Dialing India correctly from outside the country trips up even experienced international callers, mostly because the exact sequence changes slightly depending on whether you're calling a landline or a mobile number, and which country you're calling from.
The universal starting point: +91
India's ISD (International Subscriber Dialing) code is +91, assigned uniquely to India under the international E.164 numbering standard. Every call to an Indian number from abroad needs this prefix, replacing whatever domestic dialing convention you'd normally use within your own country.
Calling an Indian landline from abroad
The full sequence is: your country's international access code, then 91, then the Indian STD code without its leading zero, then the local number. For example, calling a Delhi landline (STD code 011) from the United States: dial 011 (US access code) + 91 + 11 (Delhi's STD code minus the leading zero) + the local number.
Calling an Indian mobile number from abroad
Mobile numbers skip the STD code step entirely, since Indian mobile numbers aren't tied to a geographic exchange. Dial your country's international access code, then 91, then the full 10-digit mobile number directly — no city code involved at any point.
International access codes vary by country
The digits you dial before 91 depend entirely on where you're calling from — 011 from the United States and Canada, 00 from the United Kingdom and most of Europe, 0011 from Australia. If you're unsure of your own country's international access code, checking your phone's international dialing settings or your telecom provider's guide resolves this quickly.
Using + instead of the access code
Most modern smartphones let you skip memorizing your country's specific access code entirely by dialing "+" (usually by holding the 0 key) followed by 91 and the rest of the number — the phone automatically substitutes the correct access code for your current network, which is the simplest approach if you're not certain of the manual sequence.
Finding the correct STD code for a specific city
If you know which Indian city you're calling but not its STD code, our STD code finder lists codes for major cities, letting you complete the full international dialing sequence correctly on the first try.