🇦🇺 Australia Phone Number Format

Australian numbers are 9 digits after the trunk 0 (10 digits in national format). Mobiles start with 04, while landlines use single-digit state area codes — 02 (NSW/ACT), 03 (VIC/TAS), 07 (QLD), 08 (SA/WA/NT) — and the 0 is dropped the moment you dial through +61.

Australian Numbers in All Four Standards

Here is how one Australia number is written in each of the four standards:

FormatExampleUse for
E.164 +61491570156 Databases, SMS APIs (Twilio, WhatsApp), CRMs
International +61 491 570 156 Display to a global audience, business cards
National 0491 570 156 Domestic display inside Australia
RFC3966 tel:+61-491-570-156 Clickable tel: links on websites

ACMA’s Plan: State Codes, 04 Mobiles and 13 Numbers

Australia compressed dozens of regional codes into just four giant geographic zones during the 1990s renumbering, which is why a single area code like 02 covers everything from Sydney to Canberra. The trade-off: the area code tells you the state, never the city.

The 13, 1300 and 1800 families are Australia’s inbound-service numbers — six or ten digits, priced for the caller at local or zero cost. They are routing aliases rather than real lines, which is why most cannot be reached from outside Australia at all. If a business only advertises a 13-number, overseas callers need its +61 geographic alternative.

For test data and documentation, ACMA reserves specific numbers including the mobile 0491 570 156 used throughout this page — structurally perfect, permanently unallocated, and accepted by libphonenumber-based validators.

04 Mobiles and Single-Digit State Codes

TypePrefixesDigitsExample
Mobile 04 10 (incl. leading 0) 0491 570 156
Sydney / NSW / ACT 02 10 (02) 5550 1234
Melbourne / VIC / TAS 03 10 (03) 5550 1234
Brisbane / QLD 07 10 (07) 5550 1234
Toll-free 1800 10 1800 160 401

Dialing Australia: +61 and the Missing Zero

Calling fromDial
Within Australia 0491 570 156 — Keep the leading 0 domestically.
From the US 011 61 491 570 156 — Drop the leading 0.
From any mobile +61 491 570 156
  1. Enter + or your country’s exit code.
  2. Add the Australian country code 61.
  3. Drop the leading 0 from the Australian number.
  4. Dial the remaining 9 digits.

Australian Numbering Essentials

  • ACMA reserves 0491 570 156 and similar numbers for fictional use — they are safe example numbers.
  • Australian mobiles are always 04 + 8 digits; in E.164 they become +614XXXXXXXX (11 characters with the +).
  • 13 and 1300 “local rate” numbers are 6 or 10 digits and cannot be dialed from outside Australia.
  • Landline area codes cover whole states, so an 02 number can be anywhere in NSW or the ACT.

Mistakes to Avoid with Australian Numbers

  • Keeping the 0 after +61 — “+61 0491 570 156” will fail; the correct form is +61 491 570 156.
  • Publishing only a 13/1300 number for an international audience — most are unreachable from abroad.
  • Assuming the area code pins down a city — 02 spans all of New South Wales and the ACT.
  • Storing mobiles without the leading 0 domestically (491 570 156) — ambiguous; normalise to E.164 +61491570156.

Format an Australian Number

Drop in any 04 mobile or state landline and get the +61 international form, E.164 for your CRM, and a tel: link — instantly.

Enter phone number with country code or select country below.

Try:

Australia Phone Format FAQ

How do I write an Australian mobile number internationally?

Drop the leading 0 and add +61: 0491 570 156 becomes +61 491 570 156, or +61491570156 in E.164 for systems like Twilio or Salesforce.

What do Australian mobile numbers start with?

All Australian mobile numbers start with 04 (or +614 internationally) followed by 8 more digits — 10 digits total in national format.

How many digits does an Australian phone number have?

Ten digits in national format including the leading 0 (e.g. 0491 570 156 or 02 5550 1234); nine significant digits after +61.

Can I call 1300 and 13 numbers from overseas?

Generally no. 13/1300/1800 numbers are domestic services; most are unreachable internationally unless the business has enabled it. Use the organisation’s +61 geographic number instead.

Other Country Formats