+255 country code: Tanzania

The +255 code and where it is used

The +255 country code is assigned to Tanzania, whose official name is the United Republic of Tanzania and whose ISO country code is TZ. The +255 page covers Tanzania only, so a number beginning with +255 belongs to a subscriber in that country. Tanzania lies in Eastern Africa, within the wider African region. Its capital is Dodoma. The demonym for the country is Tanzanian.

The two official languages listed for Tanzania are English and Swahili. The currency is the Tanzanian shilling. These details apply to the country as a whole, including Dodoma and other areas where +255 numbers are registered.

Local time and number format

Tanzania uses one time zone, Africa/Nairobi, at UTC+03:00. All +255 numbers therefore operate on the same clock, and the country keeps this offset throughout the year.

A Tanzanian mobile number written in international format appears as +255 621 234 567. The +255 prefix replaces the national leading zero, and the subscriber digits follow it. Use this format when you store a contact or pass the number to a messaging application. The example shows the layout to follow for a mobile line in Tanzania.

Reaching a +255 number over the internet

You can call or message a +255 number using a data connection rather than a traditional voice line. A calling or messaging application carries the audio or text over the internet, and the person you contact receives it on their Tanzanian mobile number. This works wherever you have a stable data connection, and the cost of the session depends on the application and the data plan you use rather than on international call rates.

If the person you are contacting is low on credit, you can top up a Tanzania number before you call. Slashtel sends prepaid mobile top-ups to these Tanzania operators: Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo and Halotel. The top-up adds credit to the subscriber's prepaid balance, which the recipient can then use for calls, messages or data on their own network.