Precede local phone numbers with country and city codes if your content will be published in more than one country or if you list phone numbers from more than one country. City codes contain one, two, or three digits and are equivalent to U.S. area codes. Separate the country and city codes from the local phone numbers with parentheses, not hyphens or spaces. For local phone numbers, follow the convention of the country that users will call.

In the first example, 44 is the country code for the United Kingdom, 71 is the city code for London, and 0000 000 0000 is the local phone number. In the United Kingdom, the convention for displaying phone numbers is to insert spaces as shown in the first example of Microsoft style. The second example shows the convention for displaying local phone numbers in Japan.

Microsoft style

(44) (71) 0000 000 0000 (U.K.)

(81) (3) 0000-0000 (Japan)

Not Microsoft style

(44) (71) 0000-000-0000

44-71-0000-000-0000

81-3-0000-0000

In most U.S. cities, you can find a list of international country and major city codes in your local telephone directory.

Do not include the access code for international long distance in phone lists. Access codes vary from one country to the next and, within countries, they can vary from one phone service provider to the next. Do not put a plus sign (+) in front of a phone number to indicate the need for an access code.

Microsoft style

(81) (3) 000-000

(425) 555-0150 (when only domestic numbers are provided)

(1) (425) 555-0150 (when both domestic and international numbers are provided)

Not Microsoft style

+(81) (3) 000-000

011-81-3-000-000

(1) (425) 555-0150 (when only domestic numbers are provided)

For fictitious phone numbers in North America, use the prefix 555 and a four-digit number between 0100 and 0199. For example, use 555-0187. These numbers are not assigned to any lines in regional area codes in North America. For fictitious phone numbers outside North America, determine the local phone system’s policy regarding phone numbers reserved for examples or for use in works of fiction. If there is no such policy, get legal clearance before creating a fictitious phone number.