A fax number looks like a phone number, behaves like a phone number, and fails like a phone number when one digit is wrong. The extra difficulty is that every country writes numbers its own way, and the same line may appear on a letterhead as "04 12 34 56 78", "+33 4 12 34 56 78" or "+33 (0)4 12 34 56 78". Which parts do you actually dial? This guide covers the seven countries CaptainFax serves, with invented example numbers so you can see the pattern.
The three building blocks
Country code. The code that identifies the country when you call from abroad: 33 for France, 351 Portugal, 1 Canada, 49 Germany, 34 Spain, 39 Italy, 32 Belgium. It is written after a plus sign, which stands for your own country's international dialling prefix.
Trunk prefix. The digit you add when calling inside a country, usually a zero. In most countries it is dropped when you dial from abroad. Italy is the notable exception.
Area code and subscriber number. The geographic part, followed by the line itself.
On the send form, you select the destination country separately and then enter the number, so the thing to get right is the part that follows the country code. If you are unsure how a number will be read, run it through the number checker before sending. Tool details and the full list of destinations are on the destinations pages.
Country by country
All examples below are made up and illustrate layout only.
France
Numbers have ten digits, starting with a zero: 04 12 34 56 78. The zero is the trunk prefix. In international form it disappears: +33 4 12 34 56 78. Geographic landlines start with 01 to 05; 09 numbers are typically internet-box lines. Mobiles begin with 06 or 07 and cannot receive faxes.
Common error: keeping the zero after the country code, producing +33 04 12... which does not exist.
Germany
Area codes differ in length, running from two up to five digits after the zero, and subscriber numbers vary too. A Berlin number might appear as 030 1234 5678, an international version being +49 30 1234 5678. Again the leading zero of the area code drops.
Common error: inserting a dash or slash between area code and number and then losing a digit. Germans often write "(0 30) 12 34 56 78", where the zero in brackets is the trunk prefix. Leave that zero out once the country is selected.
Spain
Nine digits, and no trunk prefix at all. Landlines begin with 8 or 9, with 91 for Madrid and 93 for Barcelona, written for instance as 911 234 567. International form is +34 911 234 567. Nothing is dropped.
Common error: adding a zero out of habit from other countries.
Italy
Here the zero belongs to the number. Landlines begin with 0 followed by the area code (06 for Rome, 02 for Milan), and you keep it, also from abroad: +39 06 1234 5678. Mobiles begin with 3 and cannot receive faxes.
Common error: dropping the zero because the other countries do. That is the single most frequent Italian mistake.
Portugal
Nine digits, no trunk prefix. Landlines start with 2 (Lisbon is 21, Porto is 22): 212 345 678, or +351 212 345 678 internationally. Numbers starting with 9 are mobiles.
Common error: typing a mobile-looking number from a business card. Check that the first digit is a 2.
Belgium
A zero trunk prefix again, with short area codes for the big cities: 02 for Brussels, 03 for Antwerp. The number 02 123 45 67 turns into +32 2 123 45 67 internationally. Other areas have three-digit codes after the zero, such as 04x for Liège.
Common error: treating the 02 as part of the number when it is a prefix and a code in one.
Canada
Canada shares the North American numbering plan: an area code of three digits, then seven digits, ten in all. Montreal uses 514 and Toronto 416, for example. International form: +1 514 123 4567. No trunk zero exists; callers inside North America add a 1 before the ten digits for long distance.
Common error: typing the leading 1 twice, once as the country code and once as the long-distance prefix. You need it only once.
Typing errors worth catching
- Transposed digits (4567 becomes 4657). Read the number aloud once.
- Copying the phone number instead of the fax number. Many organisations publish both on the same line of their site.
- Spaces, dots, brackets and dashes. Usually harmless, but a pasted non-breaking space can be invisible.
- A leading "00" or "+" pasted along with the country code when the country is already selected.
- OCR confusion when reading a scanned letterhead: 0 and O, 1 and 7, 5 and S.
- An old number. Offices change numbers when they change operator. When in doubt, confirm in writing.
A habit that saves failed sends
Take the number from a recent document, say it aloud, enter it, compare the result on screen with the original and run it through the checker. Then confirm that it is a landline: the service cannot reach mobiles. The answers page covers other reasons a send may fail.
FAQ
Do I keep the first zero when I type the number?
It depends on the country. France, Germany and Belgium drop it in international form, Italy keeps it, and Spain and Portugal have none. The country is chosen in its own field.
Is it possible to fax a mobile number?
No. Only landlines can receive faxes.
Is it worth checking a number on a long document?
Yes. A single page is free, but from two pages the price is €3.99 per send, and a wrong number means starting again. See the rates page.
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