What is the country code for Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is +506. Dial the plus sign or 011, then 506, then the eight digit number, which has no leading zero to remove.

What are the codes for the rest of Central America?

Guatemala is +502, El Salvador +503, Honduras +504, Nicaragua +505 and Panama +507. Belize is +501. Dial the plus sign, the code and the number for each.

Do I need an exit code to call Central America?

With StartACall, no. You type the plus sign, the country code and the number in your browser, and the exit code is handled for you.

How can I tell a mobile from a landline?

The first digit of the eight digit number usually shows it. In Costa Rica mobiles start with 6, 7 or 8, in Guatemala with 3, 4 or 5, and in Panama with 6. A mobile usually costs a little more to reach.

What is the time difference with Central America?

Most of the region is one to three hours behind eastern Canada. When it is 2 in the afternoon in Toronto, it is around noon in Guatemala City.

Does the person I call need an app?

No. You call their ordinary landline or mobile. They answer like any normal call, with no account and nothing to install.

How to call Central America from Canada | StartACall | StartACall

The country codes across Central America

Central America uses a tidy run of country codes. Costa Rica is +506, Guatemala is +502, El Salvador is +503, Honduras is +504, Nicaragua is +505 and Panama is +507. Belize, a little further north, is +501. Each one goes right after the plus sign, followed by the local number.

Most of these countries use short national numbers with no trunk zero to remove, so you dial the digits exactly as written after the code. A Costa Rican number, for example, is +506 and the eight digit number, with nothing to strip out.

How to dial from your browser

The pattern is the same for every country in the region. Type the plus sign, the country code and the number, then click call. For Guatemala that is +502 and the number, for Panama +507 and the number, and so on down the list.

StartACall connects your browser tab to the worldwide phone network, so there is no exit code to add, no app to install and no SIM to insert. It runs in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox on a laptop or a phone, and the person you call answers on their ordinary line.

Number formats and spotting a mobile

Most Central American numbers are eight digits after the country code, and the first digit often tells you the line type. In Costa Rica, mobiles tend to start with 6, 7 or 8 and landlines with 2. In Guatemala, mobiles start with 3, 4 or 5 and landlines with 2. In Panama, mobiles begin with 6.

Because none of these countries use a trunk zero, there is no leading zero to remove, which keeps the dialling simple. You take the eight digit number as written and put the country code in front. Knowing the first digit helps only because a mobile usually costs a little more to reach than a landline.

What it costs and when to call

Billing is by the minute with no monthly plan, a small $0.004 connection fee applies per call, and the credit you add never expires, so you can keep a small balance ready. Rates vary by country and by whether you reach a landline or a mobile, so it is worth checking before a long call.

Central America is one to three hours behind eastern Canada and shares similar daytime hours. So when it is 2 in the afternoon in Toronto, it is around noon in Guatemala City and 1 in the afternoon in Panama City, which makes it easy to reach family and businesses during normal working times.

The Central American community and calling without roaming

Canada is home to growing Central American communities, with many families from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras settled across Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Regular calls to relatives back home are a constant, and the close time zones make them easy to fit into a normal day.

Because StartACall routes the call over your internet connection, there is no roaming charge even if you are travelling in the region yourself. Your Canadian carrier is never involved, so the only cost is the clear per minute rate, and the first call is free with no card so you can test the line first.

Call Central America from Canada

What you get

How it works

Open StartACall

Enter the code and number

Click call

Why people use StartACall

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Pay as you go

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