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Caribbean Area Codes

Looking for more information on "The 809 Scam"? See the telesleaze page.

Starting in 1958, several island countries and territories in the Caribbean and adjacent areas of the Atlantic were assigned North American area code 809. Area code 809 was nearing its capacity in the mid-1990's, so new area codes were assigned in 1995, 1996, and 1997, with the end result that each country or separate territory now has its own area code. Only the Dominican Republic retained area code 809. All numbering (assignment of prefixes) within the Caribbean region of the NANP is now handled by the telecom ministries of the various countries and territories. Puerto Rico overlaid 939 onto its 787 area code in 2001. The Dominican Republic overlaid 829 onto its 809 area code in 2005 and added 849 in 2009. However, there are not expected to be any further area code splits in the region for many years.

NEW! An additional island — actually, half an island — joined the NANP in 2011. See the information on Sint Maarten below.

The chart below shows the area codes in the NANP Caribbean. The two-letter abbreviation before the name of the island is its ISO country code, used for Internet domains. Time zones are shown in the same format used on the "Locator" page (list of all NANP area codes in numerical order). To convert to international time format (offset from UTC/GMT), subtract 12 hours from the time shown. For example, 7:00 (Eastern Standard Time) is UTC–05:00.

You can also see a map of Caribbean area codes and country codes at caribmap.html. For other North American area codes, see the "Locator" page (en español • en français) or the US/Canada area code/time zone map.

Time Zones: Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands observe Daylight Saving Time on the same schedule as the USA and Canada, beginning the second Sunday in March, ending the first Sunday in November. (For instance, from 2012‑03‑11 until 2012‑11‑04, and from 2013‑03‑10 until 2013‑11‑03.) The other islands listed above observe standard time year-round. To convert to international time zone notation (offset from UTC/GMT), subtract 12 hours from the time shown here; for example, 7:00 (Eastern Standard Time) corresponds to UTC–05:00.

SX Sint Maarten was part of AN the Netherlands Antilles, country code +599. However, Sint Maarten has transitioned to a new separate status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The new ISO country code (and thus Internet domain) has been assigned and is now active; the telephone code changed to country code +1, city code 721. Calling from North America, 011–599–5xx–xxxx has changed to 1–721–5xx–xxxx. The telephone numbering switchover was originally scheduled for 2010‑05‑31, mandatory on 2010‑11‑30, but was postponed until 2011‑09‑30 (permissive), 2012‑09‑30 (mandatory). You must now use +1 721 for Sint Maarten. These changes do not affect MF (French) Saint‑Martin.

The former AN Netherlands Antilles has two other new ISO country codes assigned, to be activated for the Internet in 2012 or 2013. The Caribbean Netherlands, also known as the BES islands (Bonaire, Sint Eustasius, and Saba) have been assigned BQ, and Curaçao is now using CW. Until the new .bq domain is activated, continue to use AN. No plans have been announced to change the +599 telephone country code for CW Curaçao and BQ BES islands.

PR Puerto Rico added area code +1 939 as an overlay of +1 787 on 2001‑09‑15.

DO Dominican Republic added area code +1 829 as an overlay of +1 809 on 2005‑08‑01, and area code +1 849 as a further overlay on 2009‑07‑01.

The mnemonic ROS for +1 767 DM Dominica comes from the name of the capital city, Roseau. The mnemonic BIM for +1 246 BB Barbados is a local nickname for the island.

Also see the map of the new area codes in the Caribbean region.

Many islands in the Caribbean host various sexually-oriented "chat lines" and other services. For information about this practice and the specific prefixes involved, see the page on international kickback numbers. (The listing of prefixes there is provided entirely without warranty.) Note that the telesleaze page itself contains no sexual content, and is safe for children.

Three U.S. territories in the Pacific (GU Guam, MP the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and AS American Samoa) recently converted from international country codes to North American area codes. Guam changed from +671 to +1 671, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) changed from +670 to +1 670, and American Samoa changed from +684 to +1 684. Calling from North America, change the "011" prefix to "1" (e.g., 1‑671 instead of 011‑671); from all other countries, add the country code "1" after the international dialing prefix. There was no change to the existing 7-digit numbering structure within each territory.

The change in AS American Samoa's telephone code does not affect WS the Independent State of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa), country code +685. However, Independent Samoa changed its time zone at the end of 2011. Locally, there was no 2011‑12‑30; the standard time changed from UTC–11:00 to UTC+13:00, each advanced one hour in the Southern Hemisphere summer, from the last Sunday of September until the first Sunday of April; for example, from 2012‑09‑30 until 2013‑04‑01. (In LincMad notation, Independent Samoa changed from 2:00 • 1:00 to 26:00 • 25:00.) The time zone change does not affect American Samoa, which remains in UTC–11:00 (1:00). Click here for the current date and time in Samoa and American Samoa.

The old country codes +670, +671, and +684 are discontinued. Country code +670 has now been assigned to TL Timor-Leste (East Timor); +671 and +684 are available for reassignment.

Several other islands in the Caribbean or other areas adjacent to the North American Numbering Plan area, have their own international country codes, rather than North American area codes in country code 1. Those country codes are summarized in the chart below.

Time Zones are shown as noted under the first table. PM St. Pierre & Miquelon observe DST on the same schedule as the USA and Canada. CU Cuba uses slightly different dates, beginning on the third Sunday in March and ending on the second Sunday in November (for instance, 2013‑03‑17 to 2013‑11‑10). WS The Independent State of Samoa is south of the equator, so it observes DST during the northern hemisphere's winter, beginning on the last Sunday in September and ending on the first Saturday in April (for instance, 2012‑09‑29 to 2013‑04‑07). At the end of 2011, WS Samoa crossed the International Date Line, changing its standard time zone from UTC–11:00 to UTC+13:00; in LincMad notation, it changed from 2:00 • 1:00 to 26:00 • 25:00.

MH The Marshall Islands, FM Micronesia, and WS+AS Samoa are in the Pacific Ocean. TL East Timor is north of Australia, between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. PM St. Pierre and Miquelon are off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. GL Kalaallit Nunaat (a.k.a. Greenland) is in the far north Atlantic Ocean. CU Cuba, the French and Netherlands Antilles, HT Haiti, and MQ Martinique are in the Caribbean.

The French Antilles include GP Guadeloupe, BL Saint Barthélemy, and MF Saint‑Martin. However, for internet domains, use either .gp or .fr (France).

The Netherlands Antilles included CW Curaçao; BQ Bonaire, Sint Eustasius, and Saba; and SX Sint Maarten, but were dissolved as a political entity on 2010‑10‑10. The new ISO codes (Internet country codes) have been assigned; .cw and .sx have been activated, and .bq should be activated on the Internet in 2012 or 2013; .an is still in use during the changeover.

The island of St. Martin is divided between the French (+590) and Netherlands (+599) Antilles. The Dutch side (Sint Maarten) changed to +1 721, permissive 2011‑09‑30, mandatory 2012‑09‑30.

Calling from North America, these locations are dialed as 011 plus the country code plus the local number. From outside North America, substitute the appropriate international dialing prefix (most commonly 00).

For information about other international country codes and numbering, see the listing of all country codes here on this site, or visit the World Telephone Numbering Guide, maintained by Dave Leibold.

Return to LincMad's Telephone Area Code page

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