Canadian · Validation
Canadian phone number validator.
Check that a number follows the +1 NPA-NXX-XXXX format and that its area code is one assigned to Canada. This checks format and area code only: it cannot tell you whether the number is in service. Everything runs in your browser.
Inputs
Result
Enter a phone number and press Validate.
How Canadian phone numbers are laid out
Canada shares the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) with the United States and parts of the Caribbean, so every Canadian number is country code +1 followed by ten digits written NPA-NXX-XXXX: a three-digit area code (NPA), a three-digit exchange (NXX) and a four-digit line number. The first digit of both the area code and the exchange is 2 to 9.
What this tool checks
- Format: ten digits, with an optional leading +1 or 1, and a first digit of 2 to 9 in the area code and exchange.
- Canadian area code: the area code is looked up in a table of the 55 codes assigned to Canada, with the province or territory it serves.
- Toll-free: 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 and 888 are non-geographic and shared across the NANP, so they are flagged rather than treated as Canadian area codes.
- Premium: the 900 area code and the 976 exchange are flagged as premium-rate.
What it cannot tell you
A number can pass every check here and still be unassigned, disconnected or fictional. This is a format and area-code check only. Overlay area codes serve the same region as older codes, so the province shown is where the code is used, not where a particular person lives, and numbers move between carriers and provinces.
Sources
- Area-code set: Google libphonenumber Canada metadata (PhoneNumberMetadata.xml), cross-checked against Wikipedia, Telephone numbers in Canada. The two agree on 55 codes.
- Province and territory grouping, toll-free and 900 allocation, and the 976 premium exchange: Wikipedia, Telephone numbers in Canada.
- Numbering plan administration: NANPA and the Canadian Numbering Administrator. Check them for the current list, as new area codes are added over time.
Area code 273 (Quebec) appears in libphonenumber but not yet in Wikipedia, so this tool reports it as unconfirmed rather than valid.
Privacy
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is transmitted, stored, or logged. Use it freely on shared devices.