Saudi Arabia country code +966
— call the Kingdom & get a number.
Everything to dial Saudi Arabia correctly — exact formats from the US, UK, India and across the Gulf, every regional area code, current mobile prefixes, live time & weather — plus how businesses get a Saudi virtual number with MCM.
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Saudi Arabia at a glance
The numbers and facts you need before you dial.
What is the country code for Saudi Arabia?
The country code for Saudi Arabia is +966 — the unique digit string the global phone system uses to route any call from outside the Kingdom onto a Saudi number. Without it, the network has nowhere to land the call.
Code +966 was assigned to Saudi Arabia by the ITU under the E.164 plan — the same standard that gives the US +1, the UK +44 and the UAE +971. 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 Saudi Arabia.
How to call Saudi Arabia from anywhere
Every pattern is: exit code + 966 + area/mobile code (no leading 0) + subscriber number.
Riyadh · 7-digit subscriber number. Mobile example: +966 5X 123 4567 — mobiles use a 2-digit prefix starting with 5, no city code.
- Riyadh landline: 011 966 11 2345678
- Mobile: 011 966 5X XXXXXXX
- Jeddah landline: 00 966 12 XXXXXXX
- Mobile: 00 966 5X XXXXXXX
- Dammam landline: 00 966 13 XXXXXXX
- Mobile: 0011 966 5X XXXXXXX
Universal format (any mobile): +966 + area code + local number — the “+” tells your carrier to apply the right exit code automatically, wherever you are.
Saudi Arabia phone number format explained
A complete Saudi number is 9 digits in international format (after +966). Inside the Kingdom it's written with a leading 0 — the trunk prefix you drop when calling from abroad.
Landline
- Inside KSA
- 0 + area code + subscriber → 011 234 5678
- International
- +966 + area code + subscriber → +966 11 234 5678
Regional area codes are 2 digits beginning with 1 (Riyadh 11, Jeddah 12). Landline subscriber numbers are 7 digits.
Mobile
- Inside KSA
- 0 + prefix + subscriber → 055 123 4567
- International
- +966 + prefix + subscriber → +966 55 123 4567
All Saudi mobiles start with 5 after the country code. The 2-digit prefix identifies the original operator.
Saudi Arabia area codes — regions & cities
Rule of thumb: codes are grouped by region, each beginning with 1.
Six regions on the map
Hover a region to see its area code.
Quick math
All codes start with 1 · 7-digit subscriber
| Cities | Region | Area code |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | Central region | 11 |
| Jeddah · Makkah · Taif | Western region | 12 |
| Dammam · Khobar · Jubail | Eastern region | 13 |
| Madinah · Tabuk · Yanbu | Madinah / Tabuk | 14 |
| Qassim · Hail | Northern region | 16 |
| Asir · Jazan · Najran | Southern region | 17 |
Saudi Arabia mobile network prefixes
The 2-digit prefix after +966 hints at the original operator — though number portability means a prefix no longer guarantees the network.
STC
Saudi Telecom / sa
The Kingdom's largest operator. Nationwide 5G and longest-running brand.
Mobily
Mobile carrier
Strong data network and enterprise plans across major cities.
Zain
KSA
Competitive bundles and broad urban coverage.
MVNOs
Lebara, Salam, Virgin
Resellers running on the major networks' infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia time zone — AST (UTC +3)
Saudi Arabia does not observe daylight saving, so the offset is the same year-round. See the live clock at the top of this page.
Best call windows: Late morning KSA time overlaps European business hours; early evening in the Kingdom catches the US East Coast morning. Note the Saudi working week runs Sunday–Thursday, and networks in Makkah and Madinah can be busy during Hajj and Umrah seasons.
Emergency numbers in Saudi Arabia
Free to call from any Saudi phone, landline or mobile.
Common mistakes when calling Saudi Arabia
Almost every failed international call is a formatting issue, not a network issue.
Leaving the leading 0 on the area code
Dial +966 11 234 5678, not +966 011 234 5678. The 0 is the domestic trunk prefix — drop it from abroad.
