The +381 country code is for Serbia. A landlocked country of about 6.7 million people in the central Balkans, Serbia sits at the crossroads where Central Europe meets Southeast Europe. Belgrade, the capital, straddles the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. Serbia is not in the EU (it's been a candidate since 2012 and negotiations move slowly), uses the Serbian dinar, and writes in both Cyrillic and Latin scripts. The country was the largest republic of the former Yugoslavia, and the 1990s wars, the 1999 NATO bombing, and the Kosovo question still define much of its politics and international relationships.

Quick answer: The country code +381 is for Serbia. Serbian numbers have 8-10 digits after +381. Mobile numbers start with 6: +381 6X XXX XXXX (9 digits). Belgrade landlines start with 11: +381 11 XXX XXXX (9 digits). The trunk prefix is 0 -- drop it when dialing from abroad. A domestic number like 011 234 5678 becomes +381 11 234 5678.

How to call Serbia: quick reference

Serbia uses the trunk prefix 0 for domestic calls. When dialing from abroad, drop the leading 0 and replace it with +381. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are listed because they hold the three largest Serbian diaspora communities in Western Europe.

Calling from Dialing format
US/Canada mobile +381 [local number]
US/Canada landline 011-381-[local number]
UK 00-381-[local number]
Germany 00-381-[local number]
Austria 00-381-[local number]
Switzerland 00-381-[local number]

Understanding Serbia phone numbers

Serbia uses area codes for landlines and carrier prefixes for mobiles. The trunk prefix is 0, which you drop when dialing internationally. The total digits after +381 vary: Belgrade landlines are 9 digits, other city landlines are 8-9, and mobiles are 9.

Mobile numbers

All Serbian mobile numbers start with 06X domestically, or +381 6X internationally. The second digit identifies the carrier:

  • 060, 061, 062, 063: Telekom Srbija (mts)
  • 064, 065: Yettel (formerly Telenor Serbia)
  • 066: A1 Serbia (formerly VIP Mobile)
  • 069: Globaltel (MVNO on Telekom network)

After +381, a mobile number is 9 digits: carrier prefix (2 digits) + subscriber number (7 digits). Example: domestic 064 123 4567 becomes +381 64 123 4567.

Number portability exists but is less commonly used than in Western Europe. The prefix still gives you a reasonable guess at the carrier.

Landline numbers and area codes

Serbia has geographic area codes. Belgrade's area code is 11, other cities use 2-3 digit codes. Domestically you dial 0 + area code + subscriber number. Internationally, drop the 0:

City Area code Domestic format International format
Belgrade 11 011 XXX XXXX +381 11 XXX XXXX
Novi Sad 21 021 XXX XXX +381 21 XXX XXX
Niš 18 018 XXX XXX +381 18 XXX XXX
Kragujevac 34 034 XXX XXX +381 34 XXX XXX
Subotica 24 024 XXX XXX +381 24 XXX XXX
Novi Pazar 20 020 XXX XXX +381 20 XXX XXX

Belgrade landlines have 7-digit subscriber numbers (9 digits total after +381). Other cities typically have 6-digit subscriber numbers (8 digits after +381). A quirk: Belgrade's area code is 11, and the US exit code is 011. So calling Belgrade from a US landline looks like 011-381-11-XXX-XXXX. That's a lot of ones.

Mobile carriers in Serbia

Telekom Srbija (mts) -- ~45-50% market share

The incumbent, majority state-owned. Operates as "mts" (mobilna telefonija Srbije) for mobile services. Largest fixed and mobile network, best rural coverage. Telekom Srbija also operates in Bosnia (m:tel in Republika Srpska) and Montenegro (m:tel), so calling across those borders on the same parent network sometimes means better connection quality. Prefixes 060, 061, 062, 063.

Yettel Serbia -- ~30% market share

Originally Telenor Serbia, rebranded to Yettel in 2022 after PPF Group (Czech) acquired Telenor's operations across Central and Eastern Europe. The same PPF Group that owns Yettel in Hungary and Bulgaria. Strong in urban areas, particularly Belgrade and Novi Sad. Competitive data plans. Prefixes 064, 065.

A1 Serbia -- ~20% market share

Part of the A1 Telekom Austria Group (same parent as A1 Croatia). Formerly branded as VIP Mobile until 2021. Third player, budget-oriented. Good urban coverage, thinner in rural areas. Prefix 066.

Most Serbians carry a single SIM, unlike some neighboring countries where dual-SIM is common. mts dominates in smaller towns and rural Serbia. In Belgrade, the three carriers compete more evenly.

Don't confuse +381 with nearby codes

Serbia's +381 is the anchor code of the +38X range, which covers all the former Yugoslav successor states. Yugoslavia was +38, and when the country dissolved, Serbia kept the closest derivative.

