Telephone numbers in Hong Kong are mostly eight-digit. Fixed land line numbers start with 2 or 3, Mobile (cellular) phone numbers with 5, 6 or 9, pager numbers with 7 and forwarding service with 8. Since the end of 1989, there have been no area codes within Hong Kong.
The telephone number for emergency services – Police, Fire Service and Ambulance – is 999 for all telephone lines. These numbers can also be used for mobile and other users:
992 – fax on fixed line, SMS on mobile phones (for subscribers with disabilities)
112 – mobile phones
Some special numbers are three- to five-digit. Some premium rate services, for example for games and adult contents, are 11-digit. Numbers beginning with '1' are usually reserved for carrier/operator services. These services are provided by the individual telephone carrier. In general, these numbers can be used across all carriers:
Directory services can be reached at 1081 (English), 1083 (Cantonese) and 1088 (Mandarin)
Time and temperature information can be reached at 18501 (English), 18503 (Cantonese) and 18508 (Mandarin)
The International Call Prefix varies depending on IDD provider, however 001 works on all phone lines and uses the IDD service provided by the same carrier as the telephone line that 001 call is dialed from. During the years of telephone monopoly, the International call prefix was 106 (through 1980s) and then 001. Calls to Macau and the People's Republic of China are international, as are calls to Taiwan. Format to dial from Hong Kong to:
Macau +853 xxxx xxxx
mainland China +86 (Area Code) xxxx xxxx
Taiwan +886 (Area Code) xxx xxxx
The present structure and format of telephone numbers in Hong Kong according to the Hong Kong Telecom Service Numbering Scheme, is as follows (the first digits of the telephone number is used as follows):
001 - International long-distance voice service access code
002 - International long-distance fax / data service access code
003 to 009 - International gateway access code
100xxxx to 107xxxx - Inquiry / hotline / operator-assisted service
1081 - Directory Services in English
1083 - Directory Services in Cantonese
1088 - Directory Services in Mandarin
109 - Telephone repair
112 - Emergency Calls (Mobile Phones only)
115 to 118 - International Routing Network Identification Number
12xxxxx - Inquiry / hotline / operator-assisted service
133 - Enable the Restricted Caller ID feature
1357 - Cancel the "Caller ID Restrictions" feature
14 - Network identification number
15 to 16 - External telecommunications service access code
17xxxxx - Operator-assisted service
1801x - PPS (Payment by Phone Service)
1803x - PPS (Payment by Phone Service)
18060x - PPS (Payment by Phone Service)
1808 - International calls search service
181 - Helpdesk/Hotline
182xxxx - High-traffic telephone line
182182 - Employees Retraining Board
1823 - Hong Kong SAR Government Efficiency Unit
18281 - Tung Wah Group of Hospitals
18282 - The Community Chest of Hong Kong
18288 - Caritas Family Services
183xxxx - High-traffic telephone line
184xx - Hong Kong Jockey Club
18501 - Time and temperature information service in English
18503 - Time and temperature information service in Cantonese
18508 - Time and temperature information service in Mandarin
186xxxx - High-traffic telephone lines
186000 - Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR
186111 - "GovWiFi" help desk
186131 - Security Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong SAR
186186 - Anti Narcotics Division, Security Bureau, Government of the Hong Kong SAR
1868 - Immigration Department of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR (assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress)
187xxxx - High traffic telephone lines
18713xx - Macau phone gambling (Telebet)
1872xxx - Radio station listener calls live program hotline
1878xxx - Public service, fundraising, accidental death inquiries
1879xxx - Public service, charity hotline
1880 - Hong Kong Jockey Club Customer Service
1881 to 1889 - Hong Kong Jockey Club phone gambling (Telebet)
189 - Disaster Response / Disaster Recovery
19 - Test code / routing code
200 - Telephone card access code
201xxxxx to 206xxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
207, 208, 209 - Telephone card access code
