876 Area Code
Jamaica · Kingston
The 876 area code serves Jamaica. It is part of the North American Numbering Plan, so the country shares the same +1 prefix as the United States and Canada, but Jamaica is a separate jurisdiction with its own telecom regulator and carriers. It is part of an overlay complex with a single sibling code (658).
About Jamaica
- Country
- 🇯🇲Jamaica (JM)
- Capital
- Kingston
- Population
- 2,839,175 (2024)
- Area
- 10,991 km²
- Currency
- Jamaican dollar (JMD)
- Languages
- English, Jamaican Patois
- Timezone
- America/Jamaica (UTC−5, no DST)
- Internet TLD
- .jm
- Drives on
- Left
History
Creation: Area code 876 was assigned to Jamaica on October 9, 1996, at the request of the Jamaican government, and went into service on May 1, 1997, replacing 809 throughout the country. Jamaica was incorporated into the NANP as a standalone NPA at that point, and existing central office codes were reassigned from 809 to 876. A permissive dialing period using either code ran until July 31, 1998. In 2019, 876 was joined by overlay code 658 in response to central-office code exhaustion driven by mobile phone growth.
Predecessor: Before 876, numbers in Jamaica used 809.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_codes_876_and_658, World Bank — Jamaica (2024), Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) — NPA Relief Planning.
How to call Jamaica
No 011 prefix needed — Jamaica 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 876 area code, and the local number.
Ten-digit dialing is required because Jamaica runs an overlay complex (multiple area codes for the same territory).
Major cities in Jamaica
| City | Population | % of country |
|---|---|---|
| Kingston | 662,426 | 23.3% |
| Portmore | 182,153 | 6.4% |
| Spanish Town | 147,152 | 5.2% |
| Montego Bay | 110,115 | 3.9% |
| May Pen | 61,548 | 2.2% |
| Listed total | 1,163,394 | 41.0% |
Telecom operators
- Digicel
- Flow (Cable & Wireless)
Overlay codes in Jamaica
Other NANP countries and territories
Frequently Asked Questions
876 is the area code for Jamaica. It is part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), which is why Jamaica shares the same +1 country prefix as the United States and Canada — but the jurisdiction itself is outside the US.