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Cape Verde country code +238 — call Cape Verde & get a number.
Everything you need to call Cape Verde: country code +238, island-by-island area codes, the 2004 closed numbering switch, and how to dial correctly. Plus how to get a local Cape Verde number for your business in minutes.
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Cape Verde at a glance
The numbers and facts you need before you dial.
What is the country code for Cape Verde?
Cape Verde, an archipelago of ten volcanic islands off West Africa's coast, went through a genuinely uncommon telecom overhaul in 2004: rather than gradually expanding its numbering plan the way most countries do, it prepended a digit to every single phone number in the country on a single date, permanently changing how residents and businesses had dialed each other for decades. Understanding that switch is the key to understanding how Cape Verde's numbering plan looks today.
On July 3, 2004, Cape Verde executed a nationwide numbering change that prepended a "2" to every existing fixed-line number and a "9" to every mobile number, instantly turning the country's older, shorter numbers into a uniform 7-digit format. This shift also converted Cape Verde to a closed numbering plan, meaning every number, whether fixed or mobile, must now be dialed in full every time, with no shortened local-dialing variants — a stricter, more standardized system than the mixed open/closed plans many developing telecom markets still use.
The practical result for callers today: the leading digit of a Cape Verdean number tells you immediately whether you're dialing a landline (starting with 2) or a mobile number (starting with 9), a simple but genuinely useful convention baked directly into the numbering system.
Code +238 was assigned to Cape Verde by the ITU under the E.164 plan. The “+” means “dial your local international exit code”; on a mobile, press and hold 0 to type it.
All four mean the same thing — they connect your call to Cape Verde.
How to call Cape Verde from anywhere
Calling Cape Verde from abroad: dial your country's international access code (011 from the US/Canada, 00 from the UK) + 238 (Cape Verde's country code) + the 7-digit local number (no leading zero to drop, since Cape Verde uses a closed numbering plan). Example: 011 238 2XX XXXX for a Praia-area landline.
Calling within Cape Verde: domestic calls require dialing the full 7-digit number regardless of whether the call is local or between islands, a direct consequence of the closed numbering plan adopted in 2004.
Calling out from Cape Verde: dial 00 + country code + local number for international destinations.
Full example: +238 261 XXX XXXX — drop the local leading 0 when calling from abroad.
Cape Verde phone number format explained
Cape Verde's fixed-line area codes fall in the 2xx range, organized by island and split when a single numeric prefix needs to cover more than one populated island. Where this happens, the split follows a consistent pattern: one island takes the lower half of the range (2x0 through 2x4) while the neighboring island takes the upper half (2x5 through 2x9) — an efficient way to share a limited numbering block across the archipelago's scattered geography without needing entirely separate prefixes for smaller islands.
Mobile numbers all begin with 9, following the 2004 renumbering, and are dialed as a full 7-digit number with no area-code component, reflecting the closed numbering plan structure used nationwide.
Landline
+238-2XX-XXXX (island-specific 2xx prefix, always dialed in full)
Mobile
+238-9XX-XXXX (flat 7-digit format across CV Móvel and Unitel T+ ranges)
Cape Verde area codes — major cities
Drop the local leading 0 when calling from abroad.
| City | Region | Area code |
|---|---|---|
| Praia (capital) | Santiago Island | 261 |
| Mindelo | São Vicente Island | 232 |
| Sal Rei | Boa Vista Island | 251 |
Cape Verde mobile network prefixes
The prefix after +238 tells you which network issued the SIM — though number portability means it no longer guarantees the operator.
CV Móvel
Unitel T+
Cape Verde time zone
Cape Verde operates on Cape Verde Time (UTC−1) year-round, with no daylight saving time.
This places the islands 4 hours behind UK time in winter (3 hours behind during British Summer Time) and typically 3-4 hours ahead of the US East Coast depending on US DST status — a relatively convenient overlap for transatlantic business given Cape Verde's historical trade and diaspora ties to both Europe and the Americas.
Why this matters for business: if you're coordinating call center hours, IVR schedules, or SLA windows against Cape Verde, the only variable to track is whether your own city shifts its clocks for DST — Cape Verde's side of the equation never changes.
Emergency numbers in Cape Verde
Free to call from any Cape Verde phone, landline or mobile.
Common mistakes when calling Cape Verde
Almost every failed international call is a formatting issue, not a network issue.
Assuming a leading 0 needs to be dropped when dialing internationally
Cape Verde uses a closed numbering plan — the full 7-digit number (including its leading 2 or 9) is always dialed in full, with no digits to add or remove beyond the +238 country code itself.
Assuming local calls use a shortened number
Since the 2004 renumbering, Cape Verde has no open-dialing shortcuts — every call, local or between islands, requires the full 7-digit number.
Assuming Cape Verde has a single unified emergency number
Cape Verde uses distinct short codes for different services (102 information, 130 hospital, 131 fire, 132 police) rather than one number like 911 or 112.
Assuming uniform connectivity across all ten islands
Coverage and broadband speeds are generally strongest on the more populated islands of Santiago and São Vicente, with more limited service on smaller islands.
Tips to reduce the cost of calling Cape Verde
Read the leading digit to know landline vs. mobile instantly
a number starting with 2 is a landline; a number starting with 9 is a mobile — a simple convention baked directly into the numbering system since the 2004 switch.
