Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland

Numbers on the Irish telephone numbering plan are regulated and assigned to operators by ComReg.

Overview
Telephone numbers in Ireland are part of an open numbering plan that allows variations in number length. The Irish format is similar to systems used in many parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and France, where geographical numbers are organised using a logic of large regional prefixes, which are then further subdivided into smaller regions. It differs from UK numbering, which originated as alphanumeric codes based on town names.

Irish Mobile and non–geographic numbers are fixed length and do not support local dialling.

The trunk prefix  is used to access numbers outside the local area and for all mobile calls. This is followed by an area code, referred to as a National Dialling Code (NDC), the first digit of which indicates the geographical area or type of service (e.g. mobile).

Calls made from mobile phones and some VoIP systems always require the full area code and phone number.

In common with most European countries, the trunk prefix  must be omitted when calling Irish numbers from abroad.

General structure of Irish numbering
Irish area codes vary in length, between one and three digits (excluding the leading 0), and subscribers' numbers are between five and seven digits.

As optional local dialling is facilitated, Irish geographic numbers cannot begin with 0 (trunk prefix), 1 (special number prefix) or 999 (emergency services). However, mobile numbers use the full range of digits, as local dialling is not supported on mobile networks, and the area code must always be dialled.

A migration to a standard format,, is in progress; however, to avoid disruption, this process is only being carried out as needed, where existing area codes and local numbering systems have reached full capacity. There is currently no plan to move to a closed numbering system.

Number formats
Irish geographic numbers vary in length from area to area, but follow standard formats within each area code.

The area code, or prefix, is normally separated by a space, or less commonly, may be displayed in parentheses (brackets). Numbers are usually grouped into easy to read clusters, separated by spaces or hyphens for ease of use.

The use of spaces is recommended by ComReg for ease of compatibility with online services, such as linking to a phone number in a mobile browser, copying and pasting into mobile diallers etc

Other characters, such as  or   are not used as separators.

Area codes / prefixes are always separated from the subscriber number. Merging or reformatting these tends to cause confusion or make numbers look unfamiliar.

While formats vary, numbers are usually printed (e.g. in telephone directories) as follows:

Geographic:
 * – Dublin area
 * – All other 7-digit areas
 * – 6-digit areas
 * – 5-digit areas
 * – 5-digit areas

Non-geographic
 * – Freephone/Toll Free
 * – Standard Rate

Mobile

Mobile M2M (Machine to Machine)

Alphanumeric dialling, using letters as mnemonics for advertising etc is supported, but is rarely used.

Geographical numbering
Irish geographical numbering is structured on a regional basis and follows a logical hierarchy.

These directory areas correspond approximately to the following geographical regions:


 * – Greater Dublin Area
 * – Cork
 * – Northeast
 * – Southeast
 * – Midwest and Southwest
 * – Northwest
 * – West

The Midlands is covered by several regional codes.

Except for the  area, each area is further subdivided into smaller areas (NDCs). Usually, the main city or town in the area is  e.g.   (Cork),   (Limerick),   (Galway).

Regional overview
ComReg maintains a map of area codes here.

Mobile services
Mobile phone numbers start with the prefix  and are part of a closed numbering plan, which means that a mobile phone number must have 10 digits. Calls to landlines and other mobiles require the area code on a mobile phone.

New numbers are assigned on prefixes and ranges managed by a specific operator. However, as full mobile number portability has been in operation since 2003, it is no longer possible to reliably identify which network a particular number is on. For example, a newly assigned Three number would begin with, but may have been ported to another operator in the meantime.

Direct to voicemail number
Mobile phone numbers also have their own voicemail number. To access this, the number  should be put after the prefix. For example, the mobile number  has the voicemail number.

On some networks, when the direct to voicemail number is called, the voicemail greeting for that network is played (e.g. Vodafone, eir Mobile), while others request a phone number followed by the voicemail greeting for that number (e.g. Three). Users can press the hash key to gain access to the voicemail box.

Calls to Northern Ireland
Although Northern Ireland is part of the UK numbering plan, a special arrangement exists for calling Northern Irish landlines from the Republic of Ireland.

Calls to Northern Ireland can be dialled using the  prefix or by dialling the number in the full international format. Most Irish operators treat calls to Northern Ireland at national or even local rates. Similar charging arrangements apply when calling the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland.

For example, to reach Belfast landline, subscribers can dial either   or.

Northern Ireland mobile phones use the same mobile numbering and networks as other parts of the UK – calls must be dialled using the  format.

International calls
In common with all EU countries, the international access code is.

Numbers should be dialled as follows:.

All mobile phones and some VoIP services also support the international E.164 number format, so a  may be optionally used instead of.

