Boston Dialing Instructions

Procedure to Dial Boston, MA from Any Country

Follow this basic dialing procedure to place an international long-distance call from any country worldwide to a landline or mobile phone number in Boston, MA.

The procedure outlined below is for direct international dialing from a landline or mobile phone in the home or office.

Additional or different dialing steps may be required when calling Boston using calling card or VoIP service.

1. Dial international access code / IDD:   idd 

Dial your country's international access code (aka international direct dial code or IDD) to initiate a phone call to Boston.

Lookup your international access code here.

Note that some mobile operators do not require dialing an IDD and/or allow use of substitute characters (such as '+') in lieu of dialing an IDD. As well, in many cases you don't dial an IDD when using a calling card or VoIP service.

2. Dial United States country code: + 1 

Dial country code +1 to reach any location in United States, including Boston. Country codes are also known as ISDs or international subscriber dialing codes.

If your Boston phone number starts with a ' 1 ' - e.g., 1 617  224 1800, don't add a second ' 1 '. Dial just a single ' 1 ' after the international access code.

3. Dial a 10-digit Boston phone number

All Boston phone numbers are 10-digits long with two parts:

a. Dial a 3-digit Boston area code:  aaa 

b. Dial a 7-digit local subscriber number: nnn nnnn

Some common Boston area codes are: 617 , 857 , 508 , and 978 . List of Boston area codes

Lookup a Boston phone number

Steps to Dial Boston from a Specific Country

Follow the links below for country-specific dialing instructions for calling Boston landline and mobile phones. These pages include originating country access codes and other information.