How to Call Italy from USA? [Step-By-Step Guide]

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Italy is a country in Europe that has had a big effect on the rest of the world because of its unique culture and food. If you want to talk to a family member or friend in Italy or need to call hotels to make travel plans, it’s important to know how to call Italy from USA.

If you know the right steps to take and the different ways to call, you can easily call Italy without worrying about getting charged too much.

Know Before You Call Italy from The US

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• Check the speed and reliability of your internet connection to make sure your calls don’t get dropped.
• Do you want to call a home phone or a cell phone? With traditional landline service plans, it can be very expensive to make calls to other countries. Make sure you understand what will happen.
• In Italy, what time is it? Is this a good time to call for business? Before you call someone in another country, make sure you know what time zone they are in.
• Upgrading to VoIP could be the best way to save nearly 50% on the cost of calling Italy from the US.

Acceptable Hours to Call Italy

Italy follows the Central European Time zone. It’s one hour ahead of the UK (GMT), six hours ahead of New York City (most of the year; Italy’s daylight savings dates aren’t exactly the same), and nine hours ahead of California (again, most of the year; Italy’s daylight savings dates aren’t exactly the same).

If you want to be polite, don’t call anyone before 8:00 or after 20:00. You might need to call a hotel after 10:00 pm, which is fine because someone will be at the front desk.

Also, it’s best to avoid lunch and dinner, which usually happen between 1:00 and 2:00 and 8:00 and 9:00. Aperitivo is when people have drinks and snacks before dinner.

Best Time to Call Italy from the US

Italy uses UTC+02 to keep track of Central European Summer Time (CEST). You can call Italy from anywhere in Australia from the following time zones:

How to Call Italy from USA?

Just follow These Simple Dialing Directions:

• First, press 011, which is the U.S. exit code.
• Then call 39, which is Italy’s country code.
• After that, call the area code (2–4 digits).
• The last step is to call the number (5–8 digits).

How to Call a Mobile Phone in Italy?

Want to call a mobile phone in Italy? In Italy, the first three numbers of a cell phone number start with the number 3. After the prefix is a number with between 6 and 7 digits. Let’s try calling a cell phone in Rome.

• First, call +011, which is the US exit code.
• The country code for Italy is 39.
• Then, dial 300 before the number.
• The last step is to call the number: 1234567.

For example- to call the Italian mobile number 335 123 4567, dial 011393351234567:

How to Call a Landline in Italy?

Do you want to know how to contact a landline in Italy? Most traditional phone lines for homes have about eight digits. For this, we are calling a home phone number in Milan: 12345678.

This is how:

• First, call +011, which is the US exit code.
• The country code for Italy is 39.
• Then, dial 02, which is the area code.
• Then, call this number: 12345678

Example – To call the Italian landline number 0571 123456, you would dial 011390571123456:

Dial an Italian Phone Number from another Country Outside of Italy

1. Call the international access code for your country. It’s 00 for England and Ireland, 0011 for Australia, and 011 for Canada (yes, the same as the U.S.). Here, it’s easy to look up your international access code. Again, if you’ve been given a number like +39 0123456789, you need to replace the + with this code.

Or, if you are using a cell phone, you can usually just dial the plus sign (+).

2. Dial 39.

3. After the first 0, dial the rest of the number.

So, if you are in Australia and want to call Italy, you would dial 0011 + 39 + 0123456789.

Have Family in Italy Who Often Call The U.S.?

Here’s an idea: why not give Vonage World® to your family or friends in Italy? Simple… Sign them up for a Vonage World® account and send them a Vonage BoxTM*. So, they can call landlines and cell phones in the U.S. as much as they want. Imagine that your brother in Italy has the same area code as you do in the United States. You and anyone else in the U.S. can call him on a U.S. number instead of calling him in Italy and paying international rates. And if both of you have Vonage, calls between the two of you are free. Vonage works anywhere you can get a fast Internet connection.

Italy Area Codes: 

Italy – Emergency Numbers

• 113 – Police
• 118 – Ambulance
• 115 – Fire
• 1530 – Coast guard
• 112 – Other Emergency

Are there any International Calling Apps?

Check out Vonage Mobile for apps that let you call people in other countries from your AndroidTM or iPhone®.