Reserved numbers

 * – reserved for future changes in the numbering plan
 * – all except,  ,  ,   and   are reserved without assigned purpose
 * – reserved for personal numbering
 * – reserved

Special numbers

 * – international access
 * – drama use (although the rest of  is free)
 * – personal numbering
 * – VoIP services – (being withdrawn.)
 * – mailbox for landline users (formerly access code for Northern Ireland)
 * – drama use

Speed dial short numbers to contact carriers

 * – eir
 * – Digiweb
 * – Tesco Mobile
 * – BT Ireland
 * – Vodafone Ireland
 * – Virgin Mobile Ireland
 * – Magnet Networks
 * – Three Ireland
 * – NUACOM Ireland

Operator services
General operator assistance no longer exists in Ireland.
 * – Directory enquiries (multiple commercial providers offer a variety of services in this number range)

Emergency services
The emergency number for Ireland is. However, the  code also accesses the emergency operator. This code is harmonised across the EU. Either can be dialled.

Services provided

 * Ambulance
 * Garda Síochána
 * Fire and rescue
 * Irish Coast Guard
 * Cliff and mountain rescue

SMS emergency service
can also be contacted by SMS. While the service is open to all users, it is primarily aimed at the deaf community.

Pre-registration used to be required. Further information can be found at.

Premium rate voice
Irish premium rate telephone numbers start with  and are read in two-digit blocks e.g.   is "fifteen fifty".

The rates given below are from ComReg and are indicative only. One must check with their specific telephone service provider for exact rates.

Premium rate SMS
A special  code is used for free–of–charge SMS.

Premium rate services in Ireland are regulated by ComReg.

Non–geographic numbers (Freephone & Standard rate)
Irish non-geographic numbers consist of two national prefixes and the international freephone service.


 * – Charged as landline call, and are included in bundled minutes. 6-digit numbers in the format 0818 XXX XXX
 * – Freephone / toll free (from all Irish mobile and landlines. 6-digit numbers in the format 1800 xxx xxx
 * – Freephone / toll free (from all Irish mobile and landlines. 8-digit numbers in the format 00 800 xxxx xxxx

Where high volume 'bursty traffic' is anticipated, such as on-air radio competition lines, the first two digits of the phone number are always. For example: or. This allows the telephone network to manage traffic during number analysis, even before the call is routed.

Ireland's non-geographic numbers and pricing structures were simplified and old shared-cost prefixes were withdrawn on 1 January 2022. These changes mean that calls to non-geographic numbers are either freephone, or always included in call bundles, ensuring consumers are not confused by out of bundle, or other unusual charges.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, several numbers in the  and   ranges will remain in service until 2023. This is to avoid disruption to essential health services during a time of high volumes of calls. These will remain in service until 30 November 2023, alongside new numbers that have replaced them. Advertising of these numbers will cease. Calls to these numbers will be charged on the same basis as calls to landlines or  and included in call bundles.

Freephone numbers are free to call from mobile handsets; however, the recipient can elect to refuse mobile–originated calls or choose to accept calls only from predefined geographical region(s).

NB:  can only be dialled from within Ireland. Numbers should never be printed or presented in the international format  as these clash with working Dublin landline numbers in the   area. Alternative geographic numbers, or an  number should be used instead, if international access is required.

Following a 2019 review of non–geographic numbers Comreg decided to withdraw and close the,   and   number ranges by 1 January 2022. During the transition period, these ranges were geo–rated (charged as if they are geographical numbers).

From August 2019, various telecoms providers announced price changes which took effect on, or just before, 1 December 2019, including Virgin Media Business, in2tel, Virgin Media, eir, Tesco Mobile, Three, Digiweb, Pure Telecom, 48 months and Sky.

From 1 January 2022 callers to the withdrawn prefixes receive recorded announcements.

Internet access numbers

 * – reduced cost internet access (possibly timed)
 * – local rate internet access (timed)
 * – variable cost internet access (timed)

Carrier selection (per call)
Carrier preselect is normally used where the exchange automatically uses the customer's preferred provider(s).
 * – carrier selection (third party long distance, international and internet services). These codes override the default carrier.

Network engineering codes

 * – network operator-specific engineering codes (undefined length). These codes are generally not published.

Line information codes
These services give the user more information about their phone line (applicable only to lines provided using the OpenEir access network.)

Check phone number associated with line / automatic number announcement circuit (ANAC)

 * – reads out the subscriber's telephone number.

Check preset carrier
Check which carrier a subscriber is using for each category of call:
 * – international calls
 * – local calls
 * – calls to other parts of the Republic of Ireland, Irish mobile numbers and landlines in Northern Ireland.

Voicemail

 * – used to access voicemail on all networks: fixed line (POTS and Cable), all mobile operators and many VoIP providers.

Call management services / supplementary service codes
Special short codes are used to control various supplementary services offered by digital local exchanges. These services were first introduced as PhonePlus in 1981, on the first generation of Alcatel E10 and Ericsson AXE digital exchanges used in Ireland, and were rolled out nationally throughout the 1980s.

