Quick answer
+33 is France. French mobiles start +33 6 or +33 7 (domestically 06 and 07). Landlines keep the area digit after +33, with the leading 0 dropped. Plenty of +33 calls into the UK are genuine - family, holidays, French businesses. A +33 number that rings once and stops is a one-ring bait: do not ring it back. You cannot get the caller's name from the number.
What a +33 number looks like
France uses closed ten-digit domestic numbers starting with 0. From the UK you drop that 0 and add +33.
| Domestic French number | What you see | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 06… or 07… | +33 6… or +33 7… | Mobile |
| 01… | +33 1… | Paris / Île-de-France landline |
| 02… | +33 2… | North-west landline |
| 03… | +33 3… | North-east landline |
| 04… | +33 4… | South-east landline (includes the Côte d'Azur) |
| 05… | +33 5… | South-west landline |
| 09… | +33 9… | Mostly VoIP / non-geographic |
| 08… | +33 8… | Special-rate (including some expensive ranges) |
0033 is the same code typed from a landline. ARCEP, France's regulator, publishes the numbering plan these prefixes come from.
A UK 07 mobile is not a French 07. If your phone shows +33 7… it is French. If it shows 07… or +44 7… it is British.
Our free phone number checker is built for UK numbers. For +33, start by reading the prefix using the table above.
Who genuinely calls from a French number
The UK and France share a short tunnel, a lot of second homes, and a large French-born population in London and the South East (ONS country-of-birth figures). Genuine +33 calls are common:
- Family and friends in France, or a partner working a stretch in Paris or Lyon.
- Hotels, gîtes, airlines, Eurostar and ferry operators confirming a booking.
- French companies you buy from - a car maker, a bank you opened an account with in France, a university.
- Recruiters and employers with a French office.
If you have a holiday, a parcel, a job or a relative that fits, the call may well be real. If you do not, treat it as unknown.
A French mobile roaming in the UK can also show +33. That is still a French number, not a UK 07, and calling it back is still an international call even if the person is standing in the same queue as you.
Scam patterns tied to +33
The pattern UK phones see most is the one-ring / Wangiri call: +33 rings once, stops, and hopes you call back. Ofcom and Action Fraud have warned about international missed-call scams in general; French-number threads on UK forums (and French consumer-protection coverage of "appels en absence") describe the same trick running in both directions.
A second pattern is a recorded or live call that claims to be a UK bank, HMRC or a delivery firm but presents a +33 number. Genuine UK organisations do not call from France. Hang up and use a number you found yourself (159 for UK banks).
France has also been tightening how French businesses may display their number. Service-public.fr and ARCEP have published rules so that commercial calls to French consumers should show a real, callable French number rather than a hidden or random one. That is useful if you are in France. It does not police what a UK handset displays, and it does not stop a scammer overseas from showing +33.
What ringing back a +33 number costs
A callback to France is international. It is not in your UK inclusive minutes.
EE's published standard rate to France, checked on 8 September 2026 at ee.co.uk/help/mobile/roaming/call-abroad/countries/france, is 25p a minute to mobiles and landlines (6p a text). An International Pass cuts it further. O2, Vodafone and Three publish their own guides - check yours. A one-ring scam that dumps you onto a special-rate +33 8 range, or a premium route that is not the standard France rate, can cost more.
WhatsApp calls from a +33 number
A WhatsApp call from +33 is an account registered to a French number. That is a normal way for someone in France to reach you, and a normal way for a stranger to try the "wrong number" investment opener. Silence unknown callers in WhatsApp settings, and never send money or codes because a +33 WhatsApp call asked.
How to handle a +33 call
- Were you expecting anyone in France? Booking, family, a French company you use?
- Read the prefix. +33 6/7 is mobile; +33 1–5 is landline; +33 8 deserves extra caution.
- Don't call back a one-ring missed call. A real caller leaves a message or tries again.
- Never share PINs, passwords, one-time codes or bank details on an inbound call.
- Block and report - 7726, Action Fraud. iPhone and Android both let you block from Recents; landline providers offer number blocking.
The bottom line
A +33 call is a French number. Many into the UK are genuine. The expensive mistake is ringing back a one-ring missed call or trusting a "UK organisation" that is calling from France. Check the prefix, check your own context, and leave a silent missed +33 alone. For other codes see who called me from an international number.
Frequently asked questions
Who called me from a +33 number?
Someone presenting a French number - a person or business in France, a French mobile roaming, or a scam using a French caller ID. The code identifies France, not the caller.
What does +33 6 or +33 7 mean?
A French mobile. Domestically those numbers start 06 or 07. They are not UK 07 mobiles.
Is 0033 the same as +33?
Yes. 00 is the landline international prefix; + is the mobile one.
Should I call back a missed +33 call?
Not if it rang once and stopped. Only return a call you can see a reason for, and never return a "UK bank" on a French number.
How much does it cost to call +33 from the UK?
EE's published standard rate to France on 8 September 2026 was 25p a minute. O2, Vodafone and Three set their own rates. The call is not part of your UK minutes unless you have an add-on that lists France.
Is a +33 9 number a mobile?
No. +33 9 is mostly French VoIP / non-geographic. Mobiles are +33 6 and +33 7. Treat an unexpected +33 9 the same as any other unknown French number: context first, no one-ring callback.