Area Code 37 – Nuuk

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

The area code 37 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) within the Greenlandic numbering plan, designated for the capital city of Nuuk (also known as Godthåb). Nuuk serves as the administrative and economic center of Greenland, housing the country's central government institutions, the Parliament (Inatsisartut), and the main offices of many national corporations. The code covers the entire Nuuk metropolitan area, including the districts of Nuussuaq, Qinngorput, and the old town center, as well as the immediate surroundings within the Sermersooq municipality.

Dialing Formats and Number Structure

When calling a landline in Nuuk from abroad, the international format is +299 37 XX XX, where +299 is the country calling code for Greenland, 37 is the area code, and the remaining six digits constitute the subscriber number. Within Greenland, callers must dial the full national number, including the area code, even for local calls: 37 XX XX. This is a closed dialing plan, meaning the area code is always required. For example, a local call from a mobile phone in Nuuk to a landline in the same city would still require dialing 37 followed by the six-digit subscriber number.

Caller Instructions

• International callers: Dial your international access prefix (e.g., 011 from the US, 00 from most European countries), then 299, then 37, and the six-digit local number. For instance, to reach a business in Nuuk, you would dial 011 299 37 XX XX from the United States.
• Domestic callers outside Nuuk: Dial 37 followed by the six-digit subscriber number. No trunk prefix (like '0') is used in Greenland's international dialing format, but within the country, the full national number is always dialed.
• Local callers within Nuuk: Even for calls to the same area code, you must dial the full national number: 37 XX XX.

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

Greenland operates a single national numbering plan without overlay codes. The 37 prefix is exclusively assigned to fixed-line services in Nuuk, and there are no current plans for an overlay. However, due to the increasing adoption of VoIP and mobile services, some numbers under this prefix may be routed over IP networks, but they remain geographically associated with Nuuk for regulatory and emergency services purposes. The Greenlandic regulator, Tele-Post, manages number allocation, and number portability is available, meaning a number with the 37 prefix could theoretically be ported to a different service provider, but it would still retain its geographic identity.