Code Country Note
+381 Serbia Capital: Belgrade
+382 Montenegro Used +381 until 2006 independence
+383 Kosovo Assigned 2016, contested by Serbia
+385 Croatia Capital: Zagreb
+386 Slovenia Capital: Ljubljana
+387 Bosnia & Herzegovina Ethnic Serbs in Republika Srpska
+389 North Macedonia Capital: Skopje

The Montenegro split

Montenegro used +381 (with area code 81/82) until it declared independence in 2006 and received +382. If you have old contacts from Podgorica or the Montenegrin coast saved with +381 81 or +381 82, those stopped working years ago. Update them to +382.

The Kosovo situation

Kosovo was assigned +383 by the ITU in 2016. Before that, Kosovo used a mix of +381 (Serbian-operated networks), +377 (Monaco's code, allocated by UNMIK), and +386 (Slovenian Vala/IPKO). The situation on the ground is still split: Kosovo Serbs in northern municipalities (North Mitrovica, Zvecan, Leposavic, Zubin Potok) often use +381 numbers on the mts network, while Kosovo Albanians use +383 numbers. If you're calling someone in Kosovo, you need to know which community they're in and which network they use.

Time zone considerations

Serbia is on Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) from late March to late October.

Your location Time difference Call Serbia 9 AM - 6 PM
US East Coast (EST) Serbia is 6 hours ahead 3 AM - 12 PM EST
US East Coast (EDT) Serbia is 6 hours ahead 3 AM - 12 PM EDT
US West Coast (PST) Serbia is 9 hours ahead 12 AM - 9 AM PST
UK (GMT) Serbia is 1 hour ahead 8 AM - 5 PM GMT
UK (BST) Serbia is 1 hour ahead 8 AM - 5 PM BST
Germany/Austria/Switzerland Same time zone 9 AM - 6 PM
Australia (AEST) Serbia is 8-9 hours behind 5 PM - 2 AM AEST (next day)

The German-speaking countries share Serbia's time zone, which is convenient since that's where most of the diaspora lives. The US East Coast has a morning window. Australia is tough, and the Serbian-Australian community tends to schedule calls on weekends.

Communication in Serbia

Business hours and communication style

Standard business hours are 8 AM or 9 AM to 4 PM or 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Many small shops and businesses open on Saturday mornings. Government offices follow strict hours, usually 8 AM to 3 PM, and good luck reaching anyone by phone during lunch.

Serbians are direct communicators, sometimes bluntly so. Small talk is expected before business calls. Coffee culture is important -- "ajde na kafu" (let's grab a coffee) is how relationships get built, and this extends to phone habits. Long phone conversations aren't unusual. People call rather than text when the matter is personal.

Messaging apps and Viber

Viber is the dominant messaging app in Serbia. This is one of the few countries in Europe where Viber beats WhatsApp. Viber was particularly popular in Serbia and the wider Balkans from its early days, and the habit stuck. Most Serbians use Viber for both messaging and voice/video calls. Group chats for family, neighbors, and coworkers all run on Viber.

WhatsApp is used, mainly by people who communicate regularly with Western Europe. Facebook Messenger and Instagram DMs cover the rest. Telegram has a growing but smaller user base.

For business, email is standard but slow to get responses. Viber messages to a business contact sometimes get faster replies than email.

The script question

Serbian is written in both Cyrillic and Latin scripts. Officially, Cyrillic is the primary script (it's in the constitution). In practice, most urban Serbians switch between both daily. Street signs are in Cyrillic, Instagram captions are in Latin. If someone texts you a Serbian phone number, it will be in standard numerals either way, so this doesn't affect dialing. But if they send an address in Cyrillic, you might need to transliterate it.

Network quality

Serbia has solid 4G coverage in cities and along major highways. 5G launched in Belgrade in 2023 on a limited basis. Rural coverage varies -- the Vojvodina plain to the north is well-covered, but mountainous areas in western and southern Serbia can have gaps. Serbia is not in the EU, so EU roaming rules do not apply. Visitors from EU countries will pay roaming charges unless their carrier has a specific Balkans deal.

The Serbia diaspora

Serbia has one of the largest diasporas relative to its population. An estimated 3-4 million Serbs and people of Serbian descent live outside Serbia. The 1990s wars, economic collapse, international sanctions, and the 1999 NATO bombing drove massive emigration waves. A second wave followed after 2000 as young, educated Serbians left for better economic prospects in the EU.

Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

The DACH region (Germany/Austria/Switzerland) holds the largest concentration of Serbian diaspora in Europe. Germany has an estimated 300,000-600,000 Serbs (Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin). Austria has around 300,000, mostly in Vienna, which sometimes feels like Serbia's unofficial second capital. Switzerland has about 200,000, concentrated in Zurich, Basel, and Bern. The first wave came as Gastarbeiter in the 1960s and 1970s. Subsequent waves in the 1990s and 2000s added to the numbers. All three countries share Serbia's time zone, making regular phone contact easy.