Dialing 966 without the exit code
From a US landline, "966 11 …" alone fails. You need 011 (or +) in front to flag the call international.
Confusing the regional codes
12 (Jeddah) and 13 (Dammam) are one digit apart but hundreds of miles apart. Confirm the region.
Adding an area code to a mobile
Saudi mobiles are dialed +966 5X + 7 digits. There is no city code — mobile numbers are nationwide.
Using the wrong exit code at home
011 (US/Canada), 00 (UK/EU/Gulf), 0011 (Australia). When unsure, dial "+" from a mobile.
Tips to reduce the cost of calling Saudi Arabia
Use a VoIP service
VoIP routes the call over the internet for most of the journey, so you pay local rates on the Saudi end.
Get a Saudi virtual number
A dedicated +966 number lets you receive calls at local rates and dial out with a local caller ID.
Pick the right time window
Carriers charge different international rates by time of day — check before long calls.
For pilgrims
A local data plan plus a calling app is far cheaper than roaming during Hajj or Umrah.
Why businesses get a Saudi virtual number
If you sell, support, or hire in Saudi Arabia, a local +966 caller ID gets answered where a +1 or +44 gets ignored. A Saudi virtual number is a real Saudi number that rings on your existing system anywhere in the world.
Higher answer rates
Local caller IDs are answered far more often than unfamiliar international numbers.
Lower trust friction
A Riyadh +966 11 number signals local presence without a physical office.
Cheaper inbound
Saudi customers call a local number 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 Saudi customer line in a day instead of incorporating a local entity.
Real PSTN presence
A genuine Saudi DID — Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam — that rings on your phone system worldwide.
Saudi virtual numbers with My Country Mobile
MCM provides Saudi Arabia virtual numbers as part of its 190+ country platform — serving 17,500+ businesses across telecom, BPO, fintech, e-commerce and enterprise. You get the local Saudi DID, carrier-grade routing, and the APIs to wire it into whatever softphone, PBX, contact center or CRM you already run.
Local Saudi DIDs in major area codes — Riyadh (+966 11), Jeddah (+966 12) and more
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 Saudi virtual number
Most businesses are live within hours, not days.
Choose your area code
Pick Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, or another Saudi area code based on where you want presence.
Tell MCM where to route
Forward to a mobile, an existing PBX, a SIP trunk, or a softphone — any destination type.
Provision via portal or API
Self-service portal for single numbers; REST API for bulk provisioning and CRM integration.
Go live
Receive calls with caller ID, call recording and CDR access from day one.
More country dialing guides
Ready to connect with Saudi Arabia?
Get a Saudi virtual number from MCM — local caller ID, global routing, sub-150ms latency and a 99.99% uptime SLA, trusted by 17,500+ businesses. No credit card, 5-minute setup, no contracts.
Saudi Arabia country code +966 — frequently asked questions.
Is +966 the same for Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam?expand_more
Yes. The region is set by the area code (Riyadh 11, Jeddah 12, Dammam 13), not the country code.
How do I reach family in Makkah or Madinah during Hajj or Umrah?expand_more
Dial +966 as normal, but expect network congestion in the holy cities during pilgrimage season — retry, or use a data-based calling app.
Why doesn't my Saudi business contact answer on Friday?expand_more
The Saudi working week runs Sunday–Thursday; Friday and Saturday are the weekend.
Do I drop the 0 when calling a Saudi number from abroad?expand_more
Yes — +966 11… and +966 5X…, never +966 011….
How can I tell if a Saudi number is STC, Mobily or Zain?expand_more
The 5X prefix hints at the original operator, but number portability means it's no longer a reliable indicator.
How long is a Saudi phone number?expand_more
Nine digits after +966 — for both mobiles and landlines.
Can I get a Saudi virtual number from outside the Kingdom?expand_more
Yes. A +966 virtual number rings on your existing devices anywhere — no local entity required.
Does Saudi Arabia observe daylight saving?expand_more
No — Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3, all year.