649 Area Code
Turks and Caicos Islands · Cockburn Town
The 649 area code serves Turks and Caicos Islands. It is part of the North American Numbering Plan, so the country shares the same +1 prefix as the United States and Canada, but Turks and Caicos Islands is a sovereign jurisdiction with its own telecom regulator and carriers.
About Turks and Caicos Islands
- Country
- 🇹🇨Turks and Caicos Islands (TC)
- Capital
- Cockburn Town
- Population
- 59,367 (2023)
- Area
- 948 km²
- Currency
- United States dollar (USD)
- Languages
- English
- Timezone
- America/Grand_Turk (UTC−5, UTC−4 DST)
- Internet TLD
- .tc
- Drives on
- Left
History
Creation: Area code 649 was assigned to the Turks and Caicos Islands and went into service on June 1, 1997, as the 196th area code in the NANP. It was created in a split from the shared Caribbean area code 809 to give the territory its own dedicated numbering resources. A permissive dialing period during which 809 could still be used ended on May 31, 1998.
Predecessor: Before 649, numbers in Turks and Caicos Islands used 809.
Mnemonics: The digits 649 map to letter combinations on the standard telephone keypad, yielding 36 possible three-letter mnemonics. Telecom regulators sometimes pick one of these as a marketing handle (e.g. ‘BHA’ for The Bahamas, ‘TNT’ for Trinidad and Tobago).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_code_649, Turks and Caicos Statistical Department.
How to call Turks and Caicos Islands
No 011 prefix needed — Turks and Caicos Islands is part of the NANP, so calls dial like a domestic North American number. Long-distance and roaming charges still apply.
Use your country's international access code (00 in most of Europe, 0011 in Australia), then 1, the 649 area code, and the local number.
Domestic calls use seven digits — no area code prefix needed.
Major cities in Turks and Caicos Islands
Settlements served by the 649 area code, ranked by population. Smaller territories may have a single major settlement plus surrounding villages.
| City | Population | % of country |
|---|---|---|
| Providenciales | 23,769 | 40.0% |
| Cockburn Town (Grand Turk) | 5,567 | 9.4% |
| Kew (North Caicos) | 1,312 | 2.2% |
| Bottle Creek (North Caicos) | 1,100 | 1.9% |
| Conch Bar (Middle Caicos) | 350 | 0.6% |
| Listed total | 32,098 | 54.1% |
Telecom operators
Numbers in the 649 area code are assigned by Turks and Caicos Islands's telecom regulator to the following landline and mobile operators.
- Flow (Cable & Wireless)
- Digicel
Frequently Asked Questions
649 is the area code for Turks and Caicos Islands. It is part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), which is why Turks and Caicos Islands shares the same +1 country prefix as the United States and Canada — but the country itself is sovereign.