London Area Codes

London’s area code is 020. The 7-or-8 digit local number that follows is split by old sub-zones: 7xxx = Inner London (formerly 0207), 8xxx = Outer London (formerly 0208), 3xxx = newer block (since 2005, citywide). Dialed locally as 020 xxxx xxxx; internationally as +44 20 xxxx xxxx.

This guide is part of our UK phone codes hub — start there for the full +44 country code and national numbering picture, then come back here for the London-specific detail.

What is the London area code?

London’s single area code is 020. It covers all of Greater London — the City, all 32 boroughs, and the postcode regions inside the M25 — with one shared code for landlines, geographic VoIP numbers, and most business virtual numbers. The full London number format is:

0 20 xxxx xxxx
│ │  └────────── 8-digit local subscriber number
│ └───────────── area code (20)
└─────────────── UK national trunk prefix

When you write the number for printing or web display, the convention is 020 7946 0000 — area code, then a space, then the 8 digits split as 4+4. When stored or dialed internationally, drop the leading 0 from the trunk prefix and add +44: +44 20 7946 0000.

A few rules people get wrong:

• 020 is the area code. Not 0207, not 0208, not 0203. Those are 020 followed by the first digit of the 8-digit local number.
• The local part is always 8 digits. If you see a “London” number with only 7 digits after 020, it is either an old listing pre-2000 or a typo.
• 020 numbers are geographic. They are not premium-rate (09), not non-geographic 03 numbers, and not mobile (07). Calls to 020 from a UK landline or mobile are usually included in standard call bundles.

The 020 prefix and its sub-blocks (7xxx, 8xxx, 3xxx)

The number you see after 020 carries history. When Ofcom merged Inner London (0171) and Outer London (0181) into the single 020 area code in April 2000, the legacy 7 and 8 digits were preserved as the first digit of the new 8-digit local number. Then in 2005, Ofcom opened a fresh 3xxx block to relieve capacity. Today there are three working sub-blocks under 020:

Sub-block	Original meaning	Today	Example
020 7xxx xxxx	Inner London (old 0171)	Central boroughs — City, Westminster, Camden, Islington, Hackney, etc. Still heavily issued to businesses with a central London presence.	020 7946 1234
020 8xxx xxxx	Outer London (old 0181)	Outer boroughs — Croydon, Bromley, Ealing, Enfield, Barnet, etc. Original block has been near-exhausted for new issuance for years.	020 8123 4567
020 3xxx xxxx	New capacity (post-2005)	Issued city-wide with no inner/outer rule. Most newly issued London VoIP numbers fall in this block.	020 3456 7890

A common mistake — including in some older directory listings — is to treat 0207, 0208, and 0203 as separate area codes. They are not. They are the area code 020 plus the first digit of the local number. Splitting the number as 0207 946 0000 (7-digit “local part”) instead of 020 7946 0000 (correct 8-digit local part) creates confusion when callers from outside the UK try to enter the international format and end up with a wrong number of digits.

For the underlying national rules, see the UK number format guide.

How to dial a London number from outside the UK

To dial a London 020 number from outside the UK, drop the trunk 0 and prefix with the international code:

From	Dial	Example for 020 7946 0000
Within the UK	020 then 8-digit local	020 7946 0000
From the US or Canada	011 44 20 then 8-digit local	011 44 20 7946 0000
From most of Europe / international	00 44 20 then 8-digit local	00 44 20 7946 0000
Mobile (E.164 format)	+44 20 then 8-digit local	+44 20 7946 0000

The + notation works from any modern mobile worldwide and is the safest way to store a London number that international contacts may need to dial. Always store as +44 20 7946 0000, never as 0207 946 0000 — the second form loses the international prefix and may be dialed incorrectly by call apps.

For step-by-step instructions from a US phone, see how to call the UK from the US.

London number examples

The numbers below are fictitious examples (Ofcom reserves the 7946 xxxx, 496 0xxx, and similar ranges for drama and documentation use). They illustrate the three sub-block patterns:

Sub-block	Fictitious example	International format
Inner London (7xxx)	020 7946 0123	+44 20 7946 0123
Outer London (8xxx)	020 8496 0987	+44 20 8496 0987
New block (3xxx)	020 3456 7890	+44 20 3456 7890
Newer 3xxx (business VoIP)	020 3970 5555	+44 20 3970 5555
Newer 3xxx (business VoIP)	020 3893 2200	+44 20 3893 2200

When you publish a London number in marketing materials, on a website, or in a Google Business Profile, the recommended formats are:

• For UK audiences: 020 7946 0123 (national format, space after 020).
• For international audiences: +44 20 7946 0123 (E.164-style with +).
• Avoid: 0207 946 0123, (020) 7946 0123, +44 (0) 20 7946 0123 — the bracketed-zero form is legacy and confuses click-to-call apps that should follow the E.164 standard.

Getting a London 020 business number

You do not need a physical London office to get a London 020 number. Cloud VoIP providers issue 020 numbers in minutes, route the calls to your existing devices, and let your team present a London caller ID on outbound calls — regardless of where the team actually sits.

Why a London number matters for UK business presence. UK customers are far more likely to call a 020 number than a free-phone 0800 or a non-geographic 0330. Survey data from UK consumer telecom studies has consistently shown a strong trust signal attached to geographic codes — a London 020 number reads as “real UK business” in a way that a 0330 number or a foreign mobile number does not. For an overseas company selling into the UK, this is the cheapest credibility upgrade available.

