Wondering how to call Sweden? Maybe you have a friend or family member in Sweden, and you want to get in touch after some time apart. Perhaps you’re from Sweden, and you’re currently globe-trotting, while reaching out to loved ones from home.
Fortunately, there are a handful of ways to start calling Sweden from anywhere in the world. From using specialist SIM cards and VoIP tools, to reaching your contacts over the internet, you don’t have to be cut off from Scandinavia when outside of Sweden.
Today, we’re going to introduce a range of popular methods for calling Sweden and walk you through what you need to do to use them. For this article, the focus will be primarily on how to call Sweden from the US and the UK.
How to call Sweden from the US
There are a few ways to call Sweden from the US. If you have a “Voice over Internet Protocol” phone, or VoIP connection, you’ll be able to make the call with minimal expense. There’s also the option for calling Sweden through Skype and similar digital tools.
To start calling Sweden from the US, you’ll need to know about area codes and dialling.
Here are a few basics on how to call Sweden from the US.
How to dial Sweden from the US:
- Find a smartphone or standard phone capable of making a call.
- Enter the “exit” code for the United States (011), this allows you to call different countries.
- Implement the Swedish country code (46).
- Dial in the rest of the number, missing the original “0”.
You may also need to enter a specific local area code for Sweden after the 46.
For instance, area codes for some Swedish locations include:
- Malmo: 40
- Stockholm: 8
- Uppsala: 18
- Goteborg: 31
If you’re calling a Swedish number directly without access to the internet, you may need to get a calling card to allow for the connection. Some carriers will support international calls, but you’ll need to ensure you check the pricing of the call before you begin dialling.
Some solutions are pretty expensive. We’ll come back to how to call Sweden from the United States through an online service or app in just a minute.
How to call Sweden from the UK
Once you know how to call Sweden from the USA, figuring out how to call Sweden from the United Kingdom is pretty simple. Calling Sweden from the UK and most parts of the world is pretty simple if you know the calling code for the country.
To make a direct call from the UK to Sweden, you’ll need to change the dialling format for the Swedish number slightly. You don’t have to dial the exit code before making the call like you would when connecting to the US from Sweden, instead, you just replace the first 0 in the number.
How to dial Sweden from the UK:
- Replace the first 0 of the Swedish number with the Swedish area code.
- Use either 0046 at the beginning of the number instead of the 0 or +46.
- If calling a home phone or landline number, add the local area code.
It’s also worth checking the current time in Sweden before you begin dialling. In the UK, we’re an hour to two hours behind Sweden. If you’re calling quite late at night, it might be a good idea to check the time before learning how to call Sweden from the UK.
Swedish phone number format and area codes in Sweden
Swedish phone numbers are generally quite similar to the phone numbers you’d find anywhere else in the world. Sweden’s telephone numbers are made up of around 12 to 13 numbers, often split into groups of 2 or 3.
If you’re going to be calling Sweden using a mobile phone, you’d need to dial the country code, plus the area code, as well as a 7-digit number.
Swedish telephone numbers for landlines are only 8 digits, slightly longer than the numbers in the UK. Like many locations throughout the world, the phone number also includes the landline area code for the specific region of Sweden.
Here are some examples of Swedish area codes and Swedish phone numbers to help you out.
For these examples, the landline number will be 9876 5432:
- Stockholm: +4689876 5432
- Gothenburg: +46319876 5432
- Malmo: +46409876 5432
There are dozens of different Swedish phone codes depending on where you want to contact your friend or relative. Sweden calling codes only apply when you’re dialling a landline number. If you’re connecting with a mobile phone, you would just dial +46 or 0046 instead of the first 0.
Swedish mobile numbers will always start with 07. If you’re calling from abroad, you can drop the 0 and replace it with +45. A Swedish mobile number might look like: 071-234-5678 and you would dial: +4671-234-5678.
Swedish area codes:
| Boras | 33 |
| Borlange | 243 |
| Eskilstuna | 16 |
| Falkenberg | 346 |
| Falun | 23 |
| Gavle | 26 |
| Gothenburg | 31 |
| Gotland | 498 |
| Halmstad | 35 |
| Helsingborg | 42 |
| Huddinge | 8 |
| Jonkoping | 36 |
| Kalmar | 480 |
| Karlskrona | 455 |
| Karlstad | 54 |
| Katrineholm | 150 |
| Kiruna | 980 |
| Kristianstad | 44 |
| Kungalv | 303 |
| Kungsbacka | 300 |
| Landskrona | 418 |
| Lerum | 302 |
| Linkoping | 13 |
| Lulea | 920 |
| Lund | 46 |
| Malmo | 40 |
| Molndal | 31 |
| Motala | 141 |
| Nacka | 8 |
| Norrkoping | 11 |
| Norrtalje | 176 |
| Nykoping | 155 |
| Orebro | 19 |
| Ornskoldsvik | 660 |
| Ostersund | 63 |
| Skelleftea | 910 |
| Skovde | 500 |
| Soderkoping | 121 |
| Sodertalje | 8 |
| Solna | 8 |
| Stockholm | 8 |
| Stromstad | 526 |
| Sundsvall | 60 |
| Taby | 8 |
| Tibro | 504 |
| Trelleborg | 410 |
| Trollhattan | 520 |
| Uddevalla | 522 |
| Umea | 90 |
| Uppsala | 18 |
| Varberg | 340 |
| Vasteras | 21 |
| Vaxjo | 470 |
| Ystad | 411 |
How do I dial a number in Sweden? Swedish SIM card
Now you know the answer to “How do you call a +46 number?” you may want to discover how to call a number from within Sweden. The best option will be getting a SIM card in Sweden that you can use in place of your current SIM for a while.
There are four different cell networks for getting a prepaid SIM card in Sweden. You can access Telia, Telenor, Tele2, and 3. The Telia brand usually delivers the best coverage for rural areas.
Like with most SIM cards around the world, SIM cards in Sweden allow you to access minutes, texts, and even data packages.
Getting a prepaid SIM card will allow you to easily dial numbers of Swedish friends without having to worry about area codes. You can also reduce the costs associated with international calling charges.
Once you know how to dial a number in Sweden from your SIM card, all you need to worry about is topping up when you run out of credit.
Calling Sweden through internet services
Finally, if you’re wondering “How do I dial a number in Sweden” from internet-based services, you’re in luck. Online services are often much cheaper and easier for connecting with people overseas.
You will need credit on your Skype account to make the call. If you have credit, you’ll be able to simply click the number pad and use the dropdown menu to click “Sweden”.
Calls will usually be charged by the minute, so make sure you know how much you’re going to spend. Remember to remove the 0 from the start of the Swedish number you want to call before you start dialling.
To call Sweden from WhatsApp and Messenger, simply use the same strategy you’d use to dial a standard mobile number from within the WhatsApp or Messenger service.
Scandification: Discovering Scandinavia.
