tel: URI Scheme: The Complete Developer Guide

RFC 3966 / E.164: how to create clickable phone number links in HTML

What is the tel: URI scheme?

The tel: URI scheme (defined in RFC 3966) lets you create hyperlinks that, when tapped on a mobile device or clicked on a desktop with a VoIP client, immediately dial a phone number. It is supported by all modern browsers and mobile operating systems.

<a href="tel:+14165550100">Call us</a>

E.164 International Format

Always use E.164 format in tel: links. E.164 is the ITU-T international standard: + followed by the country code, then the subscriber number, with no spaces, dashes, or parentheses.

US / Canada (NANP)(416) 555-0100tel:+14165550100
UK+44 20 7946 0000tel:+442079460000
Australia+61 2 5550 1234tel:+61255501234
Germany+49 30 12345678tel:+493012345678

US and Canada Area Codes

All US and Canadian numbers share country code +1 under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The three digits after the country code are the area code (NPA), followed by a seven-digit subscriber number.

Format: +1 [NPA] [NXX] [XXXX]

Example: +1 212 555 0100 (New York)

tel href: tel:+12125550100

Look up any area code in the GeoDial area code directory to see its location and copy correctly formatted tel: link examples.

Common Mistakes

Badhref="tel:(212) 555-0100"
Goodhref="tel:+12125550100"
Strip all formatting characters
Badhref="tel:2125550100"
Goodhref="tel:+12125550100"
Always include the + and country code
Badhref="tel:+1-212-555-0100"
Goodhref="tel:+12125550100"
No dashes in the href (dashes are allowed by RFC 3966 but cause issues on some clients)

Further Reading