Quick answer: +379 is reserved for Vatican City, but it is not in use. Vatican phones are part of Italy's network, so you dial Italy's code: +39 06 698 followed by 5 digits, 10 digits in all after +39. Keep the 0 in 06. The Vatican has no mobile prefix of its own. Example:
+39 06 698 xxxxx.
How to dial Vatican City
| Calling from | Dial |
|---|---|
| Any mobile phone | +39 06 698 + 5 digits |
| US or Canada landline | 011 39 06 698 + 5 digits |
| UK or other European landline | 00 39 06 698 + 5 digits |
| Australia landline | 0011 39 06 698 + 5 digits |
| Inside Italy, any phone | 06 698 + 5 digits |
Italy has no trunk prefix to drop. The 0 at the start of 06 is part of the number and stays when you call from abroad: 06 698 xxxxx becomes +39 06 698 xxxxx, not +39 6 698.
Mobile and landline numbers
Landlines in the Vatican sit in one block of Rome's 06 area: 06, then 698, then a 5-digit extension. Offices often print them grouped differently, like 06 6988 xxxx, but the digits are the same.
Mobiles used in the Vatican run on Italian networks, so they have ordinary Italian mobile numbers starting with 3 after +39.
A number that starts +39 06 without 698 after it is an ordinary Rome number, not a Vatican one.
Codes that get mixed up with +379
+39 is Italy, and it is the code that actually reaches the Vatican. +378 is San Marino, another state inside Italy, and unlike +379 it is in use.
Time difference
The Vatican keeps Italian time: CET (UTC+1) in winter and CEST (UTC+2) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.
| Where you are | Your clocks on summer time | Your clocks on standard time |
|---|---|---|
| US East Coast | The Vatican is 6 hours ahead | |
| US West Coast | The Vatican is 9 hours ahead | |
| UK | The Vatican is 1 hour ahead all year | |
| Sydney | The Vatican is 10 hours behind | The Vatican is 8 hours behind |
The US and Europe change their clocks on different dates, so for about three weeks in March and one week around the start of November the gap with the US is an hour shorter. Sydney's gap is 9 hours for a few weeks in October and around early April. A 9 AM call from New York reaches the Vatican at 3 PM for most of the year.
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FAQ
Someone gave me a +379 number. What should I do?
A number written with +379 won't connect, because no numbers are in service on that code. Ask for the number in the +39 06 698 format, or look it up on the office's own website.
Why won't my call to the Vatican go through?
Check three things: you dialed 39, not 379, you kept the 0 in 06, and you have 10 digits after +39 (06 698 plus 5 more).