Fictional phone numbers by country

Official ranges reserved for TV, film, and fiction.

Last updated September 27, 2026

Most countries never assign some phone numbers on purpose, so writers can put a number on screen without anyone's phone ringing. These reserved ranges are the only numbers guaranteed to stay unassigned. This page lists them by country, with the exact ranges set by each regulator.

Numbers from our fake phone number generator are different: they have the right format for form testing and seed data, but they aren't drawn from these official blocks. If you need a number that can never reach a real person, for a script, a book, or a public demo, use a range below.

Quick reference

Country	Reserved mobile	Reserved landline
US & Canada	`555-0100` to `555-0199`, any area code
United Kingdom	`07700 900000` to `900999`	`01632 960000` to `960999`, plus city blocks
Australia	30 listed numbers, e.g. `0491 570 156`	`(0X) 5550 xxxx`, `(0X) 7010 xxxx`
France	`06 39 98 xx xx`	`01 99 00 xx xx` and 4 more
Germany	Operator blocks, e.g. `0171 39200 00`-`99`	1,000 numbers in 5 cities
Ireland	`089 011 0xxx`	`020 91x xxxx`
Sweden	`070-174 06 05` to `06 99`	4 blocks of 100
South Korea	`010-3348-xxxx`, `010-6687-xxxx`	4 blocks (on request)

United States and Canada (555-0100 to 555-0199)

The US, Canada, and the rest of the North American Numbering Plan share one reserved block: 555-0100 through 555-0199, in any area code. So (212) 555-0147 and (604) 555-0183 are both safe. This is why movie phone numbers start with 555.

Only that slice is reserved. The rest of the 555 exchange is not fictional: 555-1212 is directory assistance, and NANPA returned the other 555 numbers to its general inventory in 2016, so they can be assigned.

United Kingdom (07700 900xxx and 01632)

Ofcom reserves drama numbers for every number type. For a landline in a place with no listed block, use the unused 01632 area code.

Type or area	Reserved range
Mobile	`07700 900000` to `07700 900999`
Freephone	`0808 157 0000` to `0808 157 0999`
Premium rate	`0909 879 0000` to `0909 879 0999`
UK-wide (03)	`0306 999 0000` to `0306 999 0999`
No specific area	`01632 960000` to `01632 960999`
London	`020 7946 0000` to `020 7946 0999`
Cardiff	`029 2018 0000` to `029 2018 0999`
Tyneside, Durham, Wearside	`0191 498 0000` to `0191 498 0999`
Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol, Reading, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester	Area code + `496 0000` to `496 0999` (e.g. `0161 496 0123`)

Australia (0491 570 numbers and 5550)

ACMA's mobile allowance is a fixed list of 30 numbers rather than a whole block. They all start with 0491 57, but other numbers in that range can be real.

Mobile: 0491 570 006, 0491 570 110, 0491 570 156-159, 0491 570 313, 0491 570 737, 0491 571 266, 0491 571 491, 0491 571 804, 0491 572 549, 0491 572 665, 0491 572 983, 0491 573 087, 0491 573 770, 0491 574 118, 0491 574 632, 0491 575 254, 0491 575 789, 0491 576 398, 0491 576 801, 0491 577 426, 0491 577 644, 0491 578 148, 0491 578 888, 0491 578 957, 0491 579 212, 0491 579 455, 0491 579 760
Landline: 5550 xxxx or 7010 xxxx after any area code: (02) NSW/ACT, (03) VIC/TAS, (07) QLD, (08) SA/WA/NT
Freephone and local rate: 1800 160 401, 1800 975 707-711, 1300 975 707-711
Premium rate: 1900 654 321

France (01 99 00 and 06 39 98)

ARCEP reserves six blocks of 10,000 numbers for audiovisual productions:

Mobile: 06 39 98 xx xx
Île-de-France: 01 99 00 xx xx
North-west, Réunion, Mayotte: 02 61 91 xx xx
North-east: 03 53 01 xx xx
South-east: 04 65 71 xx xx
South-west and overseas: 05 36 49 xx xx

Germany (drama numbers)

The Bundesnetzagentur set aside 1,000 landline numbers in each of five cities, and some mobile operators reserved their own blocks.

Berlin: 030 23125 000 to 999
Frankfurt: 069 90009 000 to 999
Hamburg: 040 66969 000 to 999
Cologne: 0221 4710 000 to 999
Munich: 089 99998 000 to 999
Mobile (Telekom): 0171 39200 00 to 99
Mobile (O2): 0176 040690 00 to 99

Ireland (020 91x and 089 011 0)

ComReg reserves two ranges for film and drama:

Mobile: 089 011 0xxx
Geographic: 020 91x xxxx

Sweden (070-174 06)

PTS reserves five series of 100 numbers each:

Mobile: 070-174 06 05 to 070-174 06 99
Gothenburg: 031-390 06 00 to 031-390 06 99
Malmö: 040-628 04 00 to 040-628 04 99
Stockholm: 08-465 004 00 to 08-465 004 99
Kiruna: 0980-319 200 to 0980-319 299

South Korea (on request)

The Korean Film Council reserves six numbers for theatrical films, but publishes only the prefixes: 010-3348-xxxx and 010-6687-xxxx (mobile), plus 02-540, 02-2285, 031-521, and 051-741. Productions get the full numbers after a written request.

Countries with no reserved range

Most countries, including India, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan, publish no fictional range at all. For those, the safest choice is a number with the right format that sits outside real operator blocks. Each country page explains the local format, and the generator produces numbers that match it.

FAQ

Is every 555 number fake?
No. Only 555-0100 to 555-0199 are reserved. 555-1212 is directory assistance, and other 555 numbers can be assigned.

Can I use these numbers in software tests?
Yes. They're reserved for fiction but safe anywhere a number must never reach a real person, like public demos, screenshots, and documentation. For bulk test data in the right format, the generator is faster.

Will these numbers pass phone validation?
Usually. They use real area codes and correct lengths, so format checks accept them. They can't receive calls or SMS, so any step that sends a code will fail.

Sources

Ranges as published by each regulator (NANPA, Ofcom, ACMA, ARCEP, Bundesnetzagentur, ComReg, PTS, and the Korean Film Council) and collected in Wikipedia's list of fictitious telephone numbers. See also Ofcom's drama numbers and ACMA's numbers for creative works.