Area Code 96 – Qena

Overview of Qena's Geographic Code +20 96

The country calling code +20 is assigned to Egypt under the ITU-T E.164 standard. Within the Egyptian national numbering plan, the prefix 96 serves as the National Destination Code (NDC) for the city of Qena and its surrounding governorate. This is a geographic allocation, meaning the code is tied to a specific administrative region in Upper Egypt, located along the Nile River approximately 600 kilometers south of Cairo.

Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

The +20 96 code covers the entire Qena Governorate, which includes the city of Qena (the capital), as well as major towns and districts such as Nag Hammadi, Qus, and Armant. The area is known for its agricultural significance and historical sites, including the Dendera Temple complex. The code is administered by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) of Egypt and is assigned to fixed-line PSTN services operated by Telecom Egypt, the incumbent operator.

Dialing Formats and Caller Instructions

For callers within Egypt, the local dialing format requires the trunk prefix 0 followed by the area code and the subscriber number. For example, to call a landline in Qena with a subscriber number 1234567, you would dial: 096 1234567 from within Egypt. The total national significant number length is 9 digits (excluding the trunk prefix), comprising the 2-digit area code (96) and a 7-digit subscriber number.

For international callers, you must replace the trunk prefix with Egypt's country code +20. Thus, the same number would be dialed as +20 96 1234567 from any country outside Egypt. It is important to note that the leading 0 is not used when dialing from abroad. When storing the number in a phone book or CRM, it is recommended to use the international format: +20 96 1234567.

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

As of the latest NTRA updates, there is no overlay code for Qena; the 96 code remains exclusively assigned to the governorate. However, number portability is available for fixed-line services in Egypt, allowing subscribers to retain their numbers when changing operators within the same geographic area. Callers should always verify the subscriber number length, as it may vary between 7 and 8 digits depending on the exchange and historical allocations. For the most accurate dialing, consult your service provider or the NTRA's official guidelines.