Telephone numbers in Greece


Greece has a national telephone numbering plan with ten-digit telephone numbers. The first digit represents the type of service. 1 is used for short codes, 2 for geographical numbers, 5 is used for inter-network routing purposes and VPNs, 6 for mobile services, 7 is reserved for universal access numbers, 8 for reduced-fee services, 9 is used for premium rate services. All dialable numbers are ten digits, except for short codes, 807-XXXX used for calling card access codes, and numbers in the 5 range, used for routing purposes and not dialable by end-subscribers.

Overview

Geographical area codes start with the digit 2. There are currently two-, three-, and four-digit area codes. The only two-digit area code is 21 for the Athens Metropolitan area; three-digit codes are used for the cities of Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa, Heraklion, Kavala, and Tripoli. The rest of the codes are four-digit codes.
Generally speaking, the second digit of a geographical area code signifies a broader geographical area of Greece. That is how area codes are sorted in this article.
Two-digit codes are used with eight-digit subscriber numbers, three-digit codes with seven-digit numbers, and four-digit codes with six-digit numbers, so that the full telephone number is always ten digits.
Subscriber numbers in most areas start with 0. That is the digit that was inserted between the area code and the subscriber number to form the new ten-digit numbering plan back in 2002. Thus, many Greeks erroneously think that the area codes include this leading 0. For example, they think that Athens's area code is 210 while, actually, Athens's area code is 21, with 0 being the first digit of the subscriber number.
Subscriber numbers starting with 0 are assigned to the former monopoly OTE. In bigger cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, subscriber numbers starting with digits other than 0 are becoming more and more common, especially amongst business subscribers. In this case, many people think that the area code is different. For example, a subscriber number in Athens might start with 211, with people thinking that 211 is a distinct area code from 210 while, in reality, both numbers are in the 21 area code and the third digit of the number belongs to the subscriber number.
In 2001-2002, Greece moved to a closed ten-digit numbering scheme in two stages, with the result that subscribers' numbers changed twice. For example, before the change, a number in Athens would have been dialed as follows:
xxx xxxx
xxx xxxx
+30 1 xxx xxxx

In 2001, a '0' was added after the area code, which was incorporated into the subscriber number:
01 0xxx xxxx
+30 1 0xxx xxxx

Finally, in 2002, the leading '0' was changed to a '2' :
21 x xxx xxxx
+30 21 x xxx xxxx

For mobile phone numbers, the leading '0' was changed to a '6'.
Number portability may obscure the carrier responsible for geographical and non-geographical numbers. All geographical codes end in a number from 0 to 6. Numbers whose code ends in "0" are or were originally operated by OTE. The same applies to mobile phones: All mobile codes end in 0,3,4,5,7,8 or 9. Mobile code "696" is assigned to OTE pagers. Numbers starting with 690 and 693 were originally assigned to WIND, with 694 and 695 to Vodafone, with 697 and 698 to Cosmote and with 699 to Q-Telecom until 2007 when it merged with WIND.

Zone 21: Greater Athens Metropolitan Area

Zone 22: Central Greece and the Aegean Islands

222x - Evia

223x - Evrytania and Phthiotis

224x - Dodecanese

225x - Lesbos, Lemnos

226x - Boeotia, eastern Phocis

227x - Chios, Samos and Icaria islands

228x - Cyclades

229x - Attica, excluding the area that uses 21

Zone 23: Central Macedonia and Florina

231 - Thessaloniki

232x - Serres prefecture

233x - Imathia prefecture

234x - Kilkis prefecture

235x - Pieria prefecture

237x - Chalkidiki prefecture

238x - Pella and Florina prefectures

239x - parts of Chalkidiki and Thessaloniki prefectures

236x is not used.

Zone 24: Thessaly and West Macedonia (excluding Florina)

241 - Larissa area

242x - Magnesia including the Northern Sporades

243x - Trikala prefecture

246x - West Macedonia excluding the Florina area

249x - Larissa prefecture except for the Larissa area

245x, 247x and 248x are not used.

Zone 25: East Macedonia and Thrace

251 - Kavala area

252x - Drama prefecture

253x - Rhodope prefecture

254x- Xanthi prefecture

255x - Evros Prefecture

259x - Kavala prefecture except for the Kavala area

256x through 258x are not used.

Zone 26: West Greece, Ionian Island and Epirus

261 - Patras and Area

262x - Ileias Prefecture

263x - Aetolia and western Phocis

264x - Acarnania, Lefkada

265x - Ioannina Prefecture

266x - Corfu prefecture and Thesprotia

267x - Kefalonia

268x - Arta and Preveza

269x - Achaea (except Patras) and Zakynthos

Zone 27: Peloponnese and Kythera

271 - Tripoli and area

271: Tripoli

272x - southern and eastern part of Messenia

273x - Laconia and Kythera

274x - Corinthia

275x - eastern Arcadia and Argolis

276x - Messenia

279x - Western Arcadia

277x and 278x are not used.

Zone 28: Crete

281 - Heraklion prefecture

282x - Chania prefecture

283x - Rethymno prefecture

284x - Lasithi

289x - rest of Heraklion prefecture

285x through 288x are not used.

Non-geographic numbers

Note: emergency numbers in bold.

Defunct

The following defunct short codes were created and provided for free by OTE during its monopoly on the Greek telephony market.
104 - Automobile and Touring Club of Greece Roadside Assistance.
131 - OTE directory service. Terminated according to the provisions of the 2002 National Numbering Plan and replaced by multiple 5-digit premium-rate codes.
141 - Greece Time. Established in 1963 as two-digit 14.
184 - IKA appointments.
185 - Transport for Athens. Became 11185.
191 - Forestry Service.