These services are available on all Irish PSTN lines, regardless of operator. There is a more expansive range of services available, but these are the most commonly used. Different codes apply on cable telephony lines, such as those provided by Virgin Media Ireland and on VoIP providers.

Caller ID services

 * – caller ID default override – withhold caller ID on this call
 * – caller ID default override – present caller ID on this call
 * – check last missed call. The system will verbally announce details of the last missed call
 * – delete missed call information from network memory

Call waiting

 * – setup
 * – check status
 * – cancel

Answering call waiting

 * – reject call (or send to voicemail) and temporarily suspend call waiting service for this call.
 * – answer waiting call and disconnect current call.
 * – answer waiting call and place current call on hold/or swap between calls.
 * – merge both calls into a three–way call.

Conference/three–way calling

 * While on a phone call a subscriber can press the  key on their phone and dial the number they wish to add to the conversation.
 * Dial  to begin conference/three–way call.
 * allows a subscriber to separate the calls and swap between them.

Call hold / transfer to another extension

 * – places call on hold. Hang up and telephone will ring until call on hold is picked up again.

Call forwarding (unconditional)

 * – forward all calls to
 * – check status
 * – deactivate

When this service is active, the dial tone changes to a two–frequency 'siren' tone.

Alarm / reminder call

 * e.g. for 8:30 am dial
 * – check status
 * – cancel

Most exchanges confirm setup with a verbal announcement; however, some exchanges may use a ringing tone to indicate successful service setup and a busy tone to indicate an error/invalid code.

Services on Virgin Media Ireland cable network
(Codes are unique to Virgin Media Ireland and do not follow ETSI guidelines)

Caller ID services

 * – caller ID default override – withhold caller ID on this call
 * – caller ID default override – present caller ID on this call

Call forwarding (unconditional)

 * – immediately followed by
 * – deactivate

Forwarding to voicemail

 * – activate when busy
 * – deactivate when busy
 * – forward if unanswered
 * – deactivate if unanswered

Call waiting

 * – activate
 * – deactivate

Answering call waiting

 * – answer waiting call and disconnect current call.
 * – answer waiting call and place current call on hold or swap between calls.

Anonymous call rejection

 * – activate
 * – deactivate

Redial last number called


The subscriber will either hear a tone or a voice message to confirm services have been set up or deactivated.

Mobiles

 * GSM supplementary service codes – All of Ireland's mobile providers use the standard GSM codes to control special services such as call forwarding, barring, call waiting etc.

Number changes
Several major number changes have occurred since 1990. The telephone number changes in Dublin and Cork took several years to complete, as they were busier area codes with few available lead digits. Other number changes took place in just one step, with all numbers being changed simultaneously.

To minimise disruption simultaneous working was enabled, allowing old numbers to remain mapped and active for a run-in period of one year. Caller ID only displayed the new numbers. This was followed by recorded announcements which remained active for at least a year, advising callers of the number change. Eventually this would be replaced by a dialling error message.

1990–1994
Dublin (01) changes to 7-digits.


 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 6–digits to 7–digits in five stages between 1990 and 1994:
 * On 2 April 1990, numbers beginning with,  ,  ,  ,  ,   and   were prefixed with.
 * On 8 April 1991, numbers beginning with  and   were prefixed with.
 * On 4 April 1992, numbers beginning with  and the remaining 6–digit numbers beginning with   were prefixed with  . Numbers beginning with   and   were prefixed with.
 * On 24 April 1993, numbers beginning with,  ,  ,  ,   and   were prefixed with  , while numbers beginning with  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  and   were prefixed with  , and numbers beginning with  ,  ,  ,  ,   and   were prefixed with.
 * On 16 April 1994, numbers beginning with  were prefixed with , while numbers beginning with   and   were prefixed with.

1998–2000
Cork (021) changes to 7 digits.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Drogheda minimum numbering area (MNA) were prefixed by   and in the Ardee MNA by.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Dundalk MNA were prefixed by , in the Carrickmacross MNA by   and the Castleblayney MNA by.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Cavan MNA were prefixed by , in the Cootehill MNA by  , in the Oldcastle MNA by   and the Belturbet MNA by.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Ennis MNA were prefixed by , in the Ennistymon MNA by   and the Kilrush MNA by.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Tralee MNA were prefixed by , in the Dingle MNA by  , in the Cahirciveen MNA by   and the Killorglin MNA by.


 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 6–digits to 7–digits in two stages.
 * From September 1998, numbers beginning with  were prefixed with , while numbers beginning with   and   were prefixed by.
 * From February 2000, numbers beginning with,  ,  ,  ,  ,   or   were prefixed with.


 * The prefix  was previously used for calls to Northern Ireland, but this changed to   following the Big Number Change.

