How to send a fax to another country
Updated October 25, 2026 · PlusFax team
The right way to write an international fax number, country codes for the most common destinations, the trunk zero rule, and what an international fax costs.
The one rule that matters
An international fax number is written as a plus sign, the country code, the area code without its leading zero, and the local number. Online, the plus sign replaces whatever exit code you would dial from a phone (011 from the United States and Canada, 00 from Europe and most of the world). You never type 011 or 00 on a web form.
A London fax number printed locally as 020 7946 0000 is therefore entered as +44 20 7946 0000. A Paris number printed as 01 42 86 83 26 becomes +33 1 42 86 83 26. The dropped zero is the single most common cause of a failed international fax.
Two exceptions: Italy keeps the leading zero of its area codes (+39 06 ... for Rome), and numbers in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean have no trunk zero at all, so a Toronto number is simply +1 416 555 0134.
Country codes for common fax destinations
| Country | Code | Drop the leading zero? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States, Canada | +1 | No zero to drop | +1 212 555 0134 |
| United Kingdom | +44 | Yes | +44 20 7946 0000 |
| Ireland | +353 | Yes | +353 1 234 5678 |
| Germany | +49 | Yes | +49 30 1234567 |
| France | +33 | Yes | +33 1 42 86 83 26 |
| Spain | +34 | No zero in Spanish numbers | +34 91 123 4567 |
| Italy | +39 | No, keep it | +39 06 1234 5678 |
| Netherlands | +31 | Yes | +31 20 123 4567 |
| Belgium | +32 | Yes | +32 2 123 45 67 |
| Switzerland | +41 | Yes | +41 44 123 45 67 |
| Austria | +43 | Yes | +43 1 1234567 |
| Poland | +48 | No zero in Polish numbers | +48 22 123 45 67 |
| Sweden | +46 | Yes | +46 8 123 456 78 |
| Australia | +61 | Yes | +61 2 1234 5678 |
| New Zealand | +64 | Yes | +64 9 123 4567 |
| Japan | +81 | Yes | +81 3 1234 5678 |
| South Korea | +82 | Yes | +82 2 1234 5678 |
| India | +91 | Yes | +91 11 1234 5678 |
| Mexico | +52 | No zero to drop | +52 55 1234 5678 |
| Brazil | +55 | Yes | +55 11 1234 5678 |
| South Africa | +27 | Yes | +27 11 123 4567 |
| United Arab Emirates | +971 | Yes | +971 4 123 4567 |
| Israel | +972 | Yes | +972 3 123 4567 |
| Philippines | +63 | Yes | +63 2 1234 5678 |
Spaces and dashes are ignored, so write the number however it is easiest to check. Only the digits and the plus sign matter.
What an international fax costs
With PlusFax the price of a one-off fax is the same for most international destinations as for a domestic one: $1.99 for up to 5 pages, then $0.25 a page, shown before you pay. A few remote or satellite destinations are not available; the form tells you at once if a number cannot be reached, before any payment.
How long it takes abroad
The call itself is no slower across an ocean, but older machines and poor lines are more common in some countries, so the two machines may negotiate a lower speed: 60 to 90 seconds a page instead of 30 to 60. Busy lines are retried automatically. Time zones matter more than distance: a fax to an office that is closed will sit in its tray until morning, and a machine switched off overnight will not answer at all. See how long a fax takes.
When an international fax fails
- "No answer" or "no fax tone" after a correct number usually means the machine is off or the number is a voice line. Confirm with the recipient.
- "Invalid number" almost always means the leading zero was kept, or the country code was typed twice (
+44 0044 ...). - "Busy" every time can mean a shared voice-and-fax line that is in use. Ask for the direct fax line.
The failed fax guide covers each message in detail. Nothing is charged for a fax that does not arrive.
Paper sizes
Most of the world uses A4 and North America uses Letter. Fax machines handle both, scaling a page slightly if they must. Your PDF is sent at its own size, so a Letter document arrives readable on an A4 machine and vice versa, with a small margin change at most.
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Frequently asked questions
Related guides
- How to send a fax online · The four steps from a PDF on your screen to a confirmed delivery, and what to check before you press send.
- Why did my fax fail, and how to fix it · Busy, no answer, no fax tone, partial pages: what each one means and what to do next.
- How long does a fax take to send? · Realistic timings per page, what slows a fax down, and when the confirmation arrives.
- Fax cover sheet: what to include, with a free template · The fields a cover sheet needs, a template you can copy, and the confidentiality wording for sensitive documents.