If you have family or friends in another country in the world, knowing how to add an international phone number on WhatsApp is essential. And although it sounds like a “seven-headed bug”, I need to tell you that the process is quite simple, if you follow a few rules correctly.
Since the numbers are registered outside Brazil, adding the contact as usual is not enough. This is said, because when it comes to a national number, you just need to add the area code and the correct number. For foreign numbers, the process is slightly different.
The process is almost the same as adding a national number. However, it does contain some different details. You should pay attention to the information about the country code and area code that we call here in Brazil DDD.
How do you enter an international number in your WhatsApp?
In short, the procedure for adding the international number on WhatsApp is almost the same as for another mobile number of a national contact, whether in your city or another. That is, you need to include the number in the address book of your cell phone, which the application automatically reads.
Add an international number
- Open the “Contacts” application on your smartphone;
- then press the button to enter a new contact;
- Next, enter the contact details;
- Once you do this, in the phone field, enter the number that begins with “+”
(Press and hold “0” on the numeric keypad, followed by the country code, area code (DDD), and phone number).- For example, if the contact is in California, USA, the country code is “1” and the area code is “444”. Therefore, the number to enter is “+1 444 XXX-XXXX”;
- This means that you can write numbers with or without a space, with or without a hyphen, but the “+” sign at the beginning is mandatory;
- After that, press “Save”;
- Once done, just open WhatsApp normally and the new contact will be available.
Some countries’ rules are different
In short, some countries have their own rules for their phones. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention when adding them to your contact list. Otherwise, WhatsApp will not be able to find the personal files correctly.
So here’s how to proceed in these cases:
- United Kingdom (Code 44): Mobile phone numbers in some countries may start with “0” (eg 07700-900555). However, WhatsApp does not recognize this. So, just enter “+”, the area code and the number without “0”, which in the example would be +447700900555. This applies to any number from another country that begins with “0”;
- Mexico (Code 52): To enter user profiles from Mexico, it is necessary to include the number “1” between the country code and the area code for all numbers issued from the country;
- Argentina (Code 54): In short, the number “9” must be entered between the country code and the area code. The prefix “15” should be removed, so that the final number is 13 digits, as in “+54 9 351 123 XXXX”.
Finally after knowing all the details of how to add an international phone number on WhatsApp, what do you do? Just save the number in your phonebook and, using the messenger sync, wait for the contact to appear in the messenger.
However, pay attention: if this does not happen, then most likely you made a mistake when writing the contact. Or you may have received the wrong phone number.
Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.