2002–2003

 * Area codes in parts of counties Meath and Offaly were merged into the single area code, including Navan, Nobber, Kells, Trim, Enfield and Edenderry. The   area code was abolished. All local numbers became 7–digit.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Kilkenny MNA were prefixed by , in the Castlecomer MNA by   and the Freshford MNA by.
 * Area codes in County Carlow and parts of counties Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois and Wicklow were merged into a new area code, including Carlow, Bagenalstown, Athy and Baltinglass. The area codes abolished were  ,   and  . All local numbers became 7–digit.
 * Area codes in County Sligo and County Leitrim and parts of counties Cavan, Donegal and Roscommon were merged into the single area code, including Sligo, Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, Drumshanbo, Manorhamilton. The area codes abolished were  ,   and  . All local numbers became 7–digit.
 * The majority of area codes in County Donegal were merged into the single area code, including Letterkenny, Lifford, Ramelton, Buncrana, Dungloe and Donegal. The area codes abolished were  ,   and  . All local numbers became 7–digit.
 * Area codes in parts of counties Galway, Offaly, Roscommon, Westmeath and Longford were merged into a new area code, including Athlone, Banagher (North), Ballinasloe, Roscommon, Portumna. The area codes abolished were  ,   and  . All local numbers became 7–digit.
 * Area codes in parts of counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo were merged into the single area code, including Castlebar, Swinford, Claremorris, Ballinrobe, Castlerea and Ballaghaderreen. The area codes abolished were   and  . All local numbers became 7–digit.

2005–2006

 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Tyrrellspass MNA were prefixed by , in the Mullingar MNA by   and the Castlepollard MNA by.
 * Area codes in County Wexford and parts of counties Carlow and Wicklow were merged into the single area code, including Wexford, Enniscorthy, Ferns and Gorey. The area codes abolished were  and  . All local numbers became 7–digit.
 * Area codes in counties Laois and Offaly and parts of counties Galway and Westmeath were merged into the single area code, including Portlaoise, Abbeyleix, Tullamore and Birr. The area codes abolished were  ,   and  . All local numbers became 7–digit.

2008–2009

 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Bandon MNA were prefixed by.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Longford MNA were prefixed by   and in the Granard MNA by.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Clonmel MNA were prefixed by , in the Cahir MNA by   and the Killenaule MNA by.
 * All local numbers with the area code  changed from 5–digit to 7–digit. Numbers in the Killarney MNA were prefixed by   and in the Rathmore MNA by.

Mobile numbering

 * Mobile numbering became 7–digit in the mid–1990s

Possible future changes
All local numbers with the area code  are currently 7–digits, but may change to 8–digits in the future, although breaking the city into separate area codes would match the rest of the national system.

A review and public consultation on the future of Ireland's numbering plan was undertaken.

Defunct non-geographic codes

 * – Local rate, shared cost, untimed
 * – Local rate, shared cost, timed
 * or  – VoIP services

All of the above were withdrawn on 1 January 2022.

Defunct access codes

 * – former international access code
 * – formerly used for calls to Great Britain. The format was.
 * – formerly used for Northern Ireland landlines
 * – formerly used for Belfast landlines

Defunct operator services

 * – national operator assistance (withdrawn in 2007)
 * – international operator assistance (withdrawn in 2007)
 * – operator-assisted calls to some areas without direct dialling (withdrawn in the early 1980s)
 * – Telecom Éireann national directory assistance (withdrawn in the early 2000s and replaced with, originally  )
 * – Telecom Éireann UK directory assistance (withdrawn in the early 2000s and replaced with, originally  )
 * – Telecom Éireann international directory assistance (withdrawn in the early 2000s and replaced with, originally  )
 * – Telecom Éireann repair services (withdrawn in the late 1990s)
 * – telemessaging services, whereby callers could ask an operator to send a postcard with a printed message (withdrawn in the late 1990s)

A range of numbers from,   and   were once used for various Telecom Éireann customer service and account service lines.

Defunct information services

 * – speaking clock (withdrawn on 27 August 2018)

Historical Northern Ireland access codes

 * before 2000:  followed by Northern Irish area code and phone number e.g. Belfast   was reached by dialling.

Belfast could previously be reached by dialling  in place of the UK area code.

Historical Great Britain access codes
Until the early 1990s, the  numbering range was originally used for calls to Great Britain, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with the Irish prefix   replacing the UK trunk code.

Calls to British cities using the director telephone system were also possible using shorter codes:


 * – London
 * – Birmingham
 * – Edinburgh
 * – Glasgow
 * – Liverpool
 * – Manchester

was replaced with and  when   was split into the area codes   and   in 1990.

Use of  for this purpose was discontinued in 1993, when the international access code changed from   to , with calls to Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland) requiring the country code   and the area code in full.