Area code 242: Bahamas
Area code 242 is an area code for the Bahamas, which is part of the North American Numbering Plan but not the US or Canada. It is on Eastern Time. NANPA lists no overlay code for it. Calls to it from the US and Canada are international calls. Local calls there take 7 digits.
Local time in area code 242
America/Nassau
Prefixes in service
No public data
Administered by the country's own regulator
Area code 242 facts
| Location | Bahamas |
|---|---|
| Time zone | Eastern Time |
| Overlays | None |
| Split from | 809 |
| In service since | October 1, 1996 |
| Local calls | 7 digits; toll calls 1 + 10 digits |
| Carrier | Not shown. An area code is where a number was issued; numbers port between carriers. Check line type |
How do I dial a 242 number?
NANPA's dialling plan for 242: local calls inside the code take 7 digits, toll calls 1 + 10 digits. Bahamas is a separate country or territory inside the North American Numbering Plan, so a call there from the US or Canada is dialled like a domestic one but billed as international. The examples use 555-0147, from a range reserved for fictional numbers.
| Local call inside 242 | 555-0147 |
|---|---|
| From the US or Canada | 1-242-555-0147 |
| From outside North America | +1 242 555 0147 |
| E.164, for CRMs and SMS tools | +12425550147 |
When did area code 242 start?
Area code 242 went into service on October 1, 1996, split from 809. It has no overlay, so every number in its area still starts with it.
Tools for 242 numbers
- Area code lookup
Look up any code or a whole list of numbers, or find the codes for a state or city.
- Area code time zone
Local time for a list of numbers, with a callable-now flag.
- NPA-NXX lookup
Rate center and state for one prefix, a level below the area code.
- TCPA calling hours checker
Whether it's inside the federal 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. calling window there now.
Next step
A 242 number tells you where it was issued, not what it is now.
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Area code 242 questions
- What country is area code 242?
- Area code 242 is in the Bahamas.
- What time zone is area code 242 in?
- Eastern Time.
- Does area code 242 have an overlay?
- Not as of NANPA's file dated 10/16/2026. Every number in its area uses 242.
- When did area code 242 start?
- Area code 242 went into service on October 1, 1996, split from 809.
- Is a 242 number a cell phone or a landline?
- The area code can't tell you. In the US and Canada mobiles, landlines and VoIP lines share area codes and prefixes, and numbers move between carriers and line types. Only a live line-type lookup answers it for one number.
Sources
Location, overlays, in-service date and dialling plan: NANPA NPA database, file dated 10/16/2026. Time zones mapped to the IANA time zone database. By the SimpleVerifier Team; how we build these pages.