What a cloud London number gets you (with DialPhone):

• 020 number assigned in under 10 minutes. Choose from currently available 020 3xxx blocks; specific 7xxx Inner London inventory is occasionally available depending on supplier.
• Calls forward to mobile, desktop, or team. Use the DialPhone app on iOS, Android, Windows, or Mac. No physical hardware required.
• Outbound caller ID shows your 020 number. Whether you’re calling from a New York office or a Berlin coworking space, the recipient sees a London number.
• SMS to and from your 020 number. Standard 020 numbers support inbound SMS via DialPhone for two-way messaging — useful for appointment confirmations and quick replies.
• AI receptionist in English with optional language overlays. Handles after-hours calls, captures intent, and routes urgent inquiries.

See current rates on the DialPhone pricing page and the full feature breakdown on the DialPhone business phone page.

Compliance note for UK 020 number holders. Ofcom’s General Conditions require that any number-holder be able to demonstrate a UK presence or legitimate UK business activity for geographic numbers. A cloud provider issuing the number on your behalf typically satisfies this requirement through their own UK presence and regulatory registration. Confirm with your provider that they handle Ofcom number assignment compliance — DialPhone does this as part of the provisioning process.

London vs other UK city codes

London’s 020 is the shortest UK area code by design — only two digits — followed by 8-digit local numbers. Other major UK cities use 3-digit area codes followed by 7-digit local numbers. The total digit count after the trunk 0 is always 10 across major UK geographic numbers, so the split shifts depending on the area code length.

City	Area code	Local digits	Example	International
London	020	8	020 7946 0000	+44 20 7946 0000
Birmingham	0121	7	0121 496 0000	+44 121 496 0000
Manchester	0161	7	0161 496 0000	+44 161 496 0000
Edinburgh	0131	7	0131 496 0000	+44 131 496 0000
Liverpool	0151	7	0151 496 0000	+44 151 496 0000
Leeds	0113	7	0113 496 0000	+44 113 496 0000
Glasgow	0141	7	0141 496 0000	+44 141 496 0000
Cardiff	029	8	029 2018 0000	+44 29 2018 0000

Note that Cardiff (029) shares London’s 2-digit-area-code + 8-digit-local pattern — they are the two metropolitan areas where Ofcom allocated a shorter area code to free up local-number capacity. Belfast (028), Northern Ireland’s largest city, follows the same 2+8 pattern. Everywhere else in the UK uses the 3+7 or 4+6 split.

For the full UK city-by-city breakdown, see the UK phone codes hub.

London number portability

If you already have a London 020 number with one provider, you can move it to another provider through UK number porting — the regulatory right under Ofcom’s General Conditions that lets you keep your number when switching telecoms supplier.

How porting works for UK 020 numbers:

1. Sign up with the new provider (e.g., DialPhone).
2. Submit a Letter of Authorization (LOA) signed by the account holder, plus a recent bill from the losing provider showing the 020 number and account details.
3. The new provider files a port request with the losing carrier. UK porting is regulated and the losing carrier cannot refuse a valid request.
4. Porting completes typically within 5–10 working days for standard 020 numbers. Bulk ports (10+ numbers) can take longer.
5. The new provider activates the number on your account. Calls to your 020 number now route to your new service.

What you should not do: cancel your old service before the port completes. Calls placed during a cancelled-but-not-yet-ported window will fail. Keep the old account active until the new provider confirms the port has gone live; pay the overlap if it costs a few extra pounds — losing the number is more expensive.

For a deeper look at the legal mechanics, fees, and edge cases, see the number porting glossary entry.

Related guides

• UK phone codes guide (hub)
• UK number format guide
• How to call the UK from the US
• Number porting (glossary)
• DialPhone business phone

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the area code for London? +

The area code for London is 020. Every geographic London landline number is written as 020 followed by an 8-digit local subscriber number — for example, 020 7946 0000. The 020 code covers the whole of Greater London, both Inner and Outer boroughs, with no separate code for different parts of the city. Older listings sometimes show 0207 or 0208, but those are not separate area codes — they are the first digit of the 8-digit local number, kept from a 2000 numbering change.

Is London 020 or 0207? +

London is 020, not 0207. The area code has been 020 since April 2000, when the older 0171 (Inner London) and 0181 (Outer London) codes merged. The '7' you often see after 020 is the first digit of the 8-digit local number, not part of the area code. So 020 7946 0000 is correctly read as area code 020 + local number 7946 0000, not 0207 + 946 0000. The same applies to 0208 (Outer London first digit) and 0203 (newer block since 2005).

How do I get a London phone number for business? +

You can get a London 020 business number from a cloud VoIP provider in under 10 minutes — no physical office in London required. The provider assigns a free 020 number to your account, routes incoming calls to your existing mobile, desktop, or team, and lets you make outbound calls that display the 020 number as caller ID. DialPhone offers London 020 numbers with the same SMS, AI receptionist, and call recording features as US numbers. Setup is a credit card and a few minutes.

Can I have a London 020 number if I'm not in London? +

Yes. A London 020 number is a virtual number — it does not require a physical London address or a landline at that address. UK Ofcom rules no longer enforce a strict 'use it in the area' residency check for 020 numbers issued by cloud providers, and businesses across the UK, Europe, and the US routinely use 020 numbers to present a London presence. Calls to the 020 number ring on your mobile, desktop softphone, or team queue wherever you are.

What is the difference between London 0207, 0208 and 0203 numbers? +

All three are London 020 numbers — they share the same area code. The difference is the first digit of the 8-digit local number, which loosely maps to when and where the number was issued. 7xxx numbers were originally Inner London (the old 0171 block, central boroughs). 8xxx numbers were originally Outer London (the old 0181 block, outer boroughs). 3xxx numbers are a newer block released by Ofcom from 2005 onward to relieve capacity, and they are issued city-wide with no inner/outer distinction.