Area Code 300 – Malé/Hulhulé/Aarah

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

The +960 300 prefix is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the Greater Malé region of the Republic of Maldives. This area encompasses the capital island of Malé, the adjacent airport island of Hulhulé (site of Velana International Airport), and the artificial island of Aarah, which hosts the expanding Hulhumalé residential and commercial district. The prefix is administered under the national numbering plan of the Maldives, regulated by the Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM), and conforms to ITU-T E.164 standards for international telecommunication routing.

Dialing Formats and Caller Instructions

For local callers within the Maldives, the prefix is dialed as 300-XXXX (where XXXX is the four-digit subscriber number), without the leading country code. For international callers, the full number must be dialed as +960 300-XXXX or 011 960 300-XXXX when calling from the United States or Canada. The total length of a Maldives geographic number is seven digits (NDC + subscriber number), excluding the country code.

When placing a call from a foreign landline or mobile, always replace the local trunk prefix (if any) with the Maldives country code +960. For example, a number listed as 300-1234 should be dialed as +960 300-1234 from abroad. If you are within the Maldives but calling from a different island, you may need to include the area code if your local exchange requires it; however, most mobile networks in the Maldives allow direct dialing of the seven-digit number.

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

The Greater Malé region does not currently have an overlay code; the 300 prefix is unique to this geographic area. However, due to the rapid growth of VoIP and mobile services, the CAM has implemented number portability, allowing subscribers to retain their numbers when switching between fixed-line operators. This means that a number with the 300 prefix may occasionally be serviced by an alternative provider, but the geographic association remains unchanged.

Practical Usage and Routing

This prefix is primarily used for fixed-line PSTN services, including business and residential lines in the capital region. It is also used for some government and corporate hotlines. Calls to +960 300 numbers are routed via the international gateway and terminated on the Maldives PSTN. For callers using VoIP services, ensure that your provider supports dialing to the Maldives and that you have sufficient international credit. Emergency services in the Maldives are reached via 102 (police), 118 (ambulance), and 119 (fire), which are separate from geographic prefixes.