Area Code 3 – Orange Walk District

Overview of Belize Area Code 3

Area code 3 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the Orange Walk District in Belize. It is used for fixed-line (PSTN) services within this administrative region, which is located in the northwest of the country, bordering Mexico. The district's primary town and administrative center is Orange Walk Town, often referred to as the sugar capital of Belize due to its historical reliance on sugarcane production. Other notable settlements served by this code include San Estevan, Guinea Grass, and Trial Farm.

Belize's national numbering plan follows the ITU-T E.164 recommendation, with a country calling code of +501. National Significant Numbers (NSN) are seven digits long, comprising the area code (1 digit) followed by a six-digit subscriber number. For example, a local number in Orange Walk might appear as 3-XX-XXXX.

Dialing Formats

• Local calls (within Orange Walk District): Dial the seven-digit number directly: 3XX-XXXX. No trunk prefix is used in Belize.
• Calls from other districts in Belize (e.g., Belize City, Cayo): Dial 3XX-XXXX (the full seven-digit NSN).
• International calls from abroad: Dial your country's exit code, then 501, then the seven-digit number: e.g., +501 3XX-XXXX.

For instance, to call a fixed line in Orange Walk Town from the United States, you would dial 011 501 3XX-XXXX. From the United Kingdom, it would be 00 501 3XX-XXXX.

Numbering and Overlay Considerations

Belize does not use area code overlays; each geographic district has a distinct one-digit code. The assignment of area code 3 exclusively to Orange Walk ensures that calls are routed efficiently to the correct district. As of the latest ITU-T operational bulletin, no overlay is planned for this area code, and the number range is managed by the Belize Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

Callers should note that while mobile numbers in Belize also begin with 6 or 7, area code 3 is strictly for fixed-line services. When dialing from a mobile phone within Belize, the same seven-digit format applies, but international callers must always include the country code.