Colombia Calling Code: +57

Complete guide to calling Colombia — international dialing code, step-by-step instructions, and FAQ.

How to Call Colombia from Abroad

About Colombia Calling Code

Colombia's international dialing code is +57. This code is assigned by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and must be dialed before the local phone number when calling Colombia from another country. Colombia is located in South America.

ITU-T E.164 assigns Colombia the calling code +57, in South America. The code is not a domestic prefix: it exists purely to route traffic into Colombia's network from abroad, and it is replaced by the national trunk prefix once the call is inside the country.

Where the +57 Calling Code Is Used

The country code +57 is assigned to Colombia, located in South America, with the capital Bogotá. This code is part of the international telephony numbering plan and is used for all calls made to Colombia from outside the country.

When you see a phone number written as +57 ..., the +57 prefix tells your telephone network to route the call to Colombia's national telephone network. After the country code, you dial the local area code (dropping any leading 0) and the subscriber number. The same format applies whether you are calling a landline or a mobile phone.

Country codes are allocated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T Recommendation E.164) and are grouped by geographic region. Calling codes starting with 5 are generally assigned to the region around Colombia, in South America. When a phone number is stored internationally, the leading zeros of the domestic area code are omitted after the country code — this is why you will often see numbers written as +57 followed directly by the area code and number.

Colombia Phone Number Formats

Phone numbers in Colombia follow the ITU E.164 international format: country code + area code + subscriber number. Below is the general structure used for both landlines and mobile numbers.

If a Colombia number starts with 0, do not dial that 0 from abroad — it tells the national network 'this call is local'. Your own exit code followed by +57 takes its place, and the remaining digits are unchanged. Numbers in Colombia follows the published pattern +57 (XX) XXXXXXXX.

Time Zone in Colombia

Colombia is in the America/Bogota time zone, which is UTC-05:00 relative to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). If you are calling from a different time zone, remember to account for the time difference when scheduling your international call.

When planning a call to Colombia, the time difference matters: a good time to reach businesses in Bogotá, the capital, during their working hours may be early morning or late evening in your own time zone. Many international callers use the UTC offset as a quick reference to avoid calling in the middle of the night.

Some countries observe daylight saving time (DST), which shifts the local clock by one hour during summer months. If Colombia uses DST, the effective offset changes twice a year — check the current UTC offset before dialing if your call is time-sensitive. For most purposes, however, the standard offset shown above is sufficient.

Best Time to Call Colombia

Business hours in Colombia run roughly 09:00–18:00 local time. Because Colombia sits at UTC-05:00, the window in which it is polite to call lands at a different hour for every caller. The table below converts Colombia's working day into your own clock — and shows the hours to avoid so you do not wake anyone up.

If you are in	Call Colombia between	Avoid calling between
London	14:00–23:00	04:00–12:00
New York	09:00–18:00	23:00–07:00
Los Angeles	06:00–15:00	20:00–04:00
Sao Paulo	11:00–20:00	01:00–09:00
Dubai	18:00–03:00	08:00–16:00
Mumbai	19:30–04:30	09:30–17:30
Singapore	22:00–07:00	12:00–20:00
Sydney	00:00–09:00	14:00–22:00

Times shown are standard time and ignore daylight saving, which shifts the clock by one hour in countries that observe it — around the clock change, add or subtract an hour from every figure above.

Emergency Numbers in Colombia

If you need urgent help while in Colombia, dial the local emergency numbers below. Note that these numbers are only for use inside Colombia.

Service	Number
Police	112
Fire	119
Ambulance	125

Example: Calling Colombia Numbers in Practice

Here is how a typical call to Colombia works, depending on where you are calling from:

If the number you are calling has a domestic trunk prefix (often 0) in front of the area code, omit it when dialing from abroad. The country code +57 replaces the trunk prefix entirely.

Calling Colombia from Major Countries

International exit codes differ by country. These are the ones most often used to reach Colombia (+57):

Calling From	Exit Code	Full International Dialing
United States	011	011 57 [local number]
Brazil	00	00 57 [local number]
Argentina	00	00 57 [local number]
Mexico	00	00 57 [local number]
Spain	00	00 57 [local number]
Portugal	00	00 57 [local number]
United Kingdom	00	00 57 [local number]
Canada	011	011 57 [local number]

On mobile phones, the + symbol replaces the exit code entirely — just dial +57 followed by the local number.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the calling code for Colombia?

The international calling code for Colombia is +57.

How do I call Colombia from the United States?

Dial 011 (US exit code), then +57, then the local phone number.

How do I call Colombia from the United Kingdom?

Dial 00 (UK exit code), then +57, then the local phone number.

Can I use the + symbol instead of the exit code?

Yes! On mobile phones you can dial +57 directly followed by the local number. The + symbol automatically replaces your country's exit code.

How do I call within Colombia?

If you're already in Colombia, simply dial the local number directly. You do not need to use the country code +57 for domestic calls.

What is the capital of Colombia?

The capital of Colombia is Bogotá. When calling the capital from abroad, dial +57 followed by the local area code (without the leading 0) and the number.

What are the emergency numbers in Colombia?

Police: 112, Fire: 119, Ambulance: 125. These numbers are only valid inside Colombia.

Is Colombia a country?

Yes — Colombia is a sovereign state, whose capital is Bogotá, and +57 is its international calling code.

Colombia Mobile Phone Prefixes & Domestic Dialing

Mobile phone numbers in Colombia typically use the following prefixes:

• 3xx - all mobile numbers start with 3

Colombia City / Area Codes

Major cities in Colombia and their local area codes (dial these after the country code +57 when calling from abroad):

City	Area Code(s)
Bogota	1
Medellin	4
Cali	2
Barranquilla	5

Note: Drop any leading "0" when dialing from abroad. Example: Bogota 1 becomes +57 1 + local number.

From the United States, a call to Bogota is dialed as 011 +57 1 [local number].

Other Countries in South America

Nearby countries and their calling codes:

Calling Colombia from Peru or Argentina works the same way: dial your local exit code first, then +57, then the local number. Within South America, many callers simply use the + symbol on mobile to avoid exit-code differences.