Common Formats for International Phone Data

Handling international phone numbers can be tricky due to the variety of formats, country codes, and dialing conventions. For ecommerce stores expanding globally, correctly formatting and storing international phone data is essential to ensure message deliverability, improve user experience, and maintain database consistency.

This guide explores the most common formats used for international phone numbers and offers best practices for standardizing your data.

Why Proper Phone Number Formatting Matters

• Improves SMS and call deliverability: Correctly formatted numbers are more likely to pass carrier validation.

• Enhances user experience: Users recognize familiar formats in communications.

• Facilitates database normalization: Consistent formats make searching, deduplication, and analysis easier.

• Ensures compliance: Some special database regions have specific rules for phone number presentation.

Common International Phone Number Formats

1. E.164 Format (Recommended Standard)

• Definition: An internationally recognized phone number format established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

• Format: + [country code] [national number]

• Example: +1 415 555 2671 (USA), +44 20 7946 0958 (UK)

• Key Features:

  • Starts with a plus sign (+)

  • Includes country code

  • No spaces or special characters preferred for database storage (e.g., +14155552671)

• Why use it? It’s the global standard, supported by most telecom and messaging platforms.

2. International Dialing Format (With Spaces or Dashes)

• Format: + [country code] [area code] [local number], often separated by spaces or dashes.

• Example: +44 20 7946 0958 or +44-20-7946-0958

• Usage: Commonly used in user email marketing: nurturing leads to sales interfaces or communications to improve readability.

• Note: Spaces and dashes should be stripped before storing numbers in databases.

3. National Format

• Format: Phone numbers as aruba business directory dialed within a country, without the country code.

• Example: (415) 555-2671 (USA), 020 7946 0958 (UK)

• Usage: Useful for local communications but risky for international SMS or calls.

• Limitation: Requires knowledge of the user’s country to interpret correctly.

4. International Direct Dialing (IDD) Prefix Format

• Format: IDD prefix (varies by country) + country code + number.

• Example: 011 44 20 7946 0958 (USA dialing UK)

• Note: Used when dialing internationally from phones, but rarely stored in databases.

How to Store International Phone Numbers in Your Database

• Use the E.164 format without spaces or special characters for consistency.

• Store phone numbers as strings (VARCHAR), not integers, to preserve leading zeros and symbols.

• Optionally, store the country code separately for easier segmentation.

• Validate numbers on entry using libraries or APIs like Google’s libphonenumber.

Tools and Libraries for Handling International Phone Data

• Google’s libphonenumber: A widely used open-source library for parsing, formatting, and validating phone numbers globally.

• PhoneNumberKit (iOS), libphonenumber-js (JavaScript): Platform-specific libraries for handling international phone formats.

• Third-party validation APIs: Services like Twilio, Nexmo, or NumVerify offer phone validation with formatting support.