Calling the United States (US) from India requires you to dial India’s exit code, followed by the US country code and recipient’s 10-digit telephone number. Extra fees and charges may apply when making international phone calls from India to the US, so be sure to check with your phone provider for current rates. To avoid extra fees, there are also a number of internet and mobile application options available to make calls for free!

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Calling Abroad on Your Telephone

  1. 1
    Dial 001 using your telephone’s keypad. “00” is the exit code for India, which must be dialed when making international phone calls. The “1” is the country code for the United States.[1]
    • If you are calling from a mobile phone, you can substitute the “00” for the “+”, usually located on the 0-digit key. You can usually select it by clicking and holding until the “0” switches to a “+”.
    • You will then continue to dial the country code and telephone number as usual. For example, +1 (555) 555-5555.
  2. 2
    Dial the recipient’s 3-digit area code. All US telephone numbers are assigned a 3-digit area code based on the city and state. There are currently 291 area codes in the US![2]
    • Visit the All-Area Codes website at http://www.allareacodes.com/ for help with identifying the correct area code for the telephone number you’re dialing.
    • If the phone number is a mobile number, the area code may no longer represent the geographic region the owner is actually located in. Contact the person via mail or email if you do not have this portion of the phone number.
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  3. 3
    Dial the recipient’s 7-digit phone number. The last 7 digits, along with the 3-digit area code, make up a totally unique phone number to every line in the US. The 7-digit phone number may exist across any or all of the 291 area codes, though.[3]
  4. 4
    Press “Send” on your telephone to initiate the call. If your phone does not begin to ring after dialing the last digits, you will need to press a “Send” or “Call” button. The recipient’s telephone will now start ringing.[4]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Online Apps

  1. 1
    Sign up for Skype to call the US for free from India. Skype is an internet voice-over-IP service created and owned by Microsoft. You can sign up to use their services for free, and calls to any mobile or landline in the United States from India are currently free of charge. You will simply dial the number and go![5]
    • Skype also offers video-chat services. If the recipient in the US also has Skype, you can video chat for free as well.
    • You will simply need to sign up for the service, download Skype’s calling software to your computer or mobile phone, and then log in to place calls.
  2. 2
    Look for mobile calling applications. Many mobile applications today offer same-app to same-app calling for free. For example, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp (also owned by Facebook), and Apple’s Facetime allow data calls for free to users of their services.[6]
    • These calling services tend to use data instead of minutes. It is best to be on a Wi-Fi network or have a large allotment of data to avoid any overages if calling in this way.
  3. 3
    Sign up for Rebtel if your data or cell plan is limited. Rebtel is a newer service that offers free international calling between Rebtel users (a free account on a free mobile app). Instead of using data or international minutes like other services, Rebtel makes a call to a local number, and then they handle the international connection to the call on the backend.
    • Rebtel is currently free to use, but it does offer competitive rates if you are calling an international number that cannot sign up for Rebtel.
    • You can download the app on both the Apple App Store and Google’s Play Store.
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Warnings

  • Contact your residential or wireless service provider prior to calling the US to confirm applicable rates and fees for making international calls. Most telephone service providers charge additional rates for outgoing international phone calls.
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About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 115,105 times.
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Co-authors: 12
Updated: December 22, 2022
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Article SummaryX

If you want to call someone in the US from India, start by dialing 00, which is the exit code for India. Then, dial 1 for the country code for the US, and add in the recipient's 3-digit area code. From here, you can dial the person's 7-digit phone number and begin calling them. Alternatively, you could try using an online app, such as Skype, to call the US for free from India. If you don't have Skype, consider other applications, such as Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Apple's FaceTime, which allow data calls for free. For more tips, like how to make international phone calls with a limited data or cell plan, keep reading!

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