Quick answer: +46 is Sweden. Swedish numbers have 7 to 9 digits after +46. Mobiles have 9 and start with 70, 72, 73, 76 or 79. Swedes write numbers with a leading 0: drop it when you call from abroad. Example:
+46 70 123 45 67.
How to dial Sweden
| Calling from | Dial |
|---|---|
| Any mobile phone | +46 + number without the 0 |
| US or Canada landline | 011 46 + number without the 0 |
| UK, Germany or Finland landline | 00 46 + number without the 0 |
| Australia landline | 0011 46 + number without the 0 |
Inside Sweden, numbers start with 0 and are often written with a dash after the area code: 08-123 456 78 or 070-123 45 67. That 0 is only for calls within Sweden. From abroad, leave it out: 08-123 456 78 becomes +46 8 123 456 78.
Mobile and landline numbers
Mobiles start with 070, 072, 073, 076 or 079 in Swedish format and have 9 digits after +46. Not every number starting with 7 is a phone you can talk to: other 07 ranges are used for pagers, data-only SIMs and non-geographic service numbers.
Landlines are an area code plus a local number of 5 to 8 digits, so lengths vary. After you drop the 0, the area code is 1 to 3 digits. Stockholm's is just 8.
| City | Area code in Sweden | From abroad |
|---|---|---|
| Stockholm | 08 | +46 8 + local number |
| Gothenburg | 031 | +46 31 + local number |
| Malmö | 040 | +46 40 + local number |
| Uppsala | 018 | +46 18 + local number |
| Västerås | 021 | +46 21 + local number |
| Örebro | 019 | +46 19 + local number |
| Linköping | 013 | +46 13 + local number |
| Helsingborg | 042 | +46 42 + local number |
| Jönköping | 036 | +46 36 + local number |
| Umeå | 090 | +46 90 + local number |
Codes that get mixed up with +46
+45 is Denmark and +47 is Norway. The three Scandinavian codes sit next to each other, so one wrong digit sends the call to the wrong country.
Time difference
Sweden is on Central European Time: UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.
| Where you are | Late March to late October | Late October to late March |
|---|---|---|
| US East Coast | Sweden is 6h ahead | Sweden is 6h ahead |
| US Central (Minneapolis, Chicago) | Sweden is 7h ahead | Sweden is 7h ahead |
| UK | Sweden is 1h ahead all year | |
| Finland | Sweden is 1h behind all year | |
The US changes its clocks two to three weeks before Europe in March and one week after it in autumn. During those weeks the gap is one hour smaller, so a 9 AM call from New York reaches Stockholm at 2 PM instead of 3 PM.
Prefer calling over WiFi? See our guide to the best apps for WiFi calling.
FAQ
Can I call a Swedish 020 toll-free number from abroad?
No. Swedish 020 numbers only work from inside Sweden. Look for the company's regular number, which usually starts with an area code such as 08 or 031.
Why won't my call to +46 go through?
Check three things: you left out the leading 0, you dialed 46 and not 45 or 47, and you have every digit. Swedish numbers vary in length, so a missing digit is easy to overlook.