write a fax number
the way a service accepts it.

Use international format

Write a plus sign, then the country code, then the number in its confirmed international form, and nothing else: +12025550123. That is the international standard form. It never depends on where you are dialling from, which is exactly why services ask for it.

A US or Canadian number

Country code 1, then a three-digit area code, then seven digits — ten digits in total. So (202) 555-0123 becomes +12025550123. The area code must be a real one: it cannot start below 200, and service codes of the 411 pattern are not numbers you can fax.

What the composer tidies up for you

• Spaces, dots, dashes and brackets are removed.
• A leading 00 becomes +, because 00 is an international access prefix in many countries and not part of the number.
• Ten bare digits are treated as a US or Canadian number and get +1.
• 1 followed by ten digits gets the plus sign.

Anything else has to arrive already in international form.

Numbers that are refused before the call

• Not a valid international number. Too short, too long, or starting with a zero after the plus.
• Premium-rate and special-service ranges. These are blocked whatever your settings, to limit unsupported and potentially costly calls.
• A country that is not enabled. faxB2B sends to the US, Canada and countries of the European Union.
• A +1 number in the Caribbean. Those share the country code with the US and Canada but are separate countries, and they are not enabled.

Before you save a number to a contact

1. Ask for it in international form rather than converting it yourself.
2. Check it is a fax line, not a voice line — that mistake produces a call that is answered but never becomes a fax.
3. Store it in international form, so it works from anywhere.
4. Do not store an extension with it. faxB2B does not support dialing an extension after the call connects.

Questions