A fax number example in the United States looks exactly like a phone number: an area code of three digits followed by seven digits, ten digits in total, written as (212) 555-0142 or 212-555-0142, and dialled with a 1 in front from another area code or +1 from abroad. There is no special prefix that marks a number as a fax; what makes it one is the machine or service that answers. This page shows the fax number format for the United States and abroad, how many digits a fax number has in each case, and how to read a number that includes a country code.
What does a fax number look like in the United States
The North American Numbering Plan gives every number in the United States, Canada and most of the Caribbean the same shape: a three-digit area code, a three-digit exchange and a four-digit line number. A fax number is one of those, so how many digits is a fax number is ten, and with the country code it is eleven. Toll-free fax numbers begin with 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 or 833 and are the same length. Written examples on forms and letterheads usually take the form 212-555-0142 or (212) 555-0142; the hyphens and brackets are for reading, and an online fax service ignores them when you type the number in.
How long are fax numbers abroad
Outside North America the length varies by country because the national numbering plans do. A UK fax number written internationally is +44 followed by ten digits, with the leading zero of the domestic number dropped. A German number can be shorter or longer depending on the city. What stays constant is the structure: a country code after the plus sign, then the national number without its trunk prefix. So how many numbers are in a fax number depends entirely on the country, and the safe way to write one for international senders is the full international form with the plus sign, which every online fax service accepts and which removes the guesswork about what to dial.
Reading a fax number format on a form
If the number is ten digits it is a domestic North American number and can be dialled as written from an online service. If it begins with 1 and has eleven digits, the 1 is the country code and can be kept. If it begins with a plus sign, it is in international form and should be entered exactly as written. If it begins with 011, that is the US international dialling prefix and should be replaced with a plus sign for an online service. A number that has too few digits is missing its area code, and a number that answers with a person is a voice line. Every plan in the Fax Line Index accepts numbers in any of these forms and shows the normalised number in the sent log.
Questions people ask about fax number example
Is a fax number longer than a phone number?
No. In the United States both are ten digits. The number is identical in form; only the device that answers differs.
Does a fax number need an extension?
No. Extensions belong to voice systems. A fax number rings straight through to the machine or service.
How do I write my fax number for overseas senders?
In international form: +1 then the ten digits, with no brackets. That form works from every country and every online service.