Quick answer: +31 is the Netherlands. Every Dutch number has 9 digits after +31. Mobiles start with 6. Dutch numbers are written with a leading 0: drop it. Example:
+31 6 1234 5678.
How to dial the Netherlands
| Calling from | Dial |
|---|---|
| Any mobile phone | +31 + 9 digits |
| US or Canada landline | 011 31 + 9 digits |
| UK, Germany or Belgium landline | 00 31 + 9 digits |
| Australia landline | 0011 31 + 9 digits |
The Dutch write numbers with a 0 in front, like 06 1234 5678 or 020 123 4567. That 0 is only for calls inside the Netherlands. From abroad, leave it out: 020 123 4567 becomes +31 20 123 4567.
Mobile and landline numbers
Mobiles are 06 followed by 8 digits, so +31 6 and 8 digits from abroad. They have no area code.
Landlines are an area code plus a local number, 9 digits together. Bigger cities have 2-digit codes and 7-digit local numbers. Smaller places have 3-digit codes and 6-digit local numbers.
| City | Area code in the Netherlands | From abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | 020 | +31 20 xxx xxxx |
| Rotterdam | 010 | +31 10 xxx xxxx |
| The Hague | 070 | +31 70 xxx xxxx |
| Utrecht | 030 | +31 30 xxx xxxx |
| Eindhoven | 040 | +31 40 xxx xxxx |
| Groningen | 050 | +31 50 xxx xxxx |
| Haarlem | 023 | +31 23 xxx xxxx |
| Maastricht | 043 | +31 43 xxx xxxx |
Numbers starting 085 or 088 are neither mobiles nor a region. They are business and internet-phone numbers that can be anywhere in the country.
Codes that get mixed up with +31
+32 is Belgium. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba belong to the Netherlands but use +599, and Aruba uses +297.
Time difference
The Netherlands is on CET (UTC+1) in winter and CEST (UTC+2) in summer. It changes clocks on the last Sundays of March and October, the same dates as the rest of the EU and the UK.
| Where you are | Your clocks on summer time | Your clocks on standard time |
|---|---|---|
| US East Coast | The Netherlands is 6h ahead | |
| US West Coast | The Netherlands is 9h ahead | |
| UK | The Netherlands is 1h ahead all year | |
| Sydney | The Netherlands is 10h behind | The Netherlands is 8h behind |
The US changes its clocks on different dates, so for two or three weeks in March and about a week around the start of November, the Netherlands is an hour closer to the US. Sydney changes its clocks in early April and early October, so for a few weeks around those dates the gap is 9 hours. A 9 AM call from New York reaches Amsterdam at 3 PM.
Prefer calling over WiFi? See our guide to the best apps for WiFi calling.
FAQ
Can I call a Dutch 0800 or 0900 number from abroad?
Often not. 0800 numbers are free only inside the Netherlands and many don't accept foreign calls, and 0900 numbers are premium-rate lines that many foreign carriers block. Ask for a regular landline or mobile number instead.
Why won't my call to +31 go through?
Check three things: you left out the leading 0, you have exactly 9 digits after +31, and you dialed 31, not 32.