China Phone Codes Explained

Chinese phone codes follow an extensive and detailed system. While not overly complicated, having a map that explains the various components that comprise a Chinese phone number can serve as a handy guide to interpret this type of information.

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A Chinese phone code is a critical piece of information often found on official company documents that can help you determine if a Chinese company or business is a legitimate, verified operation.

As you might expect, a country as vast and complex as China has an equally complex phone system with many international codes, several hundred area codes, and phone numbers that don’t conform to a standard length, including land-lines and mobile numbers. A Chinese company’s phone number is a surprisingly key piece of information as it is required on several official Chinese business documents, it can help you verify that you are dealing with a legitimate business. Understanding the phone number system can help you avoid scams or other misrepresentations such as a Chinese company from one province providing a phone number from another province, or a large enterprise or organization providing only a mobile number.

China international phone codes: The basics

There are four primary international dialing codes in use in China:

• Mainland China: + 86
• Hong Kong: + 852
• Macau: + 853
• Taiwan: + 886

China phone codes: Decoded

As we discussed above, a Chinese phone number is a surprisingly critical piece of information that can help you verify that a Chinese company is legitimate. It appears on many official Chinese business documents including the business licenses, the tax registration certificate, the foreign trade registration certificate, the ISO 9001 certificate, and the annual return.

China mobile codes: Mainland China

The base China mobile code follow a consistent length: 11 digits. They start with either 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, or 19.

There are three mobile phone companies that provide service in Mainland China with pre-assigned prefixes:

• China Unicom (中国联通): 130, 131, 132, 155, 156, 166, 167, 171, 176, 185, 186
• China Mobile (中国移动): 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 150, 151, 152, 157, 158, 159, 178, 182, 183, 184, 187, 188, 198
• China Telecom (中国电信): 133, 153, 173, 177, 180, 181, 189, 191, 199

Landline phone codes: Cities in Mainland China

All landline phone numbers in Mainland China have a designated two or three digit code that is at the beginning of the phone number. These area codes indicate the location.

Generally, the largest tier one cities have area codes that are two digits long and start with a 1 or a 2. For the remaining provinces, their area codes generally are three digits long and start with 3 through 9. You must add a 0 before the area code before dialing a landline phone number from within Mainland China.

Additional Resources

We know doing business in China is complex and challenging…especially when you don’t know where to start. Nuna Network helps you navigate the complexities of partnering with Chinese companies, providing information on everything you need to know before you do business together.