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Nepal +977

International code · Asia

How to dial

Calling from abroad +977 981 234 5678

Dial +977, then the local number. Drop the leading trunk prefix 0. Generate the full number →

Calling a mobile locally 981 234 5678

For domestic long distance dial 0 first, then the area code. Local calls: dial directly. Mobiles are dialled without the 0 — just the mobile number.

Mobile length
10 digits
Mobile prefixes
9XX XXX XXXX
International format
+977 9XX XXX XXXX
Domestic trunk
0

Sign-up availability

What to expect when signing up for these services with a physical SIM from this country:

ChatGPT Works
Claude Works
WhatsApp Works
Telegram Works
LINE Works
WeChat Works
X Works
TikTok Works
Gemini Works

Applies to every platform: VoIP / virtual numbers and heavily-reused number pools get rejected. Physical SIM only.

Checked 2026-09-12. Platform region policies and number-range allocations change — always confirm against each platform’s official supported-regions list and the carrier’s notices.
4 sources
help.openai.com/articles/7947663www.anthropic.com/supported-countriessupport.google.com/gemini?p=gemini_web_availabilitywww.mappr.co/tiktok-bans-by-country

How to read a number

+9779812345678

+977Country code
Nepal.
98System code
The national part of a Nepali mobile number is 10 digits. Under the NTA numbering plan the first two digits are the "system code" (97 or 98; the former Smart Telecom used 96), the third is the operator code and the last 7 are the subscriber number.
1Operator code
After 98, a 0, 1 or 2 means Ncell and a 4, 5 or 6 means Nepal Telecom (likewise after 97: 0 and 1 are Ncell, 4, 5 and 6 are Nepal Telecom). Nepal has no number portability, so this digit tells you the operator.
2345678Remaining 7 digits
The subscriber number.

Dialled nationally as all 10 digits: 981 234 5678, with no 0 in front of a mobile number (Nepal Telecom’s own website writes mobiles like 9851003389). The 0 is only used for long-distance landline calls.

This section checked 2026-09-19.
2 sources
www.nta.gov.np/uploads/contents/National%20Numbering%20Allocation%20Plan.pdfwww.ntc.net.np/post/contact-info

Number ranges & quality

RangeTypeNotes
Starts with 97X / 98X, 10 digits Mobile carrier NTA's National Numbering Allocation Plan (Decision 4975): mobile numbers are 10 digits — a two-digit system code (96/97/98), a one-digit operator code and a 7-digit subscriber number. Nepal Telecom has 974–976 and 984–986; Ncell has 980–982 and 970 (plus 971 from 2025); the plan gives 972 to UTL and 961/962/988 to Smart, but both lost their licences in 2023. Numbers can't be ported in Nepal, so the range is the current operator.
Intl SMSStable
Virtual-number riskLow
ID requiredRegistration required: visitors use an original passport plus visa or arrival stamp, and shops usually want a photo; phones brought from abroad need IMEI registration (MDMS).

Physical SIMs can sign up without issues; foreign visitors usually need to register with a passport.

Carriers & prefixes

Mobile prefixes by carrier.

No number portability — prefixes still map to the current carrier.

Porting rules in full

Nepal does not yet have number portability — changing operator means changing your number. The regulator NTA drafted Mobile Number Portability Regulations (2078 in the Nepali calendar, i.e. 2021/22; the NTA site carries the draft), but they have not been implemented. So Nepali prefixes do map to the operator: the prefixes below come from NTA’s National Numbering Allocation Plan (Decision 4975), and 971 is the range Ncell was newly approved for in May 2025. Nepal is also down to two mobile operators: the former third operator, Smart Telecom, lost its licence after failing to pay nearly Rs 30 billion in renewal fees and other dues, and its equipment was taken over by the NTA and auctioned to Ncell (Kathmandu Post, June 2026). Its old 961, 962 and 988 ranges, and 972 from UTL, whose licence was revoked in December 2023, are not in the table below.

User share comes from the NTA (the telecom regulator), as of 2026-09. It shows how widely each operator is used — not how good its signal or service is. Official data →

  • Nepal Telecom Mobile carrierVeteran
    launched 1999 — GSM mobile service began
    User share

    974~976, 984~986

    Operated by Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited.

  • Ncell Mobile carrierVeteran
    launched 2005 — as Mero Mobile
    User share

    970~971, 980~982

    Its original 980, 981, 982 and 970 ranges were running out, and on 28 May 2025 the NTA approved it to start using 971 (Ncell press release).

