Area Code 55 – Kavajë

Geographic Overview of Albania's Area Code 55

In the Albanian national numbering plan, the country calling code +355 is followed by a two-digit National Destination Code (NDC) that identifies a specific geographic area or service. The NDC 55 is assigned to the Kavajë region, a municipality located in the western part of Albania, along the Adriatic coast. This area code covers the city of Kavajë and its surrounding administrative units, including villages and suburban areas that fall under the jurisdiction of the Kavajë municipal government.

Kavajë is part of the Tirana County and serves as a significant economic and transport hub, connecting the capital, Tirana, with the port city of Durrës. Subscribers within this geographic area are allocated landline numbers that begin with the prefix 55, followed by a subscriber number. The full national significant number (NSN) for a fixed-line subscriber in Kavajë is typically 8 digits long, excluding the leading trunk prefix '0' used for domestic dialing.

Dialing Formats and Instructions

To call a fixed-line number in Kavajë from within Albania, you must dial the trunk prefix 0, then the area code 55, followed by the subscriber's 6-digit local number. For example, if the subscriber number is 123456, the domestic dialing format is 0 55 123456.

For international callers, the format changes: you dial the international access code (e.g., 00 from most countries, or + from mobile), then Albania's country code 355, followed by the area code 55 (without the leading 0) and the subscriber number. Thus, the international format becomes +355 55 123456. It is crucial to omit the trunk prefix '0' when dialing from abroad.

Overlays and Numbering Considerations

As of the latest ITU-T recommendations, Albania has not implemented overlay codes for geographic areas; each NDC corresponds to a specific region. However, number portability is available, meaning that a subscriber may retain their number when switching operators, even if the number was originally assigned to a different geographic area. This can occasionally lead to a number with the 55 prefix being used outside the Kavajë region, but the prefix remains geographically associated for routing purposes.

Callers should be aware that while the 55 prefix is designated for fixed-line services, some VoIP providers may offer numbers with this prefix, but they are still considered geographic and subject to the same dialing rules.