Last reviewed: 2025-01-07 · Reading time: 5 minutes
How do you dial United Kingdom from India?
- Country code
+44- Mobile numbers
-
Example:
+44 7911 123456Mobile numbers start with 7 and are 10 digits after +44. Drop the leading 0—dial +44 7, not +44 07.
- Landline numbers
-
Example:
+44 20 7123 4567London is 20, Manchester is 161, Birmingham is 121. Drop the leading 0 from the area code.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Keeping the leading 0—dial +44 20, not +44 020
- Confusing UK mobile (starts with 7) with other 07 numbers (some are special rate)
- Calling during UK lunch (12-1 PM) expecting immediate answers
When is the best time to call United Kingdom?
Timezone: GMT (UTC+0) in winter, BST (UTC+1) in summer
Evening calls
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM UK time (10:30 PM - 1:30 AM IST (winter) / 11:30 PM - 2:30 AM IST (summer) your time)
Late night in India catches UK evening. Works if you're a night owl.
Afternoon calls
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM UK time (5:30 PM - 8:30 PM IST (winter) / 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM IST (summer) your time)
Your evening catches their afternoon. Good for business calls.
What should you know about calling United Kingdom?
The UK has four major carriers: EE (largest), Vodafone, Three, and O2.
Mobile coverage is excellent in cities and good across most of the country.
Rural Scotland, Wales, and parts of England may have patchy coverage.
Landlines are common, especially for older contacts.
Call quality from India to the UK is excellent. VoIP connections are
clear and reliable. The relatively short distance (compared to US)
means low-latency calls. Both mobile and landline connections work well.
Cultural tips
British communication tends to be polite but reserved. Business calls
should be scheduled when possible. Avoid calling during lunch (12-1 PM)
or after 9 PM. Leaving voicemail is acceptable. A brief text before
calling is appreciated for personal calls.
Holidays to know
Christmas (Dec 25-26) and New Year's Day are major holidays. Easter
weekend (Good Friday to Easter Monday) and bank holidays (scattered
through the year) affect business. August sees many Britons on holiday.
UK holidays don't align with Indian ones.
Alternatives to phone calls
WhatsApp is widely used in the UK for messaging and calls. FaceTime
works well for Apple users. For business, email is standard for initial
contact, followed by scheduled calls. Microsoft Teams and Zoom are
common for video meetings.
Frequently asked questions
What's the time difference between India and the UK?
India (UTC+5:30) is ahead of the UK:
- UK winter (GMT): India is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead
- UK summer (BST): India is 4 hours 30 minutes ahead
When it's 9 PM in Delhi, it's 3:30 PM in London (winter) or 4:30 PM
(summer). Note India's 30-minute offset.
What are the area codes for major UK cities?
Major cities:
London: 20 · Birmingham: 121 · Manchester: 161 · Glasgow: 141 · Liverpool: 151 · Edinburgh: 131 · Leeds: 113 · Bristol: 117 · Sheffield: 114 · Newcastle: 191 · Nottingham: 115 · Leicester: 116 · Cardiff: 29 · Belfast: 28 · Cambridge: 1223 · Oxford: 1865 · Reading: 118
Mobile numbers nationwide start with 7.
How do I know if a UK number is mobile?
UK mobile numbers start with 07 (or +44 7 internationally).
Numbers starting with 01 or 02 are geographic landlines.
03 numbers are non-geographic (national rate).
Be cautious of 070 numbers—these are "personal" numbers with
higher charges, not standard mobiles.
What's the best time to call the UK from India?
For UK evening (6-9 PM): Call 10:30 PM - 1:30 AM IST (winter)
For UK afternoon (12-3 PM): Call 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM IST (winter)
For UK morning (9 AM - 12 PM): Call 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM IST (winter)
Add 1 hour to IST times during UK summer (BST, March-October).
Do I need to dial 00 before 44?
On mobile phones, just use +44 directly. From Indian landlines,
you may need to dial 00 44 (the international access code).
+44 7911 123456 and 00 44 7911 123456 connect the same way.
Mobile phones handle the + automatically.
Current rates
$0.04-$1.38/min
Rates vary by mobile vs landline. Billed per minute, rounded up.
View all rates →