21xxxxxx to 29xxxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
28088000 to 28088099 - Telephone card access code
3000xxx - Number Conversion Equipment
301xxxxx to 304xxxxx - Non-external telecommunications services
305xxxxx to 309xxxxx - External telecommunications services
31xxxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
34xxxxxx to 36xxxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
370xxxxx to 372xxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
374xxxxx to 376xxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
379xxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
384xxxxx to 387xxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
389xxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
39xxxxxx - Fixed-line telephone
4xxxxxxxxxxx - Network number
504, 505, 507, 508, 509 - SMS / Multimedia value-added services
51xxxxxx to 57xxxxxx - Mobile phone number
58xxxxxx - 'Class 2 Service' such as voice over IP
59xxxxxx - Mobile phone number
6xxxxxxx - Mobile phone number
7xxxxxxx - Pager number
800xxxxxx - Toll-free telephone number
81xxxxxx to 83xxxxxx - Personal number service
900xxxxxxxx - Information service
901xxxxx to 989xxxxx - Mobile phone number
990 to 998 - Emergency services (routing)
999 - Emergency number (Police, Fire service and Ambulance)
Aberdeen - 6 Wong Chuk Hang Road
Chai Wan - 13-15 Cheung Lee Street near Kut Shing Street
Fanling - 21 Lok Yip Road
Hung Hom - 140 Gillies Avenue North
Kennedy Town - 14 Smithfield Road, Sai Wan
Kwai Chung - Kwok Shui Road near Fu Uk Road
Kwun Tong - 408 Kwun Tong Road
Ma On Shan - 20 On Shing Street
Sai Kung - 66 Man Nin Street
Sha Tin - 14-16 Man Lai Road, Tai Wai
Shau Kei Wan - 17 Sun Sing Street
Sheung Shui - 88-98 Jockey Club Road
Tai Kok Tsui - 663 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok
Tsing Yi (Kwai Shing) - 298 Kwai Shing Circuit, Kwai Chung
Tuen Mun - 1 Hing On Lane
Wan Chai - 44-46 Wood Road
Yau Ma Tei - 524A Nathan Road
Yau Tong - 6 Tseung Kwan O Road, Lam Tin
In the 1970s, area codes were assigned with the following pattern:
3 Kowloon, New Kowloon, Ha Kwai Chung and Sai Kung
5 Hong Kong Island and Outlying Islands
12 New Territories
There was no standard trunk prefix like '0' – only the area code and phone number were dialed when calling from one area code to another. Thus the Kowloon number xxx-xxx would have been dialed as follows:
xxx-xxx – from within Kowloon
3 xxx-xxx – from Hong Kong Island or New Territories
+852 3 xxx-xxx – from the rest of the world
In the mid-1980s, 6-digit numbers starting with '0' became 7-digit numbers starting with '71', making way for subsequent change of the New Territories prefix from '12' to '0'.
0xxxxx became 71xxxxx
Fixed-line phone numbers were either six- or seven-digit in the 1980s. Area codes were assigned with the following patterns.
3 Kowloon, New Kowloon, Ha Kwai Chung and Sai Kung
5 Hong Kong Island and Outlying Islands
0 New Territories
Cellular phone numbers are all eight-digit starting with '9'.
On 30 December 1989, area codes were abolished. Area codes for six-digit numbers became part of subscriber's numbers. Area codes for seven-digit numbers were simply removed. Some six-digit numbers had the first digit changed to two digits to make a seven-digit number.
(3) xxx xxx became 3xx xxxx
(3) 7xx xxxx became 7xx xxxx
(5) xxx xxx became 5xx xxxx
(5) Nxx xxxx became Nxx xxxx (N = 8 or 9)
(0) 8xx xxx became 46x xxxx
(0) Nxx xxxx became Nxx xxxx (N = 4 or 6)
In the mid-1990s, a '2' was prefixed to all fixed line (land line) numbers which are now eight-digit. A '7' was prefixed to existing pager service numbers.
xxx xxxx became 2xxx xxxx
11xx xxx became 711xx xxx
11xx xxxxx became 7xx xxxxx
9xxx xxxx remain unchanged
Before the introduction of portable fixed line numbers, numbers were assigned in a pattern akin to districts. For example, in addition to the existing 3, 5 and 0 prefixes, a 4 prefix was used for Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, 6 for Tai Po and Sha Tin, and 8 for Island East.
Numbers starting with '3' were introduced when '2' for fixed lines started running out. Cell phone numbers remain eight-digit. The number '6' started to be used when numbers started with '9' were running out. In May 2008, cellular phone numbers with '5' as the beginning were also introduced.
