How to Call in Brazil to Any Phone (International or Not)

Wondering how to call in Brazil? I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to make calls to any phone number, international or not, while in the country.

Something as simple as calling someone can be a bit challenging when you don’t speak the language or can’t find the instructions online.

Thinking of that, I decided to write this practical guide on how to call in Brazil within your city, to another town, and to another country.

Let’s get to it!

Phone number in Brazil

First things first.

Cell phone numbers within Brazil consist of a two-digit area code followed by a nine-digit local number starting with 9. E.g. cell phone number from Rio: 21 9 XXXX XXXX

Landline numbers also consist of a two-digit area code but are followed by an eight-digit local number. E.g. landline number from Rio: 21 XXXX XXXX

Note that you will only use the two-digit area code when calling a phone number from another Brazilian city.

If you’re calling within your city, across the street, or a person on the next block, you don’t need to dial it.

How to call in Brazil to a phone number in the same city

To call a phone number in the same city as you are in Brazil is pretty straightforward:

1. Dial the phone number without 0 at the beginning
2. Press dial and happy talking!

Examples of how to call in Brazil to any phone number in the same city

The next steps are simply an example of how you can easily make a call in Brazil.

1. I want to call this cell phone number: 9 XXXX XXXX
2. To make this call, I would dial the following on my phone: 9 XXXX XXXX
3. To call a landline, I would dial the following on my phone: XXXX XXXX

How to call in Brazil to a phone number in another city

To call a phone number in another Brazilian city you need to dial in the carrier code and DDD area code, which means direct distance dialing.

1. First, dial 0
2. Dial the 2 digits carrier code: XX (see the table below for the codes)
3. Then, dial the 2 digits DDD area code of the city where the phone call receiver is: XX (see the table below for the codes)
4. Finally, dial the person’s phone number and happy talking!

Examples of how to call in Brazil to any phone number in another Brazilian city

1. I’m based in São Paulo and I want to call this cell phone number in Rio de Janeiro: 9 XXXX XXXX
2. To make this call, I would dial the following on my phone: 0 15 21 9 XXXX XXXX
   1. Note that the carrier code I chose–15–could be any of the first table below
3. To call a landline in Rio de Janeiro, I would dial the following on my phone: 0 15 21 XXXX XXXX

Carrier codes to use when calling other Brazilian cities

Carrier	Code
Vivo/Telefonica	15
Claro/Embratel	21
Tim	41
Oi/Brasil Telecom	14

Direct distance dialing (DDD) codes to use when calling other Brazilian cities

The table below has the dialing area codes of some major cities in Brazil.

If the city you want to call is not in this list, click here and type its name into the search bar under the tab “DDD.”

Cities	Dialing area code
Rio de Janeiro	21
São Paulo	11
Campinas	19
Salvador	71
Recife	81
Florianópolis	48
Curitiba	41
Brasília	61
São Luís	98

How to make international calls from Brazil

Now, I will teach you how to call in Brazil to other countries.

For that, we need the carrier code mentioned above, as well as the country code, which we call DDI in Brazil–it stands for international direct dialing.

Since calling the US from Brazil is easy-peasy, for this example, I will teach you how to call the USA from Brazil.

1. First, dial 00
2. Dial the 2 digits carrier code: XX (see the table above for the codes)
3. Dial the country code of the phone call receiver, in this case, the USA code: 1 (see the table below for the codes)
4. Then, dial the destination code, if any
5. Finally, dial the person’s phone number and happy talking!

Examples of how to call the USA from Brazil

1. I will call a number in New York City: 212 XXX XXXX
2. To make this call, I would dial the following on my phone: 00 15 1 212 XXX XXXX

Note that each carrier charges a different price for the call.

If you’re calling from a landline or a cell phone with a plan, charges will be lower than if you would make the call using a prepaid SIM card.

Check the carrier websites for the rates.

Dialing country codes to use when making international calls

The table below has the dialing country codes of some countries.

If the country you want to call is not in this list, click here to look for it.

Countries	Country area code
United States	1
Canada	1
United Kingdom	44
Australia	61
Portugal	351
Germany	49
Argentina	54
The Netherlands	31
India	91

Essential phone numbers in Brazil

• GRU Airport phone number (São Paulo): +11 2445-2945
• Tom Jobim International Airport – Galeão (Rio de Janeiro): +21 3004-6050
• Viracopos International Airport (Campinas): +19 3725-5000
• Brasília International Airport (Brasília): +61 3364-9000
• Confins International Airport (Belo Horizonte): +31 3689-2700
• Emergency number: 193
• Police number: 190
• Tourist police number Rio de Janeiro: +55 21 2332-2924
• Tourist police number São Paulo: +55 11 3120-4417

More resources

I know that if you’re reading this article, chances are you already have a SIM card, but if you don’t, here’s how to get a SIM card in Brazil.

Anyway, as said, this article on how to call in Brazil will be enough to make any calls within the country–international or national calls.

However, if for any reason you’re abroad and you want to call someone in Brazil instead, be sure to check this guide on how to call Brazil from USA and Canada.