This section checked 2026-09-19.
7 sources
www.nta.gov.np/uploads/contents/National%20Numbering%20Allocation%20Plan.pdfwww.ncell.com.np/en/about/media-room/press-release/ncell-begins-issuing-new-mobile-numbers-starting-with-971nta.gov.np/uploads/contents/Mobile-Number-Portability-Niyamawali-2078-Draft.pdfkathmandupost.com/money/2026/06/28/debate-over-third-telecom-operator-revived-as-cg-worldlink-and-utl-eye-market-entrykathmandupost.com/money/2023/12/14/nepal-s-telecom-regulator-revokes-licences-of-three-telcoswww.ntc.net.np/about-us/milestoneswww.ncell.com.np/en/about/company-profile

SIM cards & keeping a number

Tourists need an original passport and a visa (an arrival stamp from visa-on-arrival works); Ncell and Nepal Telecom have counters in the arrivals hall (the former third operator, SmartCell / Smart Telecom, lost its licence and has stopped operating, though older guides still mention it), and shops usually also want a passport photo (third-party guides). Nepal Telecom’s terms only require a copy of a national ID, passport or driving licence at registration.

Read more

Keeping a number follows operator rules, not the “NTA rules” previously shown here: Ncell’s customer-care page says a number unused for six months goes into a “pre-deactivate” state and must be reactivated in person at an Ncell centre with original documents for Rs 100; Ncell’s official account said in 2017 that six months after that the number is reissued to someone else. Nepal Telecom’s terms (clause 5.1.f) only say the number belongs to NT and may be re-allocated once a service has been inactive or disconnected “for a period as determined by Nepal Telecom”, without giving a number of days.

Phones brought into Nepal also need IMEI registration: devices cleared through customs are registered automatically in the NTA’s MDMS system, and IMEI status can be checked at mdms.nta.gov.np. Third-party guides say a phone unregistered after a 15-day stay gets blacklisted; that 15-day figure was not found on NTA’s own pages.

Ncell prepaid

Local prepaid
Network
Ncell’s own network (MNO)
Price
Validity depends on the top-up; officially from 30 days up to 730 days
Keeping the number
Ncell customer care: a number unused for six months goes into a “pre-deactivate” state and must be reactivated in person at an Ncell centre with original documents, for Rs 100; Ncell’s official account said the number is reissued six months after that. Once the main balance validity lapses, Ncell says outgoing service stops for 365 days, after which incoming stops too
ID check
Original passport plus visa or arrival stamp; shops usually also want a passport photo (third-party guides)
SMS & calls
A normal Nepali number; cost of receiving SMS while roaming in China not verified

Pros

  • Counters right in the arrivals hall
  • One use every six months, and reactivation costs only Rs 100

Watch out

  • Reactivation must be done in person in Nepal — impossible from abroad
  • The “reissued six months later” figure comes only from an official social-media reply

Where to buy: ncell.com.np

4 sources
www.ncell.com.np/en/individual/contact-usx.com/Ncell/status/891595083585396736www.ncell.com.np/en/individual/how-to-rechargemdms.nta.gov.np

Nepal Telecom (Namaste) prepaid

Local prepaid
Network
Nepal Telecom’s own network (state-owned; best mountain coverage)
Price
Top-up based; the official C-Phone prepaid page allows up to Rs 10,000 and validity up to 720 days
Keeping the number
NT terms clause 5.1.f: the number belongs to Nepal Telecom and may be re-allocated to another subscriber once the service has been inactive or disconnected for a period determined by NT — the terms give no day count. The official C-Phone prepaid page gives a 30-day recharge period after validity expires
ID check
Terms: a copy of a national ID, passport or driving licence; visitors in practice use a passport plus visa
SMS & calls
A normal Nepali number; cost of receiving SMS while roaming in China not verified

Pros

  • Best coverage in the mountains and on trekking routes
  • Top-up validity can run up to 720 days

Watch out

  • The terms never say how long inactivity is allowed before the number goes
  • Cost of receiving SMS in China not verified

Where to buy: ntc.net.np

3 sources
www.ntc.net.np/post/terms-and-conditionswww.ntc.net.np/services/c-phone-prepaidwww.ntc.net.np/services/gsm-prepaid-service

From user and blogger reports; platform risk rules change often — treat as a guide only. This section checked 2026-09-16.

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