | 01 234 5678 | 00353 1234 5678 |
+44 7752 123456 | Armagh (UK) | 0044 7752 123456 | 07752 123456 |
While the above is relevant to mobile phone numbers in Northern Ireland, it is not the same when calling landline numbers in Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland. Landline numbers in Northern Ireland have the prefix 028. When phoning from the Republic of Ireland this prefix must be changed to 048.
Please note that some people, especially people living close to the border, may have a mobile phone from across the border. If you are not sure which country the phone number is for, please try the number for both countries.
What about the plus (+)?
Sometimes you will see a phone number in an ad with a plus in front of it, for example +44 123 456 789. This means the phone number is in the country with country code 44 (UK).
You can normally dial this number from your phone by simply replacing the plus (+) with 00 (zero zero). In this example you would just dial 0044 123 456 789. On most mobile phones you can enter the plus directly, but it normally works just as well to enter the double zero (00) instead.