Since August 2019, dialling phone numbers in and to Mexico has been far simpler. The old service prefixes — 01 for domestic long distance, 044 and 045 for calling cell phones from land lines, and the extra '1' added after the country code when calling a Mexican mobile from abroad — were all retired. Numbers now dial just like they do in the US and Canada: area code plus number, every time.
If you're calling within Mexico, forget the prefixes entirely. Dial a land line in another city by area code plus number — no 01. Dial a Mexican cell phone from a land line directly — no 044 or 045. Even the old-style toll-free format has shrunk: 01-800-123-4567 is now just 800-123-4567.
From overseas, dial Mexico's country code +52, then the area code and number. The '1' that used to sit after +52 for cell phones is gone. So a Mexico City number looks like +52 55 1234-5678 whether it's a land line or a mobile.
Calling the other way — from Mexico to the world — differs slightly by device. From a Mexican land line, start with 00, then the country code, area code and number (00 1 for the US or Canada). From any cell phone, Mexican or foreign, use the + sign instead of 00 — press and hold the zero key on your dial pad — then country code, area code, number. Dialling 00 from a mobile simply won't connect.
If you're roaming in Mexico on a non-Mexican phone, dial every Mexican number as +52 plus area code and number. Check your plan before you do: calls to and from European phones in Mexico can be especially pricey, while US and Canadian plans vary. Often the cheapest route is a voice-over-internet app like WhatsApp or FaceTime.
One quirk worth knowing: US and Canadian toll-free (800) numbers don't reliably work from Mexico. Whether they connect depends on the company agreeing to pay for international calls — and if you're roaming, a 'toll-free' number may not be free for you at all. Workarounds: call the company's regular number instead (calls to the US and Canada are often included in Mexican mobile plans, and land line plans typically include calls to most countries), or use Skype or Google Voice.
A tidy habit for anyone who moves between Mexico, the US and Canada: save every contact in full international format — +52 for Mexican numbers, +1 for American and Canadian ones. Your phone then connects calls correctly no matter which country you're standing in, with no manual tweaking.
Why should a traveller care? Because nothing sours an arrival faster than fumbling a hotel confirmation call or burning roaming credit on a mis-dialled number. The good news is the current rules are the easiest Mexico has ever had — one format, no prefixes, and a single country code to remember. Learn the +52 pattern before you fly and you're set for land lines, mobiles and toll-free alike.
