Quebec area codes
Quebec uses 12 area codes, with 1 more assigned but not yet in service. The oldest is 418, in service since 1947; the newest is 468, from 2022. Across them 6,250 of 10,386 possible number blocks are allocated, 60.2% of capacity. 514, 581, 418, 450 and 819 are at or past 95%, which is why new numbers there come from overlays rather than the original code. No single national carrier dominates: in 10 of them the largest share of blocks sits with smaller CLEC and VoIP providers taken together. In the 33 days to 30 October 2026, FTC complaints named a Quebec caller ID 2,604 times – 1.1% of all complaints in the window, most often 450 with 345 (281st of 422 nationally). NANPA has relief planning under way for 273, so another code is coming. The CNA records 1,371 exchange areas across the province's codes. Canadian number blocks are administered by the CNA rather than NANPA, so block counts come from a separate file with a different maximum per code (800, not 786).
All 13 codes
| Code | In service | Blocks used | Largest holder | Complaints | Shares area with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 263 | 2022 | 63/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 20.6% | – | 438, 514 |
| 273 planned | 2027-02-27 | 0/786 | Other CLEC / VoIP 100% | – | 367, 418, 581 |
| 354 | 2022 | 64/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 42.2% | – | 450, 579 |
| 367 | 2018 | 248/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 12.1% | 296 | 418, 581 |
| 418 | 1947 | 777/800 | – | 341 | 367, 581 |
| 438 | 2006 | 608/800 | – | 305 | 263, 514 |
| 450 | 1998 | 775/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 15.6% | 345 | 354, 579 |
| 468 | 2022 | 71/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 52.1% | – | 819, 873 |
| 514 | 1947 | 778/800 | – | 319 | 263, 438 |
| 579 | 2010 | 645/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 26.4% | 195 | 354, 450 |
| 581 | 2008 | 778/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 20.7% | 308 | 367, 418 |
| 819 | 1957 | 770/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 30.1% | 312 | 468, 873 |
| 873 | 2012 | 673/800 | Other CLEC / VoIP 18.7% | 183 | 468, 819 |
Block share is share of allocated number blocks, not of subscribers. Complaint counts cover 28 Sep – 30 Oct 2026 and reflect spoofed caller IDs as much as real calls. Canadian blocks are administered by the CNA; the maximum per code is 800 rather than 786.
How full Quebec’s codes are
A code holds at most 800 blocks of 10,000 numbers each. When a code fills up, the administrator does not reclaim numbers – it adds an overlay, and from then on new numbers in the same area come from the new code.
Full or nearly full
273 is in service with no blocks assigned at all, so nobody can hold a number there yet – a caller ID showing one is necessarily spoofed.
Who holds the number blocks
Counted as the number of the province’s codes in which each holder has the largest share. Block-level totals are not available for Canadian codes, so we do not add per-code percentages into a province-wide figure – that would be an estimate dressed up as a measurement.
| Holder | Largest in | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| Other CLEC / VoIP | 10 codes | 10 codes |
“Other CLEC / VoIP” is not one company: it is every holder outside the national carriers counted together, which is what resellers and app-based numbers look like in the records. This is allocation, not subscribers.
Spam complaints naming Quebec codes
FTC Do Not Call complaints where the caller ID shown was a Quebec number, 28 Sep – 30 Oct 2026 (33 days). Caller IDs on spam calls are routinely faked, so these are complaints about the code, not calls proven to come from it.
What is coming next
One code is assigned to Quebec but not yet in service. Numbers in them cannot exist yet, so a call displaying one today is spoofed.
NANPA has relief planning open for 273 – the step that comes before a new overlay is announced. Watch this code if you need to know whether dialing or new-number availability is about to change.
How Quebec got its codes
2 in the 1940s, 1 in the 1950s, 1 in the 1990s, 2 in the 2000s, 3 in the 2010s, 3 in the 2020s. Each code after the first was split off from or overlaid on one already in service.
- 1947 418 goes into service.
- 1947 514 goes into service.
- 1957 819 goes into service.
- 1998 450 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 514.
- 2006 438 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 514.
- 2008 581 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 418.
- 2010 579 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 450.
- 2012 873 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 819.
- 2018 367 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 581.
- 2022 263 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 514.
- 2022 354 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 450.
- 2022 468 goes into service, split from or overlaid on 819.
- 2027 273 is due to go into service, overlaying 418.
Time zones
Quebec is in Eastern time.
Cities and exchanges in Quebec
The Canadian Numbering Administrator records which codes serve each exchange area by name.
Frequently asked about Quebec area codes
How many area codes does Quebec have?
12 in service, plus 1 assigned for the future (273). They are 263, 354, 367, 418, 438, 450, 468, 514, 579, 581, 819 and 873.
What is the oldest area code in Quebec?
418, in service since 1947. Every later code in the province was split off from or overlaid on an existing one.
What is the newest area code in Quebec?
468, from 2022, overlaying 819.
Is Quebec getting a new area code?
Yes. 273 is assigned but not yet in service; 273 is due 2027-02-27.
What time zone is Quebec in?
Eastern time.
Which Quebec area code gets the most spam complaints?
450 – 345 FTC complaints in the 33 days to 30 October 2026, 281st of 422 codes nationally. Those are complaints about the caller ID shown, and spam callers routinely fake a local-looking number, so this says the code is imitated often, not that the calls come from there.
Which carrier holds the most Quebec numbers?
No one carrier does. In 10 of the province's 13 codes the largest share of number blocks is held not by a national carrier but by smaller CLEC and VoIP providers counted together – which is what resellers and app-based numbers look like in the records. This is allocation of blocks by the numbering administrator, not a count of subscribers – people keep their numbers when they switch carriers.
Do you have to dial 10 digits in Quebec?
Yes. Every code in the province is in an overlay or ten-digit dialing area, so a local call needs the area code too. Dialing seven digits reaches a recording, not a wrong number.
Which cities in Quebec have their own area code pages?
73 exchange areas are covered, from Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa-Hull down to single-exchange towns. The CNA publishes exchange areas by name, so these are real places.
Sources and verification
- NANPA – NPA Database (npa_report.csv), file date 11/01/2026, retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- Canadian Numbering Administrator – CO Code Status, data date 2026-10-31, retrieved Nov 1, 2026
- FTC – Do Not Call Reported Calls Data, 28 Sep – 30 Oct 2026, retrieved Nov 1, 2026
Figures on this page are counted from those files, not copied from other sites. Spotted an error? Request a correction. How we collect and check: methodology.