United States and Canada

About 200,000-300,000 Serbian-Americans, with the biggest community in Chicago. The South Side of Chicago has a Serbian neighborhood centered around Serbian churches, cultural centers, and restaurants. Other US concentrations: the Pittsburgh-Cleveland-Detroit industrial belt, New York, and Phoenix. Canadian Serbs are concentrated in Toronto and Hamilton (Ontario), with smaller communities in Vancouver and Edmonton.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

About 1.1 million ethnic Serbs live in Bosnia, mostly in Republika Srpska (the Serb-majority entity of BiH). Banja Luka, Bijeljina, and East Sarajevo are the main cities. Republika Srpska's telecom operator m:tel is a subsidiary of Telekom Srbija, so calling between Serbia and RS sometimes benefits from this network relationship. Many people in RS maintain +387 Bosnian numbers but call Serbia constantly.

Montenegro

About 180,000 ethnic Serbs in Montenegro (roughly 30% of the population). Podgorica, Nikšić, Herceg Novi. The shared history means constant phone traffic between Serbia and Montenegro, even after Montenegro got its own +382 code in 2006.

Australia

About 100,000-150,000 Serbian-Australians, concentrated in Melbourne and Sydney. The post-World War II migration and the 1990s war wave created a community with Serbian Orthodox churches, football clubs, and cultural halls in every major Australian city. The time zone gap is the worst of any diaspora connection -- 8-9 hours difference depending on season.

Dialing examples

Example 1: Calling a Belgrade mobile (mts) from the US

  • Domestic number: 063 123 4567
  • Drop the trunk prefix 0: 63 123 4567
  • From a US mobile: +381 63 123 4567
  • From a US landline: 011 381 63 123 4567

Example 2: Calling a Belgrade landline from Germany

  • Domestic number: 011 234 5678
  • Drop the trunk prefix 0: 11 234 5678
  • From Germany: 00 381 11 234 5678

Example 3: Calling a Novi Sad mobile (Yettel) from Austria

  • Domestic number: 064 987 6543
  • Drop the trunk prefix 0: 64 987 6543
  • From Austria: 00 381 64 987 6543

Example 4: Calling a Niš landline from the UK

  • Domestic number: 018 345 678
  • Drop the trunk prefix 0: 18 345 678
  • From UK: 00 381 18 345 678

Common mistakes to avoid

Leaving the trunk prefix 0 in the number

Same trap as every country with a trunk prefix. Someone gives you 064 123 4567. You dial +381 064 123 4567. That extra 0 will cause the call to fail. Correct: +381 64 123 4567.

Confusing Belgrade's area code with the US exit code

Belgrade's domestic number starts with 011. The US international exit code is also 011. When calling Belgrade from a US landline, you dial 011-381-11-XXX-XXXX. People sometimes drop a digit or add one because it looks like too many ones. Count carefully: exit code (011) + country code (381) + area code (11) + subscriber (7 digits).

Using an old Montenegro number with +381

Montenegro split from Serbia in 2006 and got +382. If you have a Montenegrin contact saved as +381 81 or +381 82, it hasn't worked in years. Update to +382 and adjust the local number.

Not knowing which code to use for Kosovo

Kosovo has +383, but Kosovo Serbs in northern municipalities often use +381 numbers. If you're calling someone in Pristina or southern Kosovo, use +383. If you're calling a Kosovo Serb in North Mitrovica, they might give you a +381 number. Ask which code their phone uses.

Expecting EU roaming

Serbia is not in the EU. If you're visiting from an EU country, your phone will roam at non-EU rates unless your carrier specifically includes the Balkans. Some EU carriers have "Balkans packages" but it's not automatic. Check before you travel, or buy a local prepaid SIM.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What country has the +381 country code?

The +381 country code is for Serbia.

How many digits is a Serbian phone number?

After +381, mobile numbers are 9 digits (starting with 6). Belgrade landlines are 9 digits (area code 11 + 7 subscriber digits). Other city landlines are 8 digits (2-digit area code + 6 subscriber digits).

How do I call Serbia from the USA?

From a mobile phone, dial +381 followed by the number without the leading 0. From a landline, dial the US exit code 011, then 381, then the number without the leading 0.

What is the difference between +381, +382, and +383?

+381 is Serbia. +382 is Montenegro (independent since 2006). +383 is Kosovo (code assigned in 2016). All three were once part of the same country.

Does Serbia have a trunk prefix?

Yes. Serbia's trunk prefix is 0. Drop it when dialing from abroad. Domestic 064 123 4567 becomes +381 64 123 4567 internationally.

What messaging app do Serbians use?

Viber is the dominant messaging app in Serbia, more popular than WhatsApp. Most Serbians use Viber for both messaging and calls.

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