You sign up for an extra account and are still responsible for all charges and activity on each account, as well as shipping for the adapter and following the laws of the country outside the U.S. where the Vonage adapter may be used. Only English and Spanish are used for customer service at Vonage. Vonage 911 does not work outside of the United States.

How to Add an Italian Phone Number to Your Contacts?

If you’ll be calling that number more than once, you should add it to your contacts:

• Enter ‘+’ first. Tip: If the “+” key on your keypad is also the “0” key, hold down the “+” key until the “+” appears on your screen.
• Enter ’39, which is the country code for Italy.
• Enter the area code or prefix for a landline phone, then the phone number.

Calling Italy from The USA Using WhatsApp?

When someone asks me how to call Italy from the US, I tell them to use this method.

Advantages:  It’s free if you have access to WIFI, and you can use your phone’s data plan to make the call if you have it.

Disadvantages: Even though WhatsApp can be used with a landline, it hasn’t really taken off in Italy yet. So, you might not be able to call landlines at hotels, car rental agencies, or other businesses.

To use WhatsApp to make a call:

• Make sure you have the right number for Italy in your phone (see above How To Add An Italian Phone Number To Your Contacts).
• Click the “Calls” icon at the bottom of the WhatsApp screen.
• Click the phone icon in the top right corner.
• Enter the name of the person you want to call in the search bar at the top or scroll down to find the person. If your landline phone number shows up, the contact has the landline WhatsApp, and you can call them.
• Click on the phone icon next to the contact, or the video icon if you want to make a video call.

Calling Italy from The USA Using Skype

It’s free if you have WIFI and both you and the person you want to talk to use Skype. If your contact doesn’t have Skype, which is common for many businesses, you’ll have to pay for the call to a cell phone or landline. Luckily, the prices are not too high.

To use Skype to make a call:

• Connect to Skype.
• If your contact uses Skype, you can call them by choosing them from your list of contacts and clicking the phone or video icon.
• Otherwise, click on the dial-pad icon, choose “Italy” from the list of countries, and enter the phone number (using the formats listed above; you don’t need to enter “011” or “39”).

Other Ways to Call Italy From The USA

Phone Card

I used phone cards 20 years ago, and you can still do that! These are great because you pay for them ahead of time, so you won’t get any bills you didn’t expect. Pay close attention to the date.

Viber

Most people and businesses in Italy don’t have the Viber app because it’s not well-known there. Viber only works if both the person calling and the person being called have the app, so you probably won’t be able to use it. You can use Viber Out to call Italy from the United States for about $0.02 per minute.

Facebook Messenger

You can call people with Facebook Messenger through the Messenger app. I’d rather use WhatsApp, Skype, or FaceTime than the ones listed above.

Mobile Phone Plan

I don’t think this is a good choice unless you have an international plan and know how much it will cost. I would still choose one of the other choices.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about How to Call Italy from USA?

How can I call Italy from the USA for free?

Use WhatsApp, FaceTime, or another app like Viber if you have access to WIFI or if you have data on your phone plan.

Can You Call Italy With a Cell Phone?

The first thing to do is dial 011, which is the exit code for the United States. Italy’s country code is 39, so use that number. The code will be typed into the two to four-digit area code. The last step is to call the 8- to 10-digit number.

How do I use my US iPhone in Italy?

If your phone is unlocked, you can buy an Italian SIM card when you get to Italy and switch it out with your main SIM card so you can keep using your phone while you travel. You can find out if your phone is unlocked by opening the back or side and taking out the SIM card, or you can call your carrier and ask.

How many digits is an Italian phone number?

All fixed phone numbers in Italy start with a “0” and have between 8 and 11 digits (area code plus number). Cell phone numbers have a three-digit prefix that starts with a “3,” followed by a six- or seven-digit phone number.

Is +1 the same as 011?

If you store numbers in the “+” format, you can call that number anywhere in the world without having to remember the special international dialing prefix for the country you’re calling from (in the USA that is 011)

How can I call Italy for free?

Use PopTox to call Italy for free. To make free calls to Italy, all you need is a way to connect to the internet. Just use the dial pad to enter the phone number and click “Call.” You can now call mobile and landline phones in Italy for free from your PC, Mac, or smartphone.

Does It Cost More to Call Internationally?

No matter where you are in the world, it’s easy to dial a number in another country. On the other hand, you can charge international calls to your credit card every month, just like calls to friends and family in the United States.