Never truncate a Cape Verde number
the closed numbering plan means the full 7 digits are required for every call, domestic or international — there's no shorter local-dialing variant to fall back on.
Route calls through VoIP or an MCM virtual number rather than paying carrier international rates into +238.
Set IVR hours against UTC−1 — no DST adjustment ever needed
Cape Verde holds a constant UTC−1 offset year-round, so once you configure business hours correctly, you never need to re-check them each season.
Why businesses get a Cape Verde virtual number
Cape Verde's business culture reflects its Portuguese colonial history and strong culture of emigration — a notably large Cape Verdean diaspora, particularly in the United States and Portugal, means many local businesses are accustomed to regular transatlantic contact. Business communications often proceed in Portuguese or Cape Verdean Creole (Kriolu), and relationship-building tends to matter as much as it does elsewhere in the Lusophone world.
As an island nation reliant on undersea cable and satellite links for its international connectivity, Cape Verde has worked to expand broadband access in recent years, with coverage and speeds generally strongest on the more populated islands of Santiago (home to the capital, Praia) and São Vicente.
For a business considering a Cape Verde virtual number, the closed numbering plan is worth knowing operationally: every number must be provisioned and routed as a full 7-digit string, with no shortened local variants to account for in call-routing logic.
Higher answer rates
Local caller IDs are answered far more often than unfamiliar international numbers.
Lower trust friction
A local number signals legitimate presence without a physical office.
Cheaper inbound
Customers call at local rates — no one rejects your calls for cost.
Centralized routing
Calls forward to your existing call center, mobile, or SIP platform — handled from anywhere.
Faster expansion
Launch a local line in a day instead of incorporating a local entity.
Real PSTN presence
A genuine local DID that rings on your phone system worldwide.
Cape Verde virtual numbers with My Country Mobile
My Country Mobile makes it simple to get a working Cape Verde +238 virtual number without setting up local infrastructure — provision a number, route it to your existing team or IVR anywhere in the world, and manage call handling on Cape Verde's stable, DST-free UTC−1 schedule. Trusted by 17,500+ businesses, backed by a 99.99% uptime SLA, live across 190+ countries, and rated ★4.8/5 on G2 — MCM gives you a local Cape Verdean presence with global-grade infrastructure behind it.
Local DIDs in major area codes — provisioned in minutes
Call forwarding to any mobile, landline, SIP endpoint, or softphone worldwide
HD voice with G.711, G.729, Opus & AMR-WB — auto-negotiated per call
Sub-150ms latency on major voice corridors via distributed PoPs
99.99% uptime SLA backed by geo-redundant infrastructure & sub-2s failover
WebRTC support for browser-based calling without softphone installs
REST APIs for provisioning, routing & call detail records (CDRs)
Built-in fraud protection with AI anomaly detection & STIR/SHAKEN
24/7 network monitoring and dedicated support
How to get your Cape Verde virtual number
Most businesses are live within hours, not days.
Choose your Cape Verde number type — select a +238 local virtual number suited to your use case: customer support, sales, or a dedicated line for a specific department.
Set up call routing — point the number to your existing phone system, softphone, or contact center; no need for a physical office on any of Cape Verde's ten islands.
Configure business hours correctly — set your IVR and availability windows against Cape Verde Time (UTC−1), no DST adjustment ever needed.
Go live — start receiving and making calls under your new Cape Verde number within minutes, with support for scaling to other West African and Lusophone markets as you grow.
Other country dialing guides
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Get a Cape Verde virtual number with MCM
Sound local in Praia from anywhere — start your free trial and claim a +238 Cape Verde number today.
Cape Verde +238 — FAQ
What is Cape Verde's country code?expand_more
+238.
Why do all Cape Verde phone numbers start with either 2 or 9?expand_more
Following a nationwide renumbering on July 3, 2004, every fixed-line number was prefixed with a 2 and every mobile number with a 9, standardizing the country onto a 7-digit closed numbering plan.
Do Cape Verde numbers have area codes I need to drop when dialing internationally?expand_more
No. Since Cape Verde uses a closed numbering plan, the full 7-digit number (including its leading 2 or 9) is always dialed in full, with no digits to add or remove for domestic versus international calls beyond the +238 country code itself.
What time zone does Cape Verde use?expand_more
UTC−1 year-round, with no daylight saving time.
How do I call Cape Verde from abroad?expand_more
Dial your country's international access code (011 from the US/Canada, 00 from the UK) + 238 + the 7-digit local number — for example, 011 238 2XX XXXX for a Praia-area landline.
What is the capital of Cape Verde?expand_more
Praia, located on Santiago Island.
Who are the main mobile network operators in Cape Verde?expand_more
CV Móvel (the mobile arm of incumbent Cabo Verde Telecom) and Unitel T+ are the two primary operators.
What is the emergency number in Cape Verde?expand_more
Cape Verde uses distinct short codes rather than one unified number: 102 for information services, 130 for hospital emergencies, 131 for fire, and 132 for police.
Can I get a virtual Cape Verde phone number without living there?expand_more
Yes. Providers like MCM let you provision a +238 virtual number and route calls to any location worldwide — useful for businesses serving Cape Verde's market or its large diaspora without a physical office on the islands.
Why did Cape Verde change its entire numbering plan in 2004?expand_more
To modernize and standardize the system into a uniform 7-digit closed numbering plan — prepending a 2 to every fixed-line number and a 9 to every mobile number in a single nationwide switch